I’m predicting that Portugal is poised to have a breakout wine year in 2020. The tiny, coastal Mediterranean country is about the size of Indiana, but it’s punching above its weight when it comes to producing better wines each year. In 2019 when the world’s total wine production declined 10 percent, Portugal topped global charts […]
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Winemaker Craig McAllister keeps it cool and unique at La Crema
The first Pinot Noir I can ever remember tasting was made by La Crema. So when I had a chance to interview Craig McAllister, La Crema’s head winemaker, I jumped at it. We met for lunch last month at The Crown Tavern in downtown Manchester during New Hampshire Wine Week. McAllister brought along several wines, […]
Wine of the Day (2-6-2020): Ca’ Maioli Lugana White
To taste the wonder of Ca’ Maiol Lugana white wine, you must first understand the beautiful place from which it comes. Desenzano del Garda is a small town in Lombardy, located on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda. It is a popular resort community offering beaches and boating on Italy’s largest lake and sweeping distant […]
What’s the cost of love? Four Valentine’s Day sparklers that fit the bill for elegance
Wine consumption in the United States declined slightly in 2019 for the first time in 25 years. Two categories, however, showed increased sales: sparkling wine and rose`. Americans love their bubblies and for good reason. We party. We celebrate. We romance. And we spend money on premium sparkling wines. Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) offers the […]
Tenuta Regeali wines beat strongly from the heart of Sicily
In the northern heart of Sicily, about 150 miles south of Palermo, sits Tenuta Regaleali, one of five wine-estates owned by the Tasca d’Almerita family. It’s an island oasis defined by six green hills that gently rise and fall from a peak of 2,500 feet, creating sloping vineyards and valley fields of olive trees and […]
Wines of the Day (1-25-20): Vina San Pedro wines from Chile offer value
True or False: Chile annually exports more wine to world markets than does the United States. The answer is true and, quite frankly, amazing. At the close of 2018 Chile ranked No. 5 with $2 billion in global exports, according to a recent Wine Advisor report. The U.S. was No. 6 at $1.4 billion. (France […]
Six Cotes-du-Rhone wines that replenish the vines, refresh the palate
Vintners Jean Orens Ferraton and his son Michel have known winemaker extraordinaire Michel Chapoutier for more than two decades. In the mid-1990s, they brought organic farming to Rhone Valley vineyards when the term was still obscure. The Ferratons, whose winery was launched in 1946 by Jean, have relied on Chapoutier’s guidance to allow the land […]
My Top 30 Memories (Wines) List of 2019
My top memories of 2019 certainly had a lot to do with wine and sharing it with family – especially my wife The Wine Goddess – family, friends and new acquaintances. This list of 30 wines reflects the best memories of those instances and not the value of the wine. I remember these moments and […]
Wine of the Day (1-17-2020): A Fuga Mencia 2108, Ribeira Sacra
It was love at first sip. That’s the best way to describe my initial taste of Mencia, a red-grape used to craft fresh, fragrant, delicious wines from the Galicia region of northwestern Spain (Mencia is also made in Portugal). The Ribeira Sacra district is emerging as Spain’s “hottest” new wine-growing region, and A Fuga Mencia, […]
Five California Pinot Noirs that are in a groove for grape-ness
Is Pinot Noir the grape of California’s future? It’s difficult to predict because the thin-skinned black grape needs almost ideal – and cooler – conditions to produce quality fruit. Sunny, warmer California presents an issue. Yet California’s innovative winemakers are adapting their unique terroirs to Pinot Noir and no longer feel intimidated by the grape’s […]
