Sparkling wines and the holidays go together like pomp and circumstance. They add elegance and power to any celebration. While French Champagne still supplies the most impressive sparkle for any occasion, there are now more choices on the market to create the same spectacular sizzle at one-third the price of Napoleon’s beautiful bubbly. Here in […]
Author: Jim Campanini
Six wines get stamp of approval from Club tasters
‘Tis the season for picking out a special wine for the connoiseur on your list. The Mill City Oenophile Club, comprised of Sun reporters and editors, met recently at Ricardo’s Trattoria in Lowell for a splendid evening of food and wine tasting. The panel, which included Richard “Ricardo” Rourke himself, blind-tasted six wines in three […]
Hospitality, holiday cheer overflow at Four Oaks' Doubleback wine dinner
Cindy and Michael Kuenzler know how to throw a party. A week ago (Dec. 1), the Dracut couple co-hosted a spectacular wine dinner at their Four Oaks Country Club with Doubleback winery owners Drew and Maura Bledsoe. More than 125 guests packed the soldout event, where they dined on Chef Beni’s superb four-course cuisine and […]
Bledsoe hits new peak with Doubleback wines
Drew Bledsoe has spent as many years (9) being a farmer of vines as he spent quarterbacking the New England Patriots (1993-2001). Boy, how time flies! Today, at age 44 (he’ll be 45 on Feb. 14, 2017) the Patriots’ Hall of Famer is still turning out winning seasons but on a different turf — the […]
Amado Sur blends make a nice holiday package
If you’re looking for a simple, expressive gift for the holidays, why not consider a bottle of wine or two? Nothing says “thank you” to a party host or hostess better than a bottle of wine. And you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make a point about friendship. Wine is divine. […]
Need a Thanksgiving Day wine? Here are 21 great selections
My wine experts agree: Thanksgiving is an all-American holiday and the traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings goes best with American wine. However, there are some wonderful Italian, French and Greek wines that pair well with the holiday meal. That said, here are 21 suggestions from some of the best wine directors in the […]
Wilson Creek's Peach Bellini: A unique holiday sparkler
So what will I be drinking with the Wine Goddess, Bella the cat, and the rest of the family on Thanksgiving Day? <a href=”http://blogs.lowellsun.com/winenovice/files/2016/11/Bellini.jpg”><img class=”size-medium wp-image-3531″ src=”http://blogs.lowellsun.com/winenovice/files/2016/11/Bellini-225×300.jpg” alt=”Wilson Creek Winery’s Peach Bellini is fine holiday starter.” width=”225″ height=”300″ /></a> Wilson Creek Winery’s Peach Bellini is fine holiday starter. There’s one definite on my list, and […]
Buying wine? Apps can help you make a decision
There are plenty of good wines on the market to fit everyone’s palate profile. This means there is no reason for anyone to overspend on a bottle of wine in order to enjoy a satisfying experience. I’ve preached this time and again, and yet wonderful people still call me and say, “Jim, I found this […]
Trump Meritage: Hail to the chief!
So what’s the best way to celebrate a new U.S. President? Drink his wine. On Tuesday night, the Wine Goddess brought out the beautifully decorated presidential wine case she purchased months ago at the Merrimack Valley Food Bank charity auction. It contained two Trump Winery bottlings and two glasses patriotically decorated glasses – one with Hillary […]
The revival of ancient Greek wines
Greece is the 14th largest wine producer in the world, an astonishing fact considering the country’s total land mass is slightly larger than the state of Tennessee. It’s not easy to plant vineyards there either. Of Greece’s 50,000 total square miles, 70 percent is mountainous and 20 percent is made up of islands. Up until […]
