This is a very likable, friendly, undemanding, ruby-hued wine. It has a light-to-medium body, and fruit flavors that...
Toasting Mom
Forget the formulaic brunch, and for god’s sake don’t just blow Mom off with a silly card and/or hurried phone...
Parlez-Vous Walla Walla?
Considering its relatively small population (about 30,000), and considering how far it is from any major metropolitan...
Brave Now World
That bottle of wine you just opened may hail from the Napa Valley (or Rioja or Chianti Classico) but it’s...
Visiting the Jura Part II: Reds, Pinks and Bubbles
In my last posting about France’s Jura district, the topic was the region’s notable white wines. Now I want to...
Vineyard Visits: The Jura in Winter
In early March, winter’s cold breath still huffs at the windows, and the garden lies silent and bruised by...
Marguerite Thomas’ Wine and Winery of the Year for 2010
My choice for wine of the year 2010 is not a specific brand of wine, but a grape: Touriga Nacional. I’m not...
Jeff Runquist, Amador County (California) Barbera 2008
Like so many red wines from northern California’s Amador County this one is big and juicy. Loaded with fruit,...
Penfolds, South Australia (Australia) Shiraz / Mourvèdre 2008
There are obvious times when a big, high-energy wine such as this is called for, the most predictable occasions being...
Perception, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Pinot Noir 2008
Like most fine Pinot Noir this one’s color is translucently red, like vintage stained glass. Its aroma hints...
Thanksgiving: Recession Be Damned!
By now we’ve all heard at least a million times how difficult it is to pair wine with the traditional Thanksgiving meal....
Thinking Green
We shall require a substantially new way of thinking if mankind is to survive. --Albert Einstein I’m pretty sure these are...