Curious, isn’t it, the way that wine drinking in America goes through phases? Decades ago "Soave" was a very popular imported wine due to its mass market television advertising. Many wine geeks today recognize that Soave is a DOC in Northern Italy, and that the grape is garganega, but thirty odd years ago its [...]
"If your winery is biodynamic," asks a woman of Nicola Rossi, University professor and board member of the Azienda Agricola Cefalicchio winery in Puglia, "doesn’t that mean you have to plant according to the setting of the moon … or something like that?" Handsome and well spoken Rossi laughs the question off with a shrug, [...]
“I love this wine!” my guest says, happy and relaxed in the luxurious dining room of Jean-George Vongerichten in Manhattan. The restaurant, Jean-Georges, is one of the finest in the city, with a wine list that can reach tens of thousands of dollars per bottle. Yet we are not drinking the exquisite and expensive [...]
You’ve probably seen the headlines in wine magazines and blogs, in which various professionals weigh in about restaurants using Ipads as a customized wine list, and if this will replace sommeliers. Of course, it’s a legitimate question … how many times have you pulled out your Blackberry or iPhone to check on a vintage. [...]
"I really like this wine!" Such were the exclamations of surprise at a trade tasting today when several enthusiastic producers brought their wine to New York for the first of what is sure to be many Puglia wine weeks. What is a wine week? It’s a way to swirl and sip your way through [...]
Rather risky, don’t you think, to put a California sparkling wine up for comparison among some of the best houses in Champagne? Yet that’s what Hugh Davies did in NYC recently when presenting his sparkling wines to a very select group of journalists. “Of course, I can detect a California sparkler!” you might think [...]
"Viva, Argentina!" One of the most vibrant guests at the very bustling Modern restaurant on a recent Tuesday night was Jimena Turner, director of education for Wines of Catena in Mendoza, Argentina. Enthusiastic and passionate about Argentine wines, she is in New York to promote the new book Vino Argentino: An Insider’s Guide to [...]
Very excited to introduce you in this email to the lovely and very passionate Egle Armani, the wife (and spokeswoman) for the Albino Armani winery she owns with her husband. A few other journalists and I gathered together to taste her wines and hear her story at Dan Meyers new Maialino restaurant in Gramercy Park. [...]
One of the highlights of attending En Primeur in Bordeaux this year for me had been the opportunity to taste the new vintage of prestigious, historic Chateau Cheval Blanc, famed for nearly two centuries for its unique terroir. It received the highest rank of Premier Grand Cru Classé (A) status in the Classification of Saint-Émilion [...]
