Why Jon Rimmerman is a Rock Star

I found a new hero over the weekend: Jon Rimmerman, founder of Garagiste, a "100% independent, pro-consumer purveyor of wine, food, wisdom, and esoteric tidbits of travel and culture." What's not to love?

Rimmerman is all about high-value wine, and in his recent interview with GQ Magazine, he lists his favorite wine regions for finding high-quality wines for low prices. What do you know—he loves all of the same places that I do! And thanks to his booming success (Garagiste sold $30 million of wine in 2012 according to the New York Times), these beautiful wine regions are getting more attention. In honor of Jon Rimmerman's awesome wine philosophy, here is a collection of Ravenous Traveler articles focused on the wine regions that he and I both love: the Columbia River Gorge, Puglia, Italy, and the wine regions surrounding Cape Town, South Africa. (If only he'd included the wines of Croatia!)

The Columbia River Gorge:
"The Columbia Gorge, in Washington and Oregon, is the most exciting wine region in America," says Rimmerman

Courtesy of Columbia Gorge Winegrowers

Washington Magazine: Pour on Columbia, Drink in the relaxed tasting rooms of the Columbia River Gorge
Travel + Escape: A River Runs Through It: Road Trip in the Columbia Gorge
Ravenous Traveler: Waterfall of Wine Weekend: The Columbia Gorge Passport Tour
Ravenous Traveler: Tips for Wine Tasting in the Columbia Gorge and Hood River
Ravenous Traveler: Hood River Wine Tasting in the Columbia Gorge


Puglia, Italy:
“If you like Zinfandel, try Negroamaro from Puglia, Italy." —Jon Rimmerman

Map of Puglia wine region courtesy of Italian Flavor Consortium

BootsnAll.com: The Budget Traveler's Wine Tasting Guide to Italy
EuropeUpClose.com: Tasting and Talking About Puglia Wine
EuropeUpClose.com: Puglia, Italy’s Summer Food and Wine Festivals
EuropeUpClose.com: Wine Tasting in Puglia, Italy
WhyGo Italy: The Mediterranean Diet in Southern Italy
i-Italy Magazine: Pirro Varone: Organic Wine In Southern Italy
i-Italy Magazine: Southern Italian Cult Wine: Q&A with Sergio Botrugno
i-Italy Magazine: Q&A with Winemaker Massimiliano Apollonio
i-Italy Magazine: Cantine Aperte In Salice Salentino
Ravenous Traveler: Puglia Wine Review
Ravenous Traveler: Guide to Wine Tasting in Puglia
Ravenous Traveler: Puglia's Most Important DOC Wines
Ravenous Traveler: Wine in Puglia: Interview with Valle dell'Asso Winery
Ravenous Traveler: Michele Caló & Figli Winery: Living the American Dream in Italy

Wine Regions surrounding Cape Town, South Africa:
“Cape Town is a mélange of everything a person looks for. It's spiritual. It's edgy. And the wine region is one of the most untapped. —Jon Rimmerman

Viator Travel Blog: Guide to Wine Tasting near Cape Town, South Africa
Travel + Escape: Drinking Up South African History