While the US domestic wine industry continues its painful recessionary adjustments in response to the $50-plus wine category implosion and the consolidation of its distribution channels, the picture looks very different in Asia where this year’s Sotheby’s and Christie’s Hong Kong wine auction sales will outstrip their own combined New York and London volumes. As […]
Lopez de Heredia Wines Showcase Unique Style and Age Worthy Rioja Tradition
I lean towards naturally made wines subjected to minimal human intervention that can transport me to the vineyards, hills, and cellars of their birthplace. So it was no surprise that tasting through seven recent releases from the venerable Rioja producer, Lopez de Heredia, made for a compelling, head-turning, and fully recommended indulgence. These are profound wines which […]
Top Three Wines of October: Beaujolais, Barbaresco, and Champagne
In this second “wines of the month” summary report, here are October’s top WineZag recommendations. This autumn unveiled itself with vinous treats from Beaujolais, Champagne, and Barbaresco. 2006 Sottimano Barbaresco Pajore $50: This was my favorite wine in a blind flight of Barolos and Barbarescos spanning two vintages. I was taken by this wine’s smoky […]
2005 Clos Rougeard Les Poyeux and Menton Boston
In both cases, drinking 2005 Clos Rougeard (click for review) and luxuriating over dinner at Barbara Lynch’s Menton (click for review) in Boston’s Fort Point extension last week were opportunities for critical return visits. I first tasted the entry level 2005 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny a couple of months back and made my one and only previous visit to […]
Smart Pick For Global Champagne (Or Any Other) Day
Bringing the right Champagne to a party is always dicey and curious business for me. Picking bubbles for a gathering of wine and food writers creates new layers of complexity and anxiety. When the occasion falls on the evening (tonight) of a global Champagne celebration that will connect tasters all around the world at their […]
Sottimano Pajore Barbaresco Pairs With Batali Rib-Eye Recipe
It took a recent Barolo and Barbaresco blind tasting and a new season for locally grown, organic, long-neck garlic to finally move me to share my not-so-secret, Mario Batali borrowed, dry rub Rib-Eye recipe. I say it is mine, even though it is not, because I have been consistently scintillating guests over the years deploying […]
No Comment on Wine Freedom in H.R. 5034 Response From Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown
H.R. 5034, the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010, is simmering in the House of Representatives and waiting to make its way out the House to a Senate vote. So, I contacted my State Senator, Scott P. Brown, with an appeal to consider the scary aspects of this legislation which would allow Massachusetts, and all other states, […]
2009 Burgaud Chateau De Thulon Beaujolais Villages: Top Vintage, Producer, and Value
It has been a charmed decade for Beaujolais producers and 2009 is highly anticipated as the best yet. First there was 2003, possibly the best Beaujolais vintage in at least 40 years, producing deliciously round, richly fruited wines and then quickly followed two years later by the well hyped and overall excellent 2005 vintage where the Cru […]
Top Three Wines Of September
Tom Matthews, Wine Spectator Executive Editor, left an intriguing and somewhat tongue-in-cheek comment today on a WineZag post that I published earlier this week which featured some thinking stimulated both by Terry Theise’s new book and my palate’s evolution over the last twenty five years. Here is Tom’s comment that he left today: “The ‘quiet […]
Authentic Wines Advance Palate and Stir Soulful Wine Appreciation
I repeatedly ponder two questions about wine appreciation. First, I query myself about my evolving preferences, wondering if my shift to more authentic old world wine is palate driven or trend inflicted. Secondly, I ask myself how so many practical people get so wrapped in wine minutia, devoting large chunks of their waking time studying, tasting, […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- …
- 32
- Next Page »