I believe in the Tolstoy theory of history: great men don't really influence nations, but surf a tidal wave of societal change that was coming anyway. Thus it is with Robert Parker. Wine lovers spend a fair amount of time complaining about his malign influence. We want things he ignores,
Quite an unusual wine from this Okanagan Valley winery : a field blend of grenache, viognier and marsanne, pressed together and fermented together in oak barrels, thus creating an unusual, largely blanc de noirs, white wine. Coming from a cool vintage, it has an edgy, vibrant touch, combining the aromatics of
While most classic wine regions of the Old World, such as Bordeaux, Rioja and Tuscany, focus on dry reds, the Rheingau, in Germany, is one of the very few classic regions producing primarily top-class white wines. These wines span sweetness levels from dry to off-dry to dessert. They are characterized
Only an hour away from downtown Boston, is a lovely, well-situated parcel of vineyards, situated between the East and West estuaries of Massachusetts’ Westport River. Westport Rivers Vineyards has more than 25 years under its belt producing wines, though the former potato and dairy farm has been worked by the
If you've never put your nose inside a few well-wrought barrels, it may be hard to understand just how excited winemakers can become about oak - and also, just how varied the contribution of oak to the profile of a wine can be. The range of smells, the different characters
Light, translucent ruby in color. Strawberries dominate on the nose. Strawberries and rhubarb are on the palate, tart, clean, and brightly acidic. Fennel pops on the mid-palate. Tannins are light and very fine. This is a bright food wine, one to provide counter-balance to rich cheeses and light meats. Drink
As Napoleon is reputed to have said, “Champagne: in roaring economies you deserve it, in recession you need it.” OK, the energetic emperor did not actually say that. (The proper quote, according to legend anyway, is, “Champagne: in victory you deserve it, in defeat you need it.”) But it is
The most curious thing happened a few years ago. One of the great wine regions of the world became passé in one of the largest wine markets. Bordeaux was becoming hard to find in the United States. Oh, the Classified Growths and the rarefied boutique darlings maintained their stratospheric price