From the monthly archives:

June 2009

Enjoying Chateau Lafite-Rothschild

by Marisa D'Vari22 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Enjoying Chateau Lafite-Rothschild

For a moment, imagine yourself an invited guest at an exclusive dinner at a First Growth Chateau in the Medoc. It is mid-June, and everyone who is “anyone” in the wine world is in Bordeaux to attend VinExpo to make…

1 comment

Visiting Winery Cecchi – Castellina in Chianti

by Marisa D'Vari16 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Visiting Winery Cecchi – Castellina in Chianti

… very excited to visit Winery Cecchi in Chianti tomorrow on a special study tour arranged by the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust! According to some pre-study of their web site, the winery started up in 1893 with the founder…

1 comment

Exploring Chateau La Lagune

by Marisa D'Vari16 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Exploring Chateau La Lagune

“If only people could imagine the riches!” says a wine connoisseur friend, standing in the gorgeous ballroom of the historic Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan. It is a sunny winter day, and celebrity wine writers have turned out to taste…

0 comments

Exploring Chateau Guiraud

by Marisa D'Vari16 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Exploring Chateau Guiraud

Didier Galhaud, tall, dark, and slim, meets me at Chateau Guiraud in the Sauternes district of Bordeaux, and escorts me around the First Grand Cru Classe wine property, known for the spectacular sweet wine called Sauternes. Grey mist swirls around…

0 comments

Exploring Chateau Tayac

by Marisa D'Vari16 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Exploring Chateau Tayac

“Robert Parker spent an entire day here,” says the charming matriarch Annick Saturny, whose husband bought and created Château Tayac many decades ago. So far, this is the first Château I have visited that actually looks like the American ideal…

0 comments

Tasting Note: Quivira 2006 Zinfandel

by Marisa D'Vari14 June 2009

Enjoy a good California Zinfandel at your favorite steakhouse? Join the crowd. I love the Cal Zin varietal because it is so assertive and proud. Take a sip and you can almost see this plump little grape waiving the California…

0 comments

Pink and White: The Wines of Summer

by Marisa D'Vari14 June 2009

“I’m not your mother’s rose!” This was the mental flash I experienced tasting 2008 Quivira Grenache Rose from California’s Dry Creek Valley . This wine is a gorgeous baby pink color, with an aroma of fresh berries (raspberries, tiny tart…

0 comments

Tasting Conn Creek Winery Hospitality

by Marisa D'Vari9 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Tasting Conn Creek Winery Hospitality

Be honest – is it your dream to buy a vineyard in the Napa valley and make great wine? If you’ve visited the region, you already know it’s an ideal life. People – especially winemakers and winery owners – are…

0 comments

Napa Valley Wine Auction Kick Off & Taste Napa Valley 2009

by Marisa D'Vari6 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Napa Valley Wine Auction Kick Off & Taste Napa Valley 2009

As a Gemini, I’ve spent many birthdays celebrating during the four days of festivities leading up to the Napa Valley wine auction, now in its 29th year. The official kick-off begins the first Thursday of June, which this year began…

0 comments

Review: The New Bardessono Hotel

by Marisa D'Vari5 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Review: The New Bardessono Hotel

“I’m staying at this fabulous hotel,” I overhear a woman tell a Napa Valley local. “Yet I can’t pronounce the name.” “That’s okay,” the Napa-based friend replies. “I can’t pronounce it either. But I hear it is fabulous.” The hotel…

0 comments

Chile Comes to Manhattan

by Marisa D'Vari5 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Chile Comes to Manhattan

Chile – the country – came to Manhattan today with a spectacular tasting at the gorgeous Gotham Hall (love that name – it makes me think that Batman would be swooping down any second). I had been looking forward to…

0 comments

The World of Gallo Wine

by Marisa D'Vari5 June 2009
Thumbnail image for The World of Gallo Wine

Raise your wine glass if you think Gallo represents California wines. Now put it down – The Gallo family has long gone global, and now is focused on creating affordable, well-crafted “local wines from around the world.” I was lucky…

0 comments

Discovering Qualitity Wines from Beaujolais

by Marisa D'Vari3 June 2009
Thumbnail image for Discovering Qualitity Wines from Beaujolais

You are probably familiar with Beaujolais Nouveau, the cheerful red wine that is celebrated when it is released the third Thursday of November. For the last several years, it has become a reason for celebration in America as well as…

0 comments