In these challenging economic times, most of us are only too happy to learn of exciting new regions that offer quality wines at a good value. Last Fall I was lucky enough to visit the Rhone valley in France and…
“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 of what a Château should look like.
First, notice the imposing gates and long driveway that [...]
Wouldn’t it be interesting to take a snapshot of the past? For example, on a recent trip to Bordeaux, I visited many of the same Chateau as our third president Thomas Jefferson. It was so interesting see the same topography, taste the “same” wines, and read his experiences of over two hundred years ago.
Of course, [...]
"Welcome to Chateau Paloumey," says Martine Cazeneuve, owner and winemaker of this 22-hectare, award-winning, Bordeaux Supérieur property. Fashionably dressed and accessorized, Madame Cazeneuve greets me at the door with her public relations executive Barbara Engerer.
I am tasting my way through the Medoc, and am curious to visit this Chateau as it is one of several [...]
Quick! What does Saint Emilion mean to you? In your mind, does it represent the healing saint of the same name? Does it signify a quaint, ancient, walled village in Bordeaux? Or, for you wine lovers, does it represent chateaux offering quality, collectible wines?
Visiting vineyards in Saint Emilion is a special treat. Many are small [...]
Bonjour," says English-speaking Jerome Juhe, part of the winemaking team at Chateau La Lagune. Handsome and compact with dark hair and electrifying enthusiasm for his company’s wine, he guides me through the remarkably modern and clean winemaking facilities, of which he is clearly proud. Looking at this spacious, almost futuristic winery, I find incredible [...]
Riesling Producer Profiles & Articles
Many of these articles are based on visits to producers.
The New Riesling Taste Profile
Producer Profile: Tasting Nirvana with Weingutt Donnhoff
A Tale of Two Schloss: Schloss Vollards and Schloss-Schoenborn
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Nature or nurture,” you might ask, wondering about the temperament of a child or the elements that go into a particularly delicious, well balanced wine. Today’s wine world is often a hotbed of deception. For example, if you find yourself admiring the buttery, oak-y aroma and palate of an affordable Chardonnay, watch out! You very [...]
Consider the year 1551. Michelangelo is in Italy, chiseling the finishing touches on his last work, the Rondanini Pietà. In merry old England, Edward VI succeeds Henry VIII as king. And in the Spanish town of Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, just west of Barcelona, Jaume Codorníu bequeathes his wine cellars, presses, barrels and vats to his [...]
Below are video or audio interviews that pertain to the Napa Valley.
Video Interviews with Winemakers
Late Robert Mondavi of Mondavi Wineries
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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Napa Valley
The Restaurant at Meadowood
Go Fish
New York City
Stk – All the World’s a Stage
[...]
Below are some of the many syndicated wine columns penned by Marisa D’Vari
Rose
Wine Review: Fat Bastard Rose
Sauvignon Blanc
Wine Review: Brancott Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Wine Review: Banfi Sauvignon Blanc “Serena” 2006
Wine Review: Ehlers Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Wine Review: Chateau Ste Michelle Horse Heaven Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Wine Review: Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Wine Review: Neumayer’s Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Wine [...]
We will be visiting the following producers …
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Castelnuovo Berardenga o Gaiole
Radda Castellina Panzano
Castellina e Panzano
"I want to like Italian wines," a friend says over dinner at a swank Italian restaurant in Manhattan. "But the reds sort of freak me out. I don’t know what it is, maybe too much acid, not enough tannin …"
With over 1000 grapes, Italy has enough wine and styles to please every palate on the [...]
Wine & Food Pairing at Restaurant Daniel with Sommelier Raj Vaidya and Executive Chef Jean-Francois Bruel Part 1 If the oldest question in the world is “what’s for dinner,” consider that the second oldest question may very well be “what…
Are you a jaded diner? In today’s power-packed culinary world, many people are lucky enough to visit four and five star restaurants as a matter of course. Twenty years ago, for example, dining at a top restaurant would be because…
Now that summer is winding down, it’s time to enjoy an al fresco picnic in the park. I recently had the opportunity to taste two affordable California wines that would be perfect pairings with the elegant salads of summer. In…
Part 1: Tale of Two Pinot Noir One of the pleasures of those who love Pinot Noir is blind tasting various producers and deciding if they are Old World or New World, and then trying to pinpoint the producer’s exact…
… So did you ever wonder how wine got on a restaurant’s wine list? For many upper end restaurants, the wine list is one of the primary reasons customers come to dine at their establishment. Some very high end restaurants…
Once upon a time, wine from Chianti was associated with candles and straw wrapping. Savvy wine connoisseurs today know that the quality of wine from the Chianti region of Italy—and the specific D.O.C.G. region of Chianti Classico — has soared….
