From the monthly archives:

September 2009

Tale of Two Malbecs

by Marisa D'Vari27 September 2009
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Behold the Malbec grape! If you love wine, here is a short quiz.

Malbec is:

1. a fruity, easy drinking, well priced wine from Argentina.

2. one of the 5 allowed grape varieties allowed in a Bordeaux blend.
3. The grape grown in the Cahors, France AOC

If you selected all of the above, you are correct. Yet few people [...]

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Bodegas Riojanas

by Marisa D'Vari27 September 2009
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…so this evening enjoyed a rather lively evening ar the Cervantes Institute in NYC, exploring the wines of Bodegas Riojanas. Of course it is not every day that one has the opportunity to blind taste a 1962 Vina Albina vs. a 1964 Monte Real … or in that case a 1942 Vina Albina vs. a 1955 [...]

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Meeting Joel Peterson, Founder, Ravenswood

by Marisa D'Vari25 September 2009
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Joel Peterson, founder of Ravenswood
Want to be a winemaker? It sounds like a lot of fun, and of course, it can be. And to hear the rags to riches (well, not quite rags) story of how Joel Peterson, founding winemaker ofRavenswood, created an internationally famous brand is mesmerizing.
Joel was born in 1947 the son of [...]

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Tasting Ehret Cabernet Sauvignon

by Marisa D'Vari24 September 2009
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… so you can imagine how surprised I was when a business colleague gave me a bottle of Ehret Family Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa’s Knight’s Valley upon hearing I was a wine person.

This is a delicious wine with exotic spice, black berries, plums, coffee, and a never-ending finish. Knights Valley is a tiny [...]

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Review: Dr. Von Bassermann-Jordan 2008 Riesling trocken

by Marisa D'Vari20 September 2009
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 Riesling Wine: Dry or Sweet?
Do you like Riesling wine? If so, the next question would be which type? As you are aware, Riesling can be bone dry or as sweet and thick as honey.
And an even sharper question may be how you prefer your Riesling to be packaged? The scary looking, but traditional, labels with [...]

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Exploring Bordeaux

by Marisa D'Vari20 September 2009
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Bordeaux Map
Bordeaux. The name says it all. This whisper of a word conjures up images of luxury, gorgeous chateaux, elegantly dressed aristocrats, and lavish, sophisticated living.
We won’t even get into all the centuries of romance novel-style drama that must have included arranged marriages for the sake of building a family dynasty and all that, yet [...]

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Exploring Sauternes & Barsac

by Marisa D'Vari19 September 2009
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Sauturnes … yummy!
Luscious, sweet white wines with exotic, upscale Indian cuisine – who would have imagined it? When I received the invitation to attend a Cru Classes tasting of Sauternes and Barsac (both sweet white wine appellations in Bordeaux, France) with a lunch to follow, I already knew what to expect to eat. We’d start [...]

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Tasting Pinot Noir from Monterey County

by Marisa D'Vari18 September 2009
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monterey
Whether you love or hate the character named Miles in the film Sideways, chances are you do have an appreciation for the Pinot Noir grape. So the question isn’t really if you like Pinot Noir, but a question of provenance. For example, this morning in my blind tasting session with other wine scholars, I received [...]

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A Languedoc Evening – in New York

by Marisa D'Vari1 September 2009
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… so many of you know that I spent a few fantastic weeks in the Languedoc this summer, guest of a gorgeous Chateau with access to some of the best restaurants in the world. Of course, the thing about the…

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Review: Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero D’Avola

by Marisa D'Vari1 September 2009
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Italy is one of the world’s most imported wines, and for good reason – the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful…

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