Chilean winemakers are turning out better wines every year, especially big, powerful reds like Cabernet Sauvignon that soak up the rocky, mountainous terroir and deliver a spicier edge than their California counterparts. Since 1987, the Montes Alpha winery has become a force to be reckoned with. You’ve probably seen its distinctive label: a Raphael-like angel […]
General Wine
Wineries jump at chance for direct sales to Massachusetts
The Massachusetts out-of-state direct wine shipping law went into effect on Jan. 1, and already more than 100 wineries have obtained licenses to ship straight to your door. Here’s the link to my story published in The Sun of Lowell on Friday explaining the change. Mass. direct wine shipping law needed no time to ferment […]
Do you know how to taste wine?
Carignano del Sulcis: Sardinia's hidden gems
Dottore Marco Santarelli looks like a young Italian actor, more suited to making movies than growing grapes. But the 32-year-old enologist is serious about his craft — winemaker for the Santadi winery in Sardinia’s Carignano del Sulcis region. “Winemaking is very easy if the grapes grow clean,” says Santarelli, noting the less interference from the […]
The amazing story of an ageless Amarone
“If I could save time in a bottle The first thing that I’d like to do Is to save every day till eternity passes away Just to spend them with you.” — From Jim Croce’s song “Time in a Bottle” The Wine Goddess was upset. We’ve shared nearly everything in our 25 years together — […]
Bledsoe, Baker bottles score big at charity auction
Tis the season for miracles, but who’d expect they’d come in the shape of wine bottles? The four signed wine bottles I wrote about in last week’s column brought in $6,500 at the WCAP Salvation Army Radiothon. Kudos to Saturday morning talk show host Warren Shaw and his WCAP crew, Fred Simon, Artie Sutcliffe, Jerry […]
Signed Bledsoe bottle heads 3-star Lowell wine auction
If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift for that special wine connoisseur in your life, listen to the annual WCAP (980 AM) Salvation Army Radiothon on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. That’s when I’ll be on the show with Warren Shaw, Sam Poulten and the rest of the crew to raise money for the […]
Beaujolais Nouveau: Drink it fresh, fruity, and now
There is only one red wine that delivers aromas and flavors of fresh banana and cranberries in the same bottle. It’s called Beaujolais Nouveau and it’s crafted in France. The grape is 100 percent Gamay Noir å Jus Blanc, a low tannin, high acid varietal banished from Bourgogne in the 14th century only to be […]
There's a wine-derful in historic Charleston
Following the recent statewide election, I took a quick four-day refresher trip to Charleston, S.C., to visit my daughter Jalyn. Now 30, the UMass Lowell graduate is enjoying Southern living in what is one of America’s most endearing cities. There are more than 1,000 historical homes and buildings in downtown Charleston. It seems you can’t […]
Need a Thanksgiving wine? Here are 30 to feast on
jcampanini@lowellsun.com My third annual Thanksgiving Wine List comes from some of the best wine buyers and tasters in the region. They’ve selected 30 reds, whites and rosés to pair with your respective holiday feast of turkey, lamb and/or ham. Look them over, make a list of choices, and then head to the store. Taste the […]
