When the Roman Catholic season of Lent began more than three weeks ago, I told the Rev. Nick Sannella of the Immaculate Conception Church that I would be buckling down hard this year. His inspirational homily had convinced me to give up something that would be an optimal (not ultimate) sacrifice for 40 days. I […]
General Wine
Review: Bocelli's 'Love in Portofino' his best ever
Don’t miss Bocelli’s upcoming Great Performance concert on PBS television stations in March. It’s his best ever. Get your best bottle of red wine from the cellar, or buy one, and sit back in total enjoyment. I’d just a nice 2005 Copertino Riserva or Sangiovese. Portofino, a resort village on the Italian Riviera where the […]
'Love in Portofino' blooms with Bocelli songs, wine
I was so excited I was out of breath. I called the Wine Goddess at Lowell General Hospital/Saints campus. She heard the puff, puff, puff in my voice and was ready to hit the red alert button for 911 when I started singing her favorite Andrea Bocelli song, “Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye),” […]
Wines from Verona that capture your heart
Now I know how Bacchus, the Roman god of wine (and intoxication), would throw a 21st century party. It would be held over two days at the majestic waterfront Seaport Hotel and he’d call it the Boston Wine Expo 2013. Bacchus — Dionysus to the Greeks — would entice 219 wineries from the world’s best […]
Wine dinners are food for thought
If you’ve never been to a wine-tasting dinner, you’re missing out on a lot of fun. It’s one thing to go out to a restaurant, study the menu, perspire over selecting the right wine, and then wonder if you’ve made the correct choices — all for a $100 tab for two with a tip. It’s […]
Vacation tale: The best of both worlds
I’m not off the plane from Boston for 24 hours when the luncheon room manager at the Palm Aire Golf Club & Resort spots me wearing a UMass Lowell hockey shirt and shouts across the room, “Hey, that’s my hometown!” It was 7:45 a.m., eight minutes before tee time on a gorgeous Florida morning in […]
Spanish wines: Quality at a bargain price
Spanish wines are red hot right now, an extremely high quality bargain. Why? Many producers are expanding into global markets for the first time, taking big aim at the growing wine consumption in America. Recently, I attended a gala wine-tasting event at Symphony Hall, where eight producers from Spain’s Castilla-La Mancha region presented their bottlings. […]
Making wine in Westford
As a young boy, I remember spying through a keyhole on Uncle Frankie and Dad making wine in the darkened wine cellar of our Providence home. It’s how I learned to sing in Italian. The messy sight actually looked fun to a boy of nine years old. The cement floor was a blood red sea […]
More wines to watch for – and buy – in 2013
Some of the best wines in 2013 were some of the best values of 2012 and should remain so. Here’s a watch list for the months ahead. Be patient because even bargain wines are sold at a discount from time to time: California, Washington, Oregon Yes, you can afford a bottle from Caymus Vineyards for […]
Wines to watch for in 2013
The holidays have come and gone, sad to say, and so have some great wines. Two reds and two whites stand out among the best I’ve tasted in recent weeks: California’s 2007 Silverado Cabernet Sauvignon and 2009 Belle Glos Clark and Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir were truly fantastic, living up to their 90-plus ratings. Both […]
