The passion and energy of wine
Is that former NBA Hall of Fame great Isiah Thomas now wearing the Cheurlin Champagne polo jersey? Yes, it is. And why not? Thomas, 57, is no stranger to the French bubbly – even if in an odd way. For years during his illustrious career with the Detroit Pistons (1981-94), Thomas said he enjoyed his […]
If you’re suffering from summer Chardonnay overload, here are few white wines — and new vareitals — that can pep up the palate for autumn. • Pieropan Soave Classico 2016, $14.99 — Nino Pieropan’s 50th anniversary vintage is quite a knockout, scoring an outstanding 92 point rating from Wine Enthusiast magazine. For less than $15 […]
, The Wine Novice If grapes could talk – some winemakers insist they can whisper to them – Italy’s more than 1,000 varieties could tell stories of how they fueled papal conquests, Roman legions on the move, and even the seductions of emperors and kings. When I open a bottle of Italian wine, I often […]
Jungle Beauty. La Dolce Vita. Diary of Faith. Ice Carnival. Daydream Believer. These are not summer wines, they are daylillies blooming in the summer gardens circling my home. The Wine Goddess — my wife Mary Lee — has carefully nurtured these dazzling gems for years — some from seedlings that she hybridized herself — […]
, The Wine Novice Did you know the people of Portugal eat more seafood per capita than any other European, barring the Icelanders? So it’s only natural that the Portuguese know the best wines to drink with their spicy shrimp tapas and bacalhau (salted cod) dishes. Of course, the famous cuisine, influenced by centuries […]
Every once in a while I feel the urge for a lip-smacking, grapefruit-driven, crisp Sauvignon Blanc. It started several years ago when the Wine Goddess — my wife Mary Lee — and I took a spectacular fall trip to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Guess what we drank with our oysters, which were the […]
Just the name – Terra Mia’s Lacryma Christi di Vesuvio Bianco – is enough to intrigue a curious wine drinker to investigate what’s in the bottle. So begins today’s journey into a truly unique white wine from the Italian province of Campania. According to archaeologists who analyzed residue left on ancient casks, Lacryma Christi comes […]
A friend asked me why I liked to drink rosé. This was back during Christmas season. He said rosé is a “summer wine.” I laughed. “Think pink when you drink,” I replied. Then I explained that rosé has actually become a year-round dry, refreshing wine. It’s a great for as a dinner aperitif, party sipper, […]
In a recent column, I wrote about the versatility of the sangiovese grape, and focused on the high end Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino from Tenuta Il Greppo in Tuscany. Biondi-Santi is a collector’s wine, selling for high prices. But you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to enjoy this exquisite and highly revered Italian […]
Sangiovese is the most widely planted red grape in Italy and also among the most versatile. It reigns supreme in Tuscany, where sangiovese (translation: blood of Jove or Jupiter) is the primary grape for four distinctly incredible wines: Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile Montepulciano (not to be confused with the southern Italian […]
