Can white wine be made from red grapes? What is the difference between oaked and unoaked Chardonnay? How do I know what grapes are used in a bottle of French Sancerre? If you want to learn the answers to these questions, and step up your wine-tasting skills, I’ll be teaching two fun courses in April […]
White Wines
Prosecco Part Two: Cartizze 'cru' and 4 DOCG delights
So what’s the difference between Prosecco DOC and Prosecco Superiore DOCG sparkling wines? Location, location, location. And a few more production details. The Prosecco DOC classification zone is broader, covering about 44,000 acres under vine in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions around Treviso. Prosecco Superiore DOCG zone is much smaller — only 17,000 […]
Fall deliverables: Washington State wines worth waiting for
November is one of my favorite months of the year, when the cooler temperatures herald my wine club FedEx shipments from Washington State. I look forward to the latest vintages from Doubleback, Long Shadows Winery and L’Ecole– all from the Walla Walla region. The wines are unique, limited in quantity, and high in quality. Most […]
Italian Chiaretto makes a run at French rosés
Chiaretto is exclusively an Italian wine phenomenon. The word refers to a dry Italian rosé made in the beautiful Lake Garda region that straddles the provinces of Lombardia and Veneto. The chiaretto process dates back to 1896, when lawyer Pompeo Molmenti used knowledge gained in France to delicately press red grapes at his Lake Garda […]
Joseph Phelps built up quite a wine-asty
I had a sip or two of Joseph Phelps Vineyards iconic Insignia a year ago at a wine tasting, and the taste stuck with me for a long time. It’s a beautiful Bordeaux-style red from Napa Valley. Insignia is selling for $159 for the 2008 vintage up to $259 a bottle for more recent releases. […]
For a road trip, bring a six-pack — of vino
It’s party pack time, a six-bottle sampler for a weekend getaway or an extended trip to the beach. In my mind, the key to any good summer road trip includes a rosé, a crisp white wine, and a punchier red varietal or blend. Andiamo! (Let’s go!) THE ROSATTOS: There are simple, good rosés, and then […]
Taster's Choice: Four wines to kick start summer
The Mill City Oenophiles Club made its spring debut earlier this month, sampling an impressive array of five summer wines from Argentina, Chile and Italy’s Venezia Giulia region. Four of the wines — two rosés, a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon — are discussed in this article. The fifth wine tasted, a Sauvignon Blanc, […]
More to Cycles Gladiator than a sexy label
California’s Central Coast wine-growing region isn’t as well known to the general public as Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, but true oenophiles know this six-county zone is producing very exciting wines at affordable prices. Vineyards stretch from Santa Barbara County in the south to San Francisco Bay in the north. The area covers many subregions […]
Frankly, Finger Lakes is wine heaven
When you see the name Dr. Konstantin Frank on a wine label, it represents an American success story derived from the Ukrainian immigrant who used his brains and brawn to turn the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York into one of the most amazing grape-growing areas in America. For years, viticulturists struggled to grow […]
5 wines to cure your spring fever
I’ve got spring fever for rosé and lighter white and red wines. Lately, I’ve been sampling a bunch with the Wine Goddess, my wife Mary Lee, and here are five you should consider for your patio drinking pleasure. Most of these wines can be found in fine wine stores throughout the area and Greater Boston. […]
