(Click the link to watch the Grapefully Yours Wine Podcast on InsideLowell.com where Jim Campanini and co-host Mike Pigeon drink and discuss rose` wines.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgQBLdPicm0&t=3s ——————————————————————————————- The best three-year-old thoroughbreds in the world will be running for the roses on Saturday at Churchill Downs in the 149th edition of the Kentucky Derby The race goes […]
General Wine
Hands Off Wines: Authenticity, quality in every stylish can
By Jim Campanini Did you ever drink wine from a can? Odds are that you haven’t, but times are a changin’ and so is the wine industry. Canned wines are gaining popularity worldwide, especially in the United States, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. The reasons are obvious: cans are portable, recyclable and less expensive […]
Enjoy a taste of Argentina in Mascota’s sleek, silky Unanime Merlot
Mascota Vineyards, located at the foot of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza’s Uco Valley, is well regarded for its premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and sparkling wines yet one of the winery’s “secret” gems is Unanime Merlot. When veteran winemaker Rodolfo “Opi” Sadler launched the Unanime brand nearly seven years ago, a 100 percent Merlot was […]
Five Foley Family Wines that speak to character and Sonoma County’s sustainability efforts
With California suffering through its fourth driest year on record, grape growers and wine producers are doubling down on becoming more efficient and preserving natural resources. In early August, the situation intensified when the state ordered 1,500 ranchers and farmers to stop taking water from the Russian River, one of Sonoma County’s major water sources. […]
Three Douro Valley wines that overachieve for quality and price
For centuries, the fortunes of Portugal’s remarkable Douro Valley rested with making ageworthy, fortified port wines that were shipped all over the globe. And while porto still reigns in the world’s oldest demarcated wine district, the Douro’s still wines – red and white – no longer sit idly by in the shadow of greatness. In […]
For change of pace – and taste – Portugal’s Vinho Verde is a great summer chill-out wine
Quinta do Ameal Loureiro Vinho Verde 2019, Portugal, SRP: $17 (abv. 11%) – The winery dates back to 1710 and is located in northwest Portugal and its oldest vila, Ponte de Lima. The municipality is named after a medieval bridge, first built by the Romans in 1 AD, that crosses the Lima River. The river […]
EnRoute ‘Les Pommiers’ is a Pinot Noir for pleasure
For the past five years I’ve written a column suggesting my top wine recommendations for the Easter and Passover holiday celebrations. Traditionally, the column is released a week before the holiday, which this year falls on Sunday, April 4. Well, recently I tasted a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir that is just too good to […]
Waterkloof’s ‘honest’ Circumstance wines rooted in the earth, wind and chemical-free vines
All across the globe the talk is about clean and renewable energy in order to save the planet. What about clean and renewable vineyards that produce no-chemical, all-organic wines from sustainable farming methods? They are sweeping the globe much to the delight of like-minded consumers. Like screwcaps on bottles, wine drinkers are very adaptable. Quality, […]
Landmark Vineyards ‘Lorenzo’ Chardonnay: Four elegant vintages for the ages
I never gave much thought to drinking aged Chardonnay made in California, believing that French vintners from Burgundy had a monopoly on the terroir and grapes conducive to crafting such outstanding, long-lived whites. The good news is I was wrong – and happily so. In early August, I was among a dozen wine and food […]
Summer Delight: Ram’s Gate Chardonnay with my homemade lobster salad roll
If you are unfamiliar with Ram’s Gate Winery, a small-lot, premium wine producer located north of San Francisco in Sonoma’s Carneros appellation, don’t be alarmed. I was too until several weeks ago. That’s when I sampled bottles of their introductory Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. My first reaction was to repeat the refrain from Neil Diamond’s […]