So you’ve tried a lot of the regular wines you find on wine lists and in shops. You’ve been to a few (or more than a few) tastings. You know what you like. And now you’re looking for the next type of wine to try. Not just something that is
In recent years we have seen many wine myths debunked in the US and Europe. However, some of them still resist fiercely, mainly with older people. For example, in America, many older people believe that only dry wines are quality wines. In Italy there’s a wine myth that “sweet wines
For Brits like myself, 2016 got off to a decidedly queasy start, with the extraordinary proclamations of the UK's Department of Health as it released new, draconian guidelines for alcohol consumption. Let's begin 2017 on a more positive note, ignoring for a moment the various political calamities on both sides of
Are we underestimating Merlot? While most people in the wine trade recognize Merlot is making a comeback in the U.S. after its numbers slipped in the wake of Sideways, perhaps there is something much bigger is happening. What if Merlot is really in the middle of a run to replace
It is 5 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon, and I am gingerly sipping a flaming cocktail called the Passion Fruit Volcano in a dark, underground bar in central Frankfurt – an ironic place to be starting my somewhat curious mission to drink a lot of Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque in an
I write a lot about natural wines, which leads to two frequent occurrences: 1. People rib and pigeon-hole from time to time. I take it with good grace, occasionally pointing out that my interests and drinking tastes go beyond funky smelling cloudy swamp-juice. 2. A need to defend the positive
“This has been a dream of mine for two years,” the Israeli consul confided to me a few nights ago. At this point I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it wasn’t a secret military mission we were talking about. It was wine. Of course. This slight-but-compact diplomat, dressed in
Some years ago, as a fun project, three young men decided to make wine while they were at university together. Today, their winery is legendary for its wines as well as its winemaking and viticultural practices in the Vittoria region of Sicily. The young men were Titta [Giambattista] Cilia, Giusto