I have just come from the movie 'Bottle Shock,' which is loosely based on the now infamous Paris tastings of 1976. While the...
Wine Review Online | Columns
Criteria of Excellence
If it's August, it must be Winery of the Year time for the magazine I write for, Wine & Spirits. Each year as you're...
Wine Cellar 101
With the current economic downturn forcing people to cut back at all levels, perhaps it's foolhardy to suggest that now is the...
U.S. Consumers Welcoming Uncommon Grape Varieties
In the U.S., we are living in the Varietal Wine Age, like all of the other New World (non-European) countries. Most of the...
Lunch Takes a Turn
I recently attended lunch at Lucques with Christian Moueix, one of the world's best known winemakers, proprietor of legendary...
Full-Bodied Dinner Champagnes
Many people like Champagne, but only a few of us, I have observed, actually enjoy Champagne throughout dinner. I love to...
The Brunello Mess and the Gaja Solution
Rules is rules. Just ask an Italian winemaker. Most wine producing regions of Italy have their own peculiar grape...
Heat Beating Tips for Wine in Summer
It is July, and I'm inside the notorious Washington, D.C. Beltway, which means that at least two things are happening: ...
CD: Cork Dysfunction
We've all heard--and probably muttered--aphorisms to explain the disappointment after opening and tasting what was supposed to...
Walla Walla: Rocky Road to New Terroirs
For those of you who view this site regularly, you may recall a column I wrote last July about moving in which I lamented one of...
Light, Elegant Champagnes
One of the least-known aspects about Champagne is the style which the various Champagne houses seek in making their wines. ...
Resurgent Rioja
The foundation of credibility in wine writing is the willingness to clearly criticize shortcomings in a wine or a winery or a...