Posted in Wine on Nov 24th, 2009
Chanhassen, Minnesota. University of Minnesota test fields. Dead of night. A chill and a hush descended over the grapevines. Not even a bird could be heard warbling, nor a nematode nipping at the roots in the soil. The moon beams glistened on the small berries and you could practically smell the grapes in the air. […]
Posted in Wine on Nov 20th, 2009
So, there I am reading the NY Times over a cup of coffee, when I see an article about Singapore Airlines hiring Master Sommeliers to help them select wines. What? I thought. Are you frickin serious?! I mean, we all know the airlines are scrimping and saving in every damn corner of this industry, and […]
Autumn is the bite of a harvest apple. – Christina Petrowsky All hail the glorious apple. Man’s relationship with this versatile and forbidden fruit goes back thousands of years. Today, there are over 55 million tons of apples produced worldwide each year…now that’s some serious fanaticism. I was tasked to bring in 6-8 new ciders […]
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cape Winemakers Guild, Kanonkop, 1997, Stellenbosch (14% Alc) What if Yoda made wine? And what if instead of focusing on intergalactic peace, the Jedis gathered to taste through barrels of Pinotage and hammer out the intricacies of pruning and soil characteristics? And what if after hours of intense debate, they chose their favorite […]
Pineau d’Aunis, Adonis, La Grapperie, 2005, Loire Valley (13% Alc) I’ve always liked the freaks, the misfits, those that are labeled “quirky”. They’re not easily categorized and usually take some time to understand. As wine consumers, we swim in a sea of decently made, yet entirely forgettable wine. But sometimes a wine grabs you by […]
Posted in NYC Events, Wine on Aug 31st, 2009
Look ma, I won me an award! And its drinkable! I’m stoked to announce that my piece entitled “Portugal: the Land that Time Forgot” has been selected as a second place winner for the European Wine Blogger’s Conference awards. Looks like my time traipsing through the streets of Europe with a backpack on finally paid […]
Posted in NYC Events, Wine on Aug 12th, 2009
From the moment my foot hit the tarmac upon debarking from the plane, I knew I was in a different world. The warm Portuguese sun hit me square in the face and I had one of those palpable moments in life that you never forget. I literally felt the sands of time slow down, forcing […]
Bourgueil (100% Cabernet Franc), Les Galichets, C&P Breton, 2007, Loire Valley (12% alc) I found myself sipping on this wine last week and was reminded how hypnotic Cabernet Franc can be. Fragrant and juicy with crisp acidity, it is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon in other wine regions, but in Bourgueil (pronounced “boor-geye”) it is […]
Ploussard, La Chamade, A&P Bornard, Arbois, France, 2006 (13.5% Alc) Barton Fink is one of my favorite movies. I first saw it when I was fifteen, and remember it vividly. It was like no other movie I’d ever seen: complex, dark, and quirky with strange characters (a neurotic NY playwright who moves to LA to […]
Providencia (100% Monastrell), Bellum, Yecla, Spain, 2005
Riesling Auslese, Erdener Treppchen, C.H. Berres, 1996, Mosel, Germany (8.0% alc) You want complexity? You want range of flavor? You want your tongue slapped around like a rag doll and taken on a journey? Then you want some Riesling. The noblest of the nobles that many still haven’t discovered, Rieslings can range from bone dry […]
Posted in Wine on May 28th, 2009
Ask an Insider is an interview series that talks to the people that make, serve, shake, sip, pump, pour, crush, distill, and bring life to this industry. (For other interviews in the series, click the Ask an Insider tag at the bottom) I realized the other day that the words “Australian wine” have not ventured […]
Posted in Wine on May 20th, 2009
A huge explosion goes off. In a matter of minutes, countless barrels of wine are obliterated and left to soak into the floorboards. A covert group has attacked a winery to send the world a message. Whoa, wait…Is this the latest Jason Bourne movie? Did you say “winery”? Wine?! What the hell is going on? […]
Blanc de Blanc Sparkling, “Sofia”, Francis Ford Coppola Estate, 2007, Monterey County (12.6% abv) Michael My father went back, only this time with Luca Brasi. Within an hour, he had a signed release for a certified check of $1000. Kay Adams How did he do that? Michael My father made him an offer he couldn’t […]
Posted in Wine on Apr 22nd, 2009
In a land far, far away lies a tiny nook, a mere stitch in the massive quilt of the wine world. Tucked nearly out-of-sight amongst the steep valleys above France’s Rhône River, the sound of its name conjures up a land far from prying eyes and stretch limos of gawking tourists, its mere mention eliciting […]
