No, I didn’t find the keys to a vineyard under the Christmas tree this year, but the Wine Goddess has promised the next best thing: A trip to any vineyard in the world. My gift came in a box wrapped beautifully in glittering silver and gold paper. A nice red bow sat on top. I […]
Author: Jim Campanini
Keep it sparkling (wine) all year round!
Champagne is all the rage. That’s what I’m reading in wine magazines and being told from local sommeliers, merchants and distributors. There are some good buys on the market too. Domestic champagnes, especially from New York state and California, are getting better all the time and the prices are reasonable. European sparkling wines are following […]
Bledsoe's Doubleback scores for Salvation Army
What is a bottle of wine worth? On Saturday, Dec. 15, I learned another valuable lesson about the generosity of others, especially the great people living in the Merrimack Valley. Trust me, there are a lot of them. People who are full of kinds hearts and big wallets at Christmastime. When I accepted Warren Shaw’s […]
My Christmas wish? A vineyard
I gave the Wine Goddess my Christmas gift list the other night. I sat her down in a big, comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, poured her a glass of Chauteau St. Michelle (Indian Wells) Chardonnay (I took a glass of 10-year-old reserve Fladgate Taylor Port), […]
Try something fun — go holiday wine shopping
Retail figures from Black Friday show that overstuffed Americans trotted from the Thanksgiving Day table to big box chain stores and spent nearly 10 percent less than a year ago on Christmas shopping sales. Still, they spent $17 billion. Most of the sales were on electronic products, including IPhones, video games, IPads, tablets, head phones, […]
Belle Glos Pinot Noir is the pick for Thanksgiving
People have asked me what I’ll be uncorking on Thanksgiving Day. It’s quite simple. I am a big Pinot Noir fan and with the main meal, I’ll be serving a 2011 Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Santa Maria Valley in California. Belle Glos is a premium product of Caymus Vineyards, […]
Thanksgiving: A feast of food and wine
This is my favorite column of the year when I call on the wine experts for their Thanksgiving Day dinner suggestions. Once again, I am grateful to them for sharing their superb insights with Wine Novice readers. What follows are 24 wines — 13 white, 11 red — that promise to enhance the multitude of […]
Eleven Wine Novice picks make Best Buy list
The November issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine is one of my top reads for the staff’s Thanksgiving wine selections. This year, there is a nice article on “Thanksgiving Spanish Style” featuring side dishes and wines that would make Columbus feel right at home. The Spanish paprika and herb-rubbed turkey looked spectacular in the photograph, and […]
Seven wines to make holiday hearts sing
It’s been a busy few weeks attending wine tastings at local shops and here are some of my recommendations for your consideration. • 2011 Butternut Chardonnay, Napa Valley, $11.99 — The BNA Wine Group is headquartered in the heart of the country western music world — Nashville, Tenn. — yet the sweet sounds are coming […]
Collector's dream: $130G bottle of Caymus Cabernet
I met John Romano at the Wine Connextion in North Andover during the store’s fourth anniversary celebration on Oct. 26. He’s been the Martingnetti wine distribution company for 26 years and currently manages six divisions in key retail stores. He knows his wine, and has been sampling products since 1983 to find the best value […]
