My love affair with the Mencia grape is officially out of control. Tasting through more of these wines at Toro (which is by the way Ken Oringer’s restaurant serving very serious food in a relaxed but energy charged atmosphere…sitting on my top ten all-time list for “simply delicious” and a winning choice for Beantown foodie indulgence) convinced me that my first […]
Venerable Value Trove or Flash in the Pan?
US consumers just might develop whiplash keeping up with declarations of new regional sources for quality wine values. Rewind the last ten years and value arrows have stopped on Spain, Argentina, Australia, Germany, Languedoc, Beaujolais, Chile, Loire, and more. And, there appears to be no let-up. Trying to make sense of the shifting landscape, each new pronouncement of dominance in the global value segment falls neatly into one of these […]
On Boeuf Bourguignon, Docs, Pinot Noir, and Nirvana
For folks that allocate non trivial sums of their waking hours tasting fine wine and devouring information in appreciative support of things vinous, the ultimate reward occurs when the collage of food, wine, and human connection intersect with seamless harmony in one pinnacle vignette. My experience with this form of cerebral tickling generally takes hold […]
Pepper Bridge 2005 Cabernet: A Wine of Exotic Immediate Pleasure
Had the chance to try this Pepper Bridge 2005 Cab last night on a beautiful Seattle evening. Seriously elegant yet fully charged wine with coffee, black fruit, fruit cake and sweet floral aromas, a touch of eucalyptus, and soft round tannins that make it really easy to enjoy now. But, years of good cellaring potential […]
2005 Casa Mira Rises Above $20 Value Category
I make a point to revisit favorite wine shops I patronized (read: spent too much money in) in the 80’s and early 90’s on each visit to my old home towns in New York and Long Island. This past week I stopped into discounter Bottles & Cases on East Main Street in Huntington, LI while staying with close friends in […]
Spain Boiled Down
Amidst some good trivia in this cool ten point summary of Spain and its wine at Enobytes, the top two points on “next big red” and “next big white” are worth paying attention to. With all the attention I have given to Albarino and Tempranillo, I was blindsided by the amazing quality of Mencia first […]
Can the Facebook Fan Page be a Valuable Time Investment?
I live in constant motion where maximum responsibility and activity levels turbo charge acuity of mind. I have a full time media career, an agenda of constant travel, a husband and father’s commitment to intense family connection, two homes to manage, a professional spouse with a medical career, a current kitchen remodel clanging away around me, morning exercise regimens, and the usual […]
Ginglinger and Mark Ryan at Poppy
My summer’s regular running from Boston to Seattle and back offers its rewards. I find myself working closer with pros in the media and luxury home design business of significant intellect and modest disposition. In addition, the burgeoned Washington State wine industry combines with a serious food scene that either dwarfs Boston’s or just seems that way from insufficient exploration. My […]
Snow, In August, by Loomis Family Vineyards
Pete Hamill captured tension, beauty in simplicity, and childhood dreams and then juxtaposed them with the racial and social complexities of a New York borough when he wrote his powerful and moving novel Snow In August. Ten years later, this all came to mind as I tasted and retasted a different Snow in August, only this time it was the newest release from Loomis Family Vineyards (LFV). […]
Perennially Crystal Quail
Regulars know it’s not possible to completely describe the transcendental experience of a Crystal Quail evening. After the ritual pilgramage through the back-est of Center Barnstead, New Hampshire country roads and arriving in the middle of nowhere to find a small 18th century farmhouse glowing in the setting sun just twenty yards uphill of the rear over sized garden whose bounty is being prepped at […]
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