It’s that time of year when many are reaching for a bottle of bubbly. While Champagne is the first bubbly to come to mind for most consumers, there are many better bargains to be found in sparklers from other regions. If you want a French sparkler but don’t want to pony up the cash it […]
In my previous post about Georgian wine I promised that my next post would highlight some Georgian wines that I know are available in the US — and available at very reasonable prices. I’m not only going to fulfill that promise, but I’m going to do so while sharing with you the wines that impressed […]
In the last few years I’ve been fortunate enough to visit a number of different wine regions and I always look forward to discovering new wines in new places. When I recently had the opportunity to explore wines in the country of Georgia, I jumped at the chance. It’s interesting to see how places compare […]
One trend I’ve noticed over the past few years is the growing popularity of zinfandel-based blends. It seems to be a style of wine that appeals to the collective taste of American wine drinkers. We like them too. As a result of the growing popularity of this style, more and more producers are coming 0ut […]
In the past I’ve accused Banfi of being generally overpriced with their wines. But recently this $9.00 Banfi wine showed up for me to sample. I think they’re trying to prove me wrong. Well played, Banfi… well played. Some might classify this wine as a “Super Tuscan” although that classification is technically an unofficial designation […]
When I was younger and my wine budget was even tighter than it is today, Bolla Valpolicella was one of my “go to” wines. I never thought of it as an outstanding wine, but it was good enough and it was cheap. And I didn’t know a whole lot about wine at that time, so […]
A few weeks ago I was invited to join a #winechat about Austrian red wines. For those who don’t know, #winechat is an organized Twitter event where a group of folks jump onto Twitter to chat about wine. Often times those participating all taste the same wines and that was the case on this evening […]
Let’s be honest, Chianti is a mess. By that I don’t mean that Chianti wines are bad. In fact, I love a good Chianti. I say that Chianti is a mess because there are so many variations of “Chianti” that most consumers don’t really know one from another, or even know what Chianti means. The […]
I’ve admitted it before, and I’ll do so again… I have a prejudice against Californian sauvignon blanc. Why? I’ve just had too much of it that is weak, flavorless and disappointing. But when I find one that’s good, I have to give them credit. Tin Barn Vineyards is the most recent producer to impress me […]
I keep waiting for the world to suddenly realize how awesome rosé can be, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I know… it’s often not as interesting as a complex white wine or as rich as a deep red wine. But rosé has its place and too many wine connoisseurs overlook it. It’s not like I […]