If you’re looking for an exquisite new red wine for an adventurous palate, try the 2014 Post House Penny Black from South Africa. This is wine every postal worker should want to call his/her own. More on that later. Penny Black is one of the inkiest, black-colored wines I’ve ever seen. Once in the glass, […]
Author: Jim Campanini
Goldschmidt Cabernets big, bold and beautiful
The only thing missing from a tasting of Nick Goldschmidt’s California wines was the winemaker himself. I wrote Goldschmidt an email with several questions about the wines sampled recently at the Wine ConneXtion, and he quickly responded: “Sorry I am out of the country completing harvest down below the equator. … Sorry for the inconvenience […]
His haul is finding quality inexpensive wines
What impressed me at the 2017 Boston Wine Expo held in February were the quality of wines on display and their affordable prices. The only problem is finding these wines — especially foreign products — in local shops. Many small producers don’t have national or regional distributors. That’s where Joe Meunier comes in. Meunier is […]
It's no act — Italy's La Spinetta makes fine wines
A quick glance across the room and it looks as if Al Pacino is standing in front of a map of Italy’s Piedmont region, pointing to the unique hillside vineyards where some of the world’s most majestic and monolithic wines are made. The Italian’s hair is longish, tousled, salt-and-pepper, the same as his scraggly beard. […]
Two Pinot Noirs that won't break the bank
Napa Valley winemaker Joe Wagner put Meiomi Pinot Noir on the map, proving that you can make a quality wine for consumer tastes and achieve commercial success. Some winemakers choose to make wines for themselves, without taking into account what the public prefers in wine. That best part of Wagner’s philosophy is that a good […]
A delightful, and affordable, find: 2010 'LXXIV' Primitivo
I’ve learned from experience that a wine must be pretty good when there is only one bottle of it left on a store shelf surrounded by stacked rows of other bottles. So it was that the Feudo di Croce “LXXIV” Primitivo di Manduria caught my eye recently. The black bottle with gold lettering was hefty. […]
These Malbecs from Mendoza make their mark
It’s incredible that Mendoza, a province where Argentina’s most impressive wines are produced, is the size of New York state. More than 35 million acres are under vine, a total representing just 5 percent of the area’s total land mass. The top vineyards are located in Argentina’s central zone at elevations of 4,000 to 5,000 […]
Boston Wine Expo: A weekend of delights
Looking for a midwinter wine getaway? Well, you don’t have to book a flight to Tuscany or Napa Valley when you can spend a weekend at the 2017 Boston Wine Expo, held at the gorgeous Seaport Hotel & World Trade Center. The two-day event (Feb. 18-19) is rapidly approaching, so now is the time to […]
Narrowing hundreds of wines to top 50
1. Michael David Petite Petit 2014, Lodi, $15 — Big bang for the buck in this jammy Petite Sirah fruit bomb. 2. Il Valentiano Brunello di Montalcino 2007, Tuscany, $38 — Time in the bottle has lifted this spirited wine to new heights. 3. David Pinot Noir 2013, Anderson Valley, $55 — Only 250 cases […]
Wine lovers Chianti go wrong with these choices
With winter’s chill in the air and hearty meals like beef stews and pasta Bolognese on the menu, it’s a good time to be drinking Chianti. Tuscan winemakers have resurrected this great red wine, made from Sangiovese grapes, since post-World War II days of lazy vineyard management and overproduction cheapened the product. Remember the straw-basket, […]
