“Wait, that’s my bottle!” The lively young group at the next table looked at the waiter opening our bottle of Hahn Pinot Noir in amazement. It turns out that they brought the exact same wine for a BYOB dinner at New York’s best restaurant! In time, they relaxed when their own bottle was brought [...]

  Queulat Sauvignon Blanc and Queulat Pinot Noir from Ventisquero So last night at my favorite BYOB restaurant I brought these fabulous wines from Chile! I am on a Chile kick right now … last week I attended a great tutored tasting of Chilean wines and am so excited about the quality and all the [...]

Last night at The Modern in Manhattan I tasted some really fabulous wines – very surprising! The biggest surprise was a Portuguese white, Tons de Duorum 2011 – frankly, I did not know what to expect as I do not have white wines from Portugal very often. Tasting it (without knowing the varietals) I would [...]

    So Maria and Rob Stuart were kind enough to send us six bottles of their wine from McMinnville, Oregon — last year we and several other bloggers were lucky enough to get an invitation to blend wine with them! I am saving our “Blogger’s Blend” for last, yet now am trying the Big [...]

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a SuperTuscan. Typically, a SuperTuscan refers to “Bordeaux Style” wine (blends of the typical grapes of the region, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petite Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc) except that the climate and soil and aspect (and sun!) of the region is completely different! Typically, SuperTuscans are also quite expensive, as they [...]

This week I am trying two wines from Clos LaChance, a family-owned, certified sustainable winery in the Northern Central Coast region. The winery uses modern winemaking technology mixed with old world philosophy … … gravity flow, small lot fermentation, barrel aging and unfined/unfiltered wines paired with high tech computer monitoring. Clos LaChance Estate Zinfandel 2010 [...]

Okay, so several weeks ago I was at my neighborhood wine shop and wanted to test the “new guy” out on his recommendations. “So what is a great Rioja about $20?” I asked. He recommended the Xavier Flouret Fe 2005 (the X on the right).  So being the MW student geek that I am, I [...]

So I was finally able to visit La Dame de Pic in Paris … in October they were full. The restaurant has an open kitchen and an intimate dining room … One of the more interesting elements is that the server presents guests with an “aroma” card with words like “spice” and “floral” on it, [...]

See this salad? It is a work of art. I am at the Five Senses restaurant in Avignon and this restaurant is a real find … … the meal starts off with a selection of hors d’oeurves, followed by a choice of different menus … One of the fun things was choosing my first wine [...]

Wow, what a great idea from the folks at Trione in Geyserville, California. I received this “mini box” of “mini bottles” of wines including 2007 Alexander Valley red, 2007 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Russian River Valley Syrah, 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, 2008 Russian River Valley Chardonnay and 2010 Russian River Valley Sauvignon [...]

It is so interesting that today I received a copy of this gorgeous coffee table size book called Napa Valley Iconic Wineries the very same days that the Guild of Sommeliers offered members a three flight tasting of iconic wines from Napa Valley. This book celebrates iconic Napa winemakers, and has gorgeous photography. Within each [...]

  Just in time for Valentine’s day are some fabulous wines — at surprisingly, a really fabulous price!   Piccini Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2006 Piccini is clearly establishing itself as a key brand – though it has more than 130 years of tradition. Very impressed by their wines – this Brunello is 100% Sangiovese, [...]

Chateau Ste Michelle Dry Riesling 2011, Columbia Valley Very refreshing style of wine with intense notes of minerality and racy acidity. The finish is a pure beam of minerals, along with an orange-tangerine, tangy note that livens the palate. Style is dry and very elegant, and can be served as an aperitif or paired with [...]

2009 Wild Horse Cheval Sauvage Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir “This wine is from Burgundy!” said a friend, blind tasting the 2009 Wild Horse Cheval Sauvage the other night at The Modern. Of course, the gentleman in question is a “super taster” and what he was responding to was the elegance and finesse of the [...]

Chateau Dereszla Tokaji 5 Puttanyos … so last night was graduation night at the International Wine Center … and as tradition has it, former graduates (I was the 2009 vintage) BYOB to I truili for the graduation ceremony. I met one of the grads, Josephine Young, last Saturday at an MW practice tasting hosted by [...]

2010 Silvarado Chardonnay Carneros (Estate Grown) Gold color with a nose of butter, orange blossom, and pointed minerality. On the palate, racy acidity and tart green apple. A very long, elegant focused finish. 2010 Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon Very delicious, earthy, well-balanced wine with concentrated fruit and a real sense [...]

. … so here I am in Izmir … ancient Smyrna … with a gorgeous room at the #swisshotel. Sun on the terrace for breakfast (welcome after brutal NYC climate) that included sour cherry juice and thick Turkish coffee (“How would you like it … medium?” asks the waitress, as it is typically made with [...]

Our group of professionals (we are chefs, journalists, food scientists) had our last luxurious lunch at the celebrated L’Assiette Champenoise. It was a very glamorous space, run by Arnaud Lallement grew up in a restauranteur family in Châlons-sur-Vesle.  At 18, with a Diploma from the Strasbourg Hotel & Catering College in his pocket, Arnaud went [...]

  2011 Château Bonnet Andre Lurton White Bordeaux From the “snap” of the twist of the bottle to the fresh scent of grapefruit, and the clean taste of fresh acidity and minerality this is a very well structured white wine/ Pale in appearance, it offers an aromatic nose and a very refreshing dry, medium body, [...]

  2010 Argento Malbec Wow, really luscious wine! Color is a garnet, and on the nose a delicous aroma of dark chocolate … oak is so subtle one isn’t sure it is even there. Lush and full palate with super ripe plum, more chocolate, and incredible balance. Though the fruit is concentrated and rich, there [...]