I like to joke that I came into my marriage with the Wine Goddess with a suitcase of clothes and two pair of shoes — one of which I was wearing (black). She, on the other hand, could have outfitted the cast of a Cecil B. DeMille movie. Today, I have one closet and she […]

If you’ve been a regular reader of this column, you should be able to pass this test with ease. All questions are worth 5 points except where specified for multi-part answers. Answers are at the bottom of the column. No peeking. If you score 90 or more points, you’re in the Wine Wizard class. If […]

Here are some my recent tastings that I think you might much to your liking. The Chardonnays and other whites are coming into vogue with the summer months, and I’ll be trying more of these in the weeks ahead. I have listed several here, oaked and unoaked, that are good values. I remain partial to […]

When the Wine Goddess told me several weeks ago she was planning a major announcement I reacted with a simple, inquisitive retort: “Should I break out Champagne, Prosecco, or the 2007 Ledson Cabernet Sauvignon from Anderson Valley?” She was amused. “How do you know if it is worthy of celebration?,” she said. “It could be […]

As a young boy, a favorite weekly trip came each Tuesday when mom would lead her twin sons to the “macaroni factory.” Holding hands, we’d make the 10-minute walk from home, past St. Agnes Church, to the old schoolhouse where pasta was produced by the ton. Lowellians over the age of 30 can likely recall […]

Several free wine tasting events are filling up the May calendar, beginning on Saturday, May 4, at Tutto Bene Wine & Cheese Cellar in Lowell. Richard “Riccardo” Rouke is planning a fabulolus take-off on the Kentucky Derby, which will be contested later in the day at venerable Churchill Downs. He’s schedule a Run for the […]

NORTH ANDOVER — Sam and Tina Messina are a pretty good brother-sister team, complementing each other at their Wine ConneXtion enterprise just like the perfect pairing of a grilled veal chop and an elegant 2007 Gaja Brunello di Montalcino. Sam is the wine director and responsible for tasting and selecting all 700 kinds of domestic […]

RECENT TASTINGS: Domaine Pichot Vouvray 2011, $11.99. If you’ve never tasted Vouvray, this is a nice way to break the ice. It is among my favorite French varietals: Straw colored, aromatic, clean, peachy and refreshing. Any white fish will do … Zolo (Unoaked) Chardonnay 2010, $11.99. Very fresh mouthfeel with intense apple and pear taste. […]

If you’ve been to your favorite wine shop lately you’ve probably noticed a brighter interior than usual. That’s because smart wine merchants are redeploying their stock, putting new spring and summer white wines on prominent shelf space and reducing their big winter reds. It’s a good sign. With the warm weather and al fresco entertaining […]

What makes working at a newspaper exciting is the uniqueness of a new day of news. No two days are ever the same. In fact it’s almost a given that when someone in the newsroom says, “That’s it, I’ve seen it all,” the phone rings and someone says, “You won’t believe this but …” People […]