There must be something in the 125 miles stretch of California coast between Paso Robles and Santa Barbara that draws...
Searching for the Terroir of Gin in the Scottish Highlands
A few years ago, while on a Scotch-drinking tour of the Highlands, I paused for a few hours to contemplate a white liquid with...
E. Guigal, Côtes de Rhône (France) 2018
In spite of their inherent variability due to the variety of grapes, quality of grapes and finesse of the winemaker, a...
Thacher Winery, Paso Robles (Central Coast, California) Valdiguié 2021
Of course, a nouveau doesn’t have to justify its existence – it simply is. Still, it’s fun to muse...
Petrolo, Val d’Arno di Sopra (Tuscany, Italy) Sangiovese 2019
How much attention should we pay to a winery’s credo and how much to the wine? First consider this intro to...
Two Hands, Barossa Valley (Australia) Shiraz 2020
Winemakers generally proclaim there is no one “recipe” as to how they make wine. But for those who are...
Deconstructing the Holy Trinity of Winemaking
As with all religions, winemaking has its myths and fables, its mainstream congregations and its heretic sects, its prophets and...
With 2022 in the Barrel, Andrea Calderon Heads North to Discuss Wines of Chile
Summertime up here in the Northern Hemisphere – Grapes are beginning to look exuberant teenagers, and winegrowers in this...
Gehricke, Sonoma Valley (California) Zinfandel 2014
In the French countryside, restaurants are often classified as “gourmet” signifying it is a step or two above...
Orfila, Uco Valley (Argentina) Malbec 2018
How do you characterize a taut line of acidity that runs through a wine that isn’t overpowering, but can’t...
Ornellaia, Bolgheri DOC (Tuscany, Italy) 2019
In spite of its history of American and Italian ownership, Ornellaia for the past 20 years has had as its director a...
At Long Last: Premier Cru 2020 from Pouilly-Fuissé
One day soon, a giant container ship, most likely one travelling out of Le Havre in northwest France, will dock at an East Coast...