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Interviews

Interview with Burgundian Negociant Jean-Marie de Champs of Domaines et Saveurs Collection

by Marisa D'Vari29 November 2009
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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 [...]

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Q & A about Burgundy with Peter Wasserman of Becky Wasserman Selections

by Marisa D'Vari11 November 2009
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Burgundy France
So I am off to Burgundy tomorrow to partake in the celebrations surrounding 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 [...]

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Behind the Scenes at …. A Wine Shop Sales Call

by Marisa D'Vari6 November 2009
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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 [...]

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Interview with Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards

by Marisa D'Vari30 October 2009
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Eric Titus
 
Tonight I had dinner with Eric Titus of Titus Vineyards in the Napa Valley and talked about his Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc while tasting through several flights. The dinner was held at the illustrious Jean-George Vongerichten restaurant Perry Street, which is very hip and cool (think white on white theme, with [...]

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Tasting Henry’s Drive Wines from Australia

by Marisa D'Vari27 October 2009
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Ah, the life of a vintner! Ten years ago, Ms. Kim Longbottom and her husband bought property in the Australian region of Padthaway, part of the Limestone Coast in the southeast of South Australia, and called their estate Henry’s Drive in honor of a long-ago postman from the area. Kim cleverly named the wines, which [...]

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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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Pairing Chateau du Campuget Prestige Viognier at Cafe Boulud

by Marisa D'Vari8 August 2009
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… 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…

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Interview with Franck-Lin Dalle of Chateau Du Campuget in Costieres de Nimes

by Marisa D'Vari19 July 2009
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Okay, so you read the book A Year in Provence and are very excited to become a winemaker in the south of France. Yes, by all appearances it is a glamorous life. Gorgeous sunny weather, long leisurely lunches by the…

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Tasting Ferrari Sparkling Wine

by Marisa D'Vari24 April 2009
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Think of a Ferrari and you think of a gorgeous sports car, right? A sleek, sexy icon of pleasure that personifies quality and luxury. So when I was first poured a glass of sparkling wine called Ferrari, I made the…

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Tasting La Tunella Wines

by Marisa D'Vari10 March 2009
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“My grandfather started the winery in 1960,” says the handsome and quite charming Massimo Zorzettig, co-owner and sales director for La Tunella, a winery located in the northeastern region of Friuli, Italy. I am sitting with Massimo, his translator, and…

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Conversations about Hochheim Riesling with Dr. Michel

by Marisa D'Vari28 September 2008
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Some German wine makers offer you a tutored tasting of their latest vintage, explaining the wines as you both taste in unison. Dr. Franz Werner Michel welcomes guests to his Hochheim estate with a lineup of his premiere Riesling wines…

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Tasting Riesling with Jakob Schneider Jr. in Nahe, Germany

by Marisa D'Vari28 September 2008
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“When your first name is Jakob, you have no choice but to go into the family business,” says Jakob Schneider Jr. with a charming smile, the youngest in a long line of Weingut Jakob Schneiders in the Nahe region of…

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Inhaling wine with Johannes Leitz

by Marisa D'Vari28 September 2008
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“I almost prefer inhaling to actually tasting,“ Johannes Leitz told importer Thierry Thiese in an interview. “I can’t really love a wine regardless of how it tastes if it doesn’t excite me on the nose.” I find this quote represents…

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Riesling Unplugged! Talking Sharks Teeth with Martin Tesch

by Marisa D'Vari27 September 2008
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“The man pictured on this wine bottle’s label looks familiar!” I think to myself, peering at the wine bottle with a picture of a somewhat scary looking gentleman in a stiff white shirt and black jacket on the label. Dracula?…

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Discovering Kendermann: Behind the Scenes of a Best Selling Brand

by Marisa D'Vari26 September 2008
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When most wine aficionados visit Germany to meet their favorite producers, they often find themselves knocking at a rustic looking door, with the winemaker/owner or his wife jumping up from the lunch table to welcome the visitor inside. Things are…

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Visit to Weingut Strub in Rheinhessen

by Marisa D'Vari26 September 2008
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If you’ve been in the wine world for a while, you have experienced the Chardonnay craze, the Merlot madness, and the Pinot Noir obsession ignited by a certain popular film. Perhaps you have come to love Sauvignon Blanc so intimately…

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Review: Discover Chocolate (and wine)

by Marisa D'Vari31 January 2008

Valentine’s Day is nearly here! Gourmand that you are, you want to impress your sweetie with a spectacular chocolate and wine pairing. Yet the challenge is, you just don’t know your ganache from your gianduja. No worries. Chocolate expert Clay…

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Italian Women in Wine Profession

by Marisa D'Vari3 August 2007

… so happy to share the news that women are gaining power in the Italian wine industry. Here’s a clip from wine-community.com: “Some numbers in order to confirm this new tendency: during the wine selections of Tuscany 2007, female producers…

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