More People, More Wine
One of the beautiful things about wine is that it is an infinite subject. You can never learn it all. And, if you could, as soon as you did, there would be more to learn. Wine will always be too big for us to get our arms and heads around. But that doesn’t stop a […]
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When wine drinkers see the word Lodi they almost always think of zinfandel first. No surprise, really, given the number of top-notch varietals coming out of that area. What these same aficionados might not realize, and most regular consumers are largely unaware of, is that there are a number of fine white wines coming out […]
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The next time I hear somebody complain that Napa is too commercialized, too touristy, I know what my response is going to be. Two words: Stony Hill. Want to shed some of the creeping cynicism that’s starting to cloud your appreciation of the Napa Valley? A visit to Stony Hill will take you back to a Napa that existed before the […]
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In the last few weeks, I’ve had more than one person ask for help with planning their holiday parties. They want to serve wine. They want to serve decent wine, but they don’t want to go broke. Or, they don’t want to serve expensive, high quality wines because they know that at a party very […]
Read More…Back in June, Wine & Spirits magazine did a big favor for bargain shoppers everywhere with its “Top 100 Values of the Year” edition. Most interesting for the hard-core coupon clippers were those selections at $10 and under. With the holidays in full swing, and the need for potent potables looking like a run-away train, […]
Read More…Latest entries include offerings at various price points from the Finger Lakes, Napa Valley, Burgundy, the Southern Rhone, Washington State, and Corsica. Cheers! WHITE 9/26/12 2011 Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling, Columbia Valley (11% abv., $9, Safeway): Moderately off-dry with a residual sugar of 2.23 g/100ml, this simple riesling is a blend of grapes from throughout […]
Read More…Latest entries include two superb New York State rieslings, a beautiful rosé from the south of France, and four special reds from Italy, California, and the Basque Country. Cheers! WHITE 7/10/12 2009 Ravines Dry Riesling Argetsinger Vineyard, Finger Lakes (12.5% abv., $29.95, Empire Wines NYS): A pale green-gold wine with a clean nose filled with mint, apples, […]
Read More…Despite spending the past 25 years in California and Connecticut, I’m a New Yorker through and through. And, as such, I tend to root for the home town team, wherever it might be found. In recent years I’ve tried my best to defend wines from New York’s major regions – Finger Lakes, Long Island, Hudson […]
Read More…If you think of yourself as someone who loves wine, and, maybe as importantly, someone who cares about the American wine industry, then Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes, Evan Dawson’s warm but incisive examination of New York State’s most important and fastest-growing wine region, is required reading. […]
Read More…For every customer who comes into the store asking for some no-name oaky buttery chardonnay, there are two or three who show up and can’t wait to say, “I hate chardonnay.” Okay, that’s not exactly what they say. Usually there are a few expletives tossed in, loudly, for emphasis. This is a family publication so […]
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THE GRAPE BELT 