Jean Marie de Champs with her Rose Guy Charlemagne Champagne
On a recent visit to Burgundy for the Hospice du Beaune I was so delighted to meet one of its top negociants, Jean-Marie de Champs of Domaines et Saveurs Collection. If you love fine wine – yet have never been to Burgundy – your second surprise [...]

Blackstone Merlot
Sometimes I get so caught up in my studies of the Old World I discover it has been months since I’ve sipped wine from the new world, especially California. Winemaker Gary Sitton of Blackstone Winery in Sonoma sent me some of his new releases …

The Pinot Noir 2007 ($20) is rich and expressive [...]

Mazzocco New Zinfandel Releases
Talented winemaker Antoine Favero was kind enough to send his two newly released Zinfandels, both from Dry Creek Valley.

The 2007 Zinfandel from Smith Orchard Reserve
Near opaque purple, this wine has a nose of what I think of as a "purple perfume," along with some smoke, chocolate, mocha, super dark ripe fruit. [...]

Bagatelle Restaurant
"I hear this place is like a nightclub during Sunday Brunch," a celebrated wine writer told me as we awaited festivities relating to a celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau, taking place just that minute at the Bagatelle restaurant in Manhattan’s trendy Meatpacking District. "People dancing on the tables, and all that."
"A club at lunch …" [...]

 
“Oh, how thoughtful!” says your host, looking at the bottle of wine you hold in your hand.
You stand there, in the doorway. Is that smile forced, you wonder? Or is it overly sincere, one of those “I so lucked out with this guest’s gift” types of grins?
Either way, you are offering what you think is [...]

 
Ah, the New World!

I’ve just received box of wines from this winery and since my wine studies have been so Old World focused, always delighted to receive California wines. Here are some tasting notes. 
Frei Brothers Reserve Merlot 2007 Dry Creek Valley
Smooth and rich, with rounded flavors of plums ripening in the sun. Very balanced acid [...]

For Burgundy lovers, it is like seeing precious diamonds everywhere you look — all the famous names right there, beckoning you to try them. I spend some serious time looking at the list of wines and discovering my plan of attack. In addition to the press and trade, local citizens can also enter for about 24 euros each. They seem extremely excited to be here, both to taste the wine and be a part of this very important event surrounding the auction.

Chocolate and Wine — A Perfect Match
Do you like chocolate? If so, you may be curious to know that it pairs very well with wine — especially wine from Burgundy. Here I am, on the kind of gray overcast day that makes the charming city of Beaune even more mysterious, about to attend a chocolate [...]

Choosing That Special Bottle From a Wine Store Tasting …
2007 Dos Aguas

So who would have thought Bordeaux in Long Island? The trend for creating Bordeaux style varieties is not new — Chile may have been the first, California a market leading second, and now Long Island is getting into the act.

I first tasted Macari at [...]

Nellie Blau Picard in center
Have you ever wondered what it is like to attend the oldest and possibly most prestigious wine auction in the history of the world? Well, I am right here at the center of action in Burgundy at the festivities leading up to the Hospices de Beaune auction.
I just finished a fantastic [...]

 “One of the challenges in the region is creating international awareness that wine from Burgundy can be enjoyed every day, not just for special occasions,” explains a representative from the region. And it’s true – though Burgundy is known for its Grand Cru wines that sell for tens of thousands of dollars a case and [...]

Celebrations surround Hospice de Beaune in Burgundy, France, quite possibly the longest running wine auction in the history of the world. Funds raised are used to support the hospital (known as the Hôtel-Dieu) which received its first patient on 1st January 1452. In the last sixty years, however, the level of bidding is seen as an indicator of the prices growers and negociants can get for their wine.

Laurent Drouhin
Ever wondered how to define the difference between Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir 2008 and Drouhin Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2008?

Laurent Drouhin with Honora Horan (center) and Harriet Lembeck at a walk around tasting of the 2008 vintage from the Drouhin family.
At the tasting, I chatted with Mr. Drouhin and suggested [...]

 
Chardonnay is everyone’s favorite grape … it can take on so many expessions. Increasingly, you should recognize that many old world producers, especially in Macon, are edging towards new world appellations in style while some new world producers are trying to emulate old world producers. 

So for those of us who appreciate the apple pie a la mode style of [...]

Thanksgiving Wine Reviews
Wondering what wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dinner? Of course you are. In addition to pairing wine with the turkey, you must consider the side dishes to be offered, the spices in those dishes, and how to use the wine to bring out the flavors of your cuisine.
Wines from Spain — including [...]

Phill D’Ancona of Columbus Circle Wines
“I gave up selling to restaurants,” the wine representative tells me, lining up samples of wine on the cool granite counter of the upscale wine shop, Columbus Circle Wines. “Every time I’d walk in, there’s be a new wine director, even younger than the last, thinking he knew everything about [...]

What does this steak demand?
Zinfandel is a grape with attitude! Meaning that as soon as you take a sip, it’s so powerful you are automatically thinking you need  to pair it with food. Steak … or any substantial protein such as roasted salmon or tuna, can do the trick.

I love Zinfandel for its rich, concentrated, [...]

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…

Wearing a bright red, very elegant, fitted jacket with glossy dark hair spilling over her shoulders, Noemie Ruelloux, communications manager for Chateau Haut-Bailly, welcomes me to the Chateau. Haut-Bailly is situated on the left bank of the River Garonne, south…