Have you ever considered moving to what some people think is the ‘end of the world?” The landscape in this remote part of Uruguay is somewhat luner, yet it’s the special terroir that makes the wines of Alto de la Ballena so good. The winery was started in 2000 by Paula Pivel, who worked for [...]
“What are those curious birds!” I can’t help but ask, as we tour the vineyard of Bodega Bouza in Uruguay. My guides are Eduardo Boido, winemaker and Cristina Santoro, who manages PR and communications. It is a gorgeous warm day and besides the vineyards of Tannat there is a small flock of beautiful, elegant birds [...]
Entering Warwick Estate is like entering a reception for an elegant garden party. Before a guest even tastes the wine in the gorgeously designed tasting room, or in one of the many outdoor venues for a picnic, the stage is set for an afternoon experience. A bit early for our appointment with winemaker Nic [...]
“So what’s the story with these gorgeous horses?” I ask Charles Hopkins, cellar master at De Grendel wines in Cape Town. It is a gorgeous day, and I am sitting in the bright white tasting room with Charles and Richard Theron, Sales & Marketing Manager looking out at sleek Arab horses, meandering sheep, and [...]
markus schneider belvini … so on the trip, our group will also be stopping at the winery of Weingut Markus Schneider. According to the web site (a rather creative and loose Google translation) Schneider likes to make fresh, concentrated wine with more mineral than fruit and works on the principle (“less is more.) Red wine [...]
“Now all we need are sun umbrellas!” said a friend recently at Brasserie Beaumarchais, a very fun restaurant with a lively club-style brunch. The restaurant scene in St. Tropez is fairly wild and decadent with wealthy patrons spraying expensive champagne at one another and bikini-clad patrons dancing to loud disco music. The scene was [...]
Naked Wine by Alice Feiring Reviewed by Marisa D’Vari In this colorful narrative vaguely similar to Kermit Lynch’s Adventures on the Wine Route, Alice Feiring tackles “natural wine,” currently one of the hottest subjects in the wine world. Most people think that like buying the freshest produce in a greenmarket, the more natural the [...]
“Help! Need the PERFECT picnic wines to suit many foods and many guests this July 4th. What to buy!?” Pairing a wine to match a holiday theme, various ‘outdoor’ style dishes, and the tastes of guests who may be new to wine or have discerning preferences, can be a challenge. Yet if you stick [...]
Jim Collins “I strive for the perfect blend of art and science,” says Jim Collins, who is the ‘official’ ambassador of Frei Brothers wines, and also holds the more illustrious title of Coastal Viticulture operations for Gallo wines in the region. As you may know, coastal regions in California are considered ‘cool climate,’ and ‘cool [...]
Cristobal Undurraga Marimon is a member of the family known in the Chilean wine industry as “the pioneers,” who were among the first in the 1980s to bring the country’s fine, value-priced wines to the attention of the world. Recently I met him in New York to discuss the Undurraga family’s new wine label, Koyle, [...]
“Welcome!” says Jeremy Steimer in perfect English, looking very fresh and crisp on this hot sunny day with his well-pressed shirt, light hair, and cheerful smile. We shake hands in the M. Chapoutier Caveau (showroom), a gorgeously decorated place where the special soils of Michel Chapoutier’s vineyards can be seen behind a glass case. [...]
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. [...]
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. [...]
When I was head of Deg.Com Communications in Boston, working with small companies to build buzz for their business, I often spoke at a variety of conventions ranging from the Institute of Management Consultants to Book Expo America to the National Speaker’s Association. No matter what the business I always suggested that media-hungry entrepreneurs begin [...]
… Today Vibrant Rioja produced an excellent panel and tasting at the Puck Center. The Panel, titled Rioja: Value at all Price featured Leslie Sbrocco as Moderator with ftitve spectacular women including Maria Martinez-Sierra, winemaker at Bodegas Montecillo since 1976, Virginia Almagro, export manager for Bodegas Campo Viejo and Ysios, Trinidad Villegas, Export Manager [...]
Taylor Mason, Resident Chef …. it seems like I’ve been going to the Napa Valley every few weeks this year. Only February, and I’ve been in late January for the Master of Wine educational seminar and just last week, the Symposium for Professional Wine Journalists and the Premiere Napa Valley Barrel Auction. Usually Yountville looks [...]
For whatever reason, I received the book About Wine by J. Patrick Henderson and Dellie Rex over two years ago, yet had been too overwhelmed by my wine studies to open anything that wasn’t Janscis Robinson or Tom Stevenson. It’s only now that I have my diploma from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust [...]
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 [...]
Michael Aptein Madrid is one of the most sophisticated regions in Spain in terms of gastronomy and art, so you can imagine it must be the center of wine as well. Yet why is it that we seldom hear of the Vinos de Madrid D.O? Apparently, The D.O. of Madrid has been producing wines [...]
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, [...]
