On the evening when I’m planning to drink a new wine from Priorat, the October issue of Wine Spectator arrives with a cover story titled “Great Spanish Reds: Alvaro Palacious Leads Priorat to New Heights.” The Wine Goddess smiles, thinking I’m an “expert” able to spot wine industry trends, especially after I glowingly tell her […]
Month: September 2015
October kicks off big wine deals
October is a good month for wine. Tutto Bene Wine & Cheese Cellar on Prescott Street in downtown Lowell is offering a month-long promotion of a 25 percent discount on each 12-bottle case purchased. Proprietor Richard “Ricardo” Rourke says customers can mix and match from any products in the store. Other discounts are also available […]
Alto Adige wines are alight in tradition, uniqueness
On summer evenings in June in Italy’s northernmost province of Alto Adige, residents sit in cafes drinking pitchers of wine and eating plates of bresaola (air-cured beef) while gazing for hours at the fuochi burning in the mountains. The fires are symbolic of warning signals that used to alert citizens of an impending invasion. Today, […]
Le Volte dell'Ornellaia 2013: A Super Tuscan at a super price
Marchese Lodovico Antinori produced Ornellaia Estate’s first vintage in 1985, marking the historic launch of the Super Tuscan blend of Italy’s Sangiovese grape with that of France’s Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. While the Marchese is gone and the Ornellaia Estate has changed hands several times, the wine world has never been the same. While bottles […]
Wine clubs with a taste of distinction
I joined four wine clubs on my June tour of Washington State wineries, sharing membership with two travel companions. We all came to a consensus that the hard-to-get wines were too good to pass up. These are distinctive wines you’d look forward to serving around the holidays or on a special occasion. New Massachusetts direct-shipping […]
