I've recently had the pleasure of getting to know Olivier Magny a bit by email correspondence and by reading his books Stuff Parisians Like and his most recent ...
Join us, won't you this November as we cruise the Danube on the magnificent Amabella. Travel from Prague to Budapest with colorful stops along the way on this c...
My late step-mother loved to tell this story. She went to a local liquor emporium known for its kosher wines, and asked for two gallon-sized bottles of ritual (Kiddush) wine, one Malaga and one Concorde. The owner pulled her over to the side and said, in a low voice, “You know, you don’t need to drink that anymore. We have a large selection of really good kosher wines.” “I know,” she said, with a tinge of regret. “But my husband loves this stuff.”
The 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference was held in Portland, Oregon and it was everything I hoped for and more. Please enjoy this brief slide show. Next year's confe...
First sniff - acidity. Had the Riedel glass allowed the acids to escape more readily? Sniff-sniff. Where are my pleasant layers? In fact where are any aromatic sensations? Now this wine is totally off-balance and I don't have the slightest desire to taste it, or even recommend it.
From Sonoma County we meandered to Spain via the 2010 Robaliño Albariño from Rias Baixas. Albariño is a delightful Spanish varietal and this one didn't disappoint.
Much to our delight, the next stop was a visit to Anette's Chocolates and a tour from co-founder Anette Madsen-Yazidi. She and her brother Brent Madsen have been in business together for nearly 20 years. Wine infused chocolates and sauces are their signature, but I couldn't get enough of the Chili Lime Tequila Tortilla Brittle or the Fiery Beer Brittle with Spanish peanuts.
Of all the wines I tasted, the barrel sample of 2010 Pinot Noir from Frostwatch Vineyard & Winery blew me away. I had a nice visit with owner and winemaker Brett Raven and wound up ordering a case of this wine at a special futures offering. Trust me, that's rare for me.
We stayed down under for the 2008 Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz from Barossa, Australia. "What a deal", said one of us. Most liked the nose, calling it smoky and earthy. Tony felt it got better as it sat in the glass. At $10 we all felt it was a terrific value.
