It’s always fun when the Napa Vintners association comes to New York — the owners and winemakers take a break from pouring at consumer and press functions, and are able to relax a bit and talk about their wines. I first met Shirley Roy a few years ago at a trade event … and had [...]

J. Lohr is a California producer of many different varietals, and increasingly, many different vineyards. I had the good fortune recently to receive a case of 2008 wines and must say all are of exceptional quality for the price.  If I had to choose my two favorites, they would be the Chardonnay and the 2007 [...]

"So how does it feel to be a winemaker … and given special attention because of your sex? Or because of color …" I  asked Ntsiki Biyela: South Africa Woman Winemaker of the Year. As I tasted through her wines, very impressed at the complexity of flavor and well balanced structure, I couldn’t help but [...]

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 [...]

  Quick! Imagine you are presented with a "blind flight" of Sauvignon Blanc wine (or Chardonnay for that matter). Do you think you can pick out a wine from New York’s Long Island against wines from Sancerre or New Zealand? Assume that all wines have the same color, and for the most part, a similar [...]

Quick! What does Saint Emilion mean to you? In your mind, does it represent the healing saint of the same name? Does it signify a quaint, ancient, walled village in Bordeaux? Or, for you wine lovers, does it represent chateaux…

… of course, there are wine shops and there are wine shops. A shop I often visit lacks the upscale ambiance of many featured recently in Zagat’s new listing, yet it has these incredibly great-value wines from France. Recently I…