Friends often ask me how they can become more knowledgeable about wine. Most often, they’re interested in becoming more confident with picking a wine from a wine list or at a wine shop. My advice typically includes a suggestion to pick a wine region they like and focus on learning more about that region. Otherwise […]
Red Rhône Blend
Ferraton Père & Fils, Côtes-Du-Rhône Villages, Plan de Dieu
For years I’ve been a big fan of wines from the Côtes Du Rhône region and the sub-appellations within, but Plan de Dieu is an appellation I don’t encounter very often. And it could be one you’ve never even heard of. For a region with centuries of wine making history, Plan de Dieu is a […]
Bila-Haut, Cotes Du Roussillon Villages 2015
I always like to find consistent, reliably-good and affordable wines. That can be a hard thing. Sometimes you find a bargain wine you love and then the next year it’s not so good. Or you find that hidden gem, but so does everyone else and the price begins to creep up. This wine, Bila-Haut by Michel […]
Ferraton Père & Fils, Côtes du Rhône, Samorëns Rouge
One of my “go to” regions for great value (i.e., good quality at a reasonable price) is southern France — and more specifically Côtes du Rhône. I’m sure part of this has to do with my taste preferences, but I’ve also found that more often than not I can find good wine from this region […]
Bila-Haut, Cotes Du Roussillon Villages – Revisited
Hello again, everyone. It’s been a couple weeks since I’ve posted anything and those couple weeks were filled with a busy schedule at the day job along with a series of technology challenges. First files on this website spontaneously went corrupt and I had to restore the site and then my hard drive on my […]
L’Escoudouliere Lirac, Intense and Delicious
For ages I’ve found the wines from the Rhone region in southern France to be some of the greatest wines (and often some of the greatest values) to be found. Rhone is one of my “go to” regions when selecting a wine that I feel will highly likely be delicious and go well with food. […]
Michel Chapoutier, Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Villages – Simply Awesome!
Do you ever find yourself looking over a wine list at a restaurant and you’re frustrated that you don’t know any of the wines on the list? Despite the large number of wines I review, I too find myself in this situation. But my solution to this problem is to order based on region rather […]