2012 Las Lilas Vinho Verde

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The wine pours with a very light fizz. The nose offers sweet fruit, white peaches and pears. On the palate, the flavors are unripe peach and lime. Lime lingers on the finish. Acidity adds a knife-sharp zing. It's summer in a glass, a moderate alcohol (10%) stone-fruit and citrus refresher

Wine Competition: For Whom the Medals Toll?

W. Blake Gray
Features
6 min read
Four judges taste a wine. One thinks it's gold-medal worthy. Two say silver. One says bronze. What medal does this wine get? If you guessed "gold," you have probably sat on a wine jury in the United States. This nearly happened on my jury earlier this month -- and I

The (Very) Slow Rise of the Wines of Crete

Michael Cervin
Feature Stories
4 min read
The Greeks may have been the architects of democracy, but they seem to have taken more time to build reputable wine. The wine history on the island of Crete stretches 3,500 years, but it has only been since 2003 that Crete has achieved a modicum of success. To comprehend this

2010 Ridge Estate Merlot

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The nose is sweet, Bing cherries cooked in brown sugar. ON the palate, the flavors are far more tart than sweet, sour cherry and redcurrant lead on the attack. Plum and hints of black fruit show on the mid-palate, along with touches of olive, rosemary, and tarragon. Tannins are big,

Bidding for Success at the Napa Wine Auction

Michelle Locke
Features
3 min read
It's a brilliant California day and it’s about 1000 degrees in the tasting tent at the annual Napa Valley barrel auction. I'm wilting in a plain summer frock and sandals. But my escort, vintner Jean-Charles Boisset, isn't even breaking a sweat despite being fully rigged out in dark slacks and

2012 Gruner Veltliner “Grooner”

Becky Sue Epstein
Wine Reviews
1 min read
Though it may be hard to imagine, the original, refreshingly light white wine spritzer was made in Austria, a mix of Gruner Veltilner wine and sparkling mineral water. It was enjoyed at summertime family dinners on outdoor patios and home and at taverns.  In this particular “Grooner” wine, faint meadow

Wine Blogging Grows Up

David White
Features
3 min read
Last week, about 250 wine bloggers gathered in Penticton, a small city in British Columbia, Canada, for the sixth annual North American Wine Bloggers' Conference. That so many wine enthusiasts would travel to a city five hours east of Vancouver isn't surprising. Held in a different winemaking region each year,