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General Wine

Summer school: These white wines made the grade

The 1960s who so wickedly said of her favorite cocktail: “I love Martinis Two are the most – Three I’m on the table Four I’m under the host.”; Actually, we didn’t drink all that wine alone. We had plenty of help from the Wine Butler (Michael Pigeon), his wife (Judy) and some splendid neighbors and […]

General Wine

It's B (Barolo) and B (Barbaresco) time

Here is its the last week in August, the beginning of the end of summer. The backyard birch tree is shedding its leaves and the dogwood is signalng a color change that makes me realize I’m a year older too. Depressed? Not really. I arrived home from Saratoga to find the September issue of Wine […]

General Wine

'Tis the season for the taste of Italy

Here is its the last week in August, the beginning of the end of summer. The backyard birch tree is shedding its leaves and the dogwood is signalng a color change that makes me realize I’m a year older too. Depressed? Not really. I arrived home from Saratoga to find the September issue of Wine […]

General Wine

Taste of Italy for the fall

I’ve been impressed with some recent Italian wine purchases I’ve made. The new wines arriving from Sicily are particularly intriguing, inexpensive and mouth-watering. I’ve tried two that standout: 2010 Stemmari Pinot Noir and Stemmari Nero D’Avola. The Stemmari Pinot Noir was lighter colored in the glass than most others I’ve tried. Normally, I look for […]

General Wine

Across the board, a good wine always wins

A week ago today, I was in Saratoga Springs, enjoying the summer splendor of up state New York while trying to add to my 401(k) by handicapping the ponies at historic Saratoga Race Course. Needless to say, my retirement plan did not receive the financial boost I had expected after five days of reading the […]

General Wine

Buying wine with a stock picker's strategy

Now is the time to be looking for good buys on fall wines — the big, full-bodied reds or Italian and French favorites that will grace holiday tables or make for fine pairings with meals. While the wine press has been lamenting the fact about a shortage of grapes inCalifornia, which means rising prices, there […]

General Wine

It's all by the numbers — art, wine and love

One of the key fascinations about the Wine Goddess is that she never ceases to surprise me even after more than two decades of marriage. She hates to be cooped up in a room — any room — unless she is reading a food magazine, entertaining, or charting out a garden strategy for new plantings […]

General Wine

Meditrina, a new wine love of loves

Meditrina, the Roman Goddess of Health and Wine, is the name of a heavenly red blend from Oregon. Newsroom budgets and not bottles have consumed most of my time lately, although I did get to taste five wines in the Pergola over the weekend. While the Wine Goddess did her thing in the garden, I […]

General Wine

Summer doldrums? It's wine party time

It was the most expensive vacation in which I never left home. My wife, the Wine Goddess, and yours truly were planning to visit my sister, who has a nice 43-foot cabin Cruiser on Lake Michigan, last week. But prior to departure, our central heating/air conditioning system expired, an electrical coil quit its refrigerator job […]

General Wine

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is a great buy at $14.99

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is a great buy at $14.99 when compared to pricier, more well-known brands like Cloudy Bay. WINE PICKS OF THE WEEK: Go to Costco in New Hampshire and check out the Eroica Riesling from Washington State. This is a 92-point rated wine (Wine Enthusiast) selling for $16.69. Its orange aromas and […]