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 [...]

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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 for Bodegas [...]

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 [...]

 
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 that [...]

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 [...]

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 since the [...]

 
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 [...]

 
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 [...]

 
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 aroma [...]

 
 
“No!” the passionate Frenchman says, starting a heated discussion about the Poulsard grape among a group of vignerons in the opulent dining room of the two-Michelin-star restaurant Jean-Paul Jeunet. We are in the Jura region of France, a wildly beautiful and rugged expanse of land with well-trained vineyards, spotted cows, and sleek horses at every [...]

 
…. so by now, you’ve seen the film Sideways, tasted Pinot Noir, and count yourself as one of the varietal’s many fans. Yet do you like Pinot Noir from around the world, or just certain locations? Have you taught yourself to tell the difference between a Pinot from New Zealand and Burgundy?

The folks at Craggy [...]

Ambassador Kathryn Hall
… so the first time I met Kathryn Hall was at Per Se, where she announced that her California winery was becoming certified Organic. I remember tasting the Cabernet and finding it quite rich, layered and complex.
Yet Wednesday night September 30 I was able to taste the 2006 HALL "Kathryn Hall" Cabernet Sauvignon, [...]

Ambassador Kathryn Hall
… so the first time I met Kathryn Hall was at Per Se, where she announced that her California winery was becoming certified Organic. I remember tasting the Cabernet and finding it quite rich, layered and complex.
Yet Wednesday night September 30 I was able to taste the 2006 HALL "Kathryn Hall" Cabernet Sauvignon, [...]

 
… Zinfandel is California’s ’signature’ grape. Why? Possibly because this is where the Zinfandel grape finds its truest expression.

If you are new to the world of wine, it may be difficult to understand why ‘terroir’ - the speciffic weather and soil of a vineyard – is so important. The vines for this Zinfandel are grown on [...]

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 [...]

 
… so you can imagine how surprised I was when a business colleague gave me a bottle of Ehret Family Winery 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa’s Knight’s Valley upon hearing I was a wine person.

This is a delicious wine with exotic spice, black berries, plums, coffee, and a never-ending finish. Knights Valley is a tiny [...]

Bordeaux Map
Bordeaux. The name says it all. This whisper of a word conjures up images of luxury, gorgeous chateaux, elegantly dressed aristocrats, and lavish, sophisticated living.
We won’t even get into all the centuries of romance novel-style drama that must have included arranged marriages for the sake of building a family dynasty and all that, yet [...]

Italy is one of the world’s most imported wines, and for good reason – the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful…

Italy is one of the world’s most imported wines, and for good reason – the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful…

In these challenging economic times, most of us are only too happy to learn of exciting new regions that offer quality wines at a good value. Last Fall I was lucky enough to visit the Rhone valley in France and…