Apparently, a French man in the early 1800s became interested in Chilean flora, fauna and geology. Claude Gay became the effective patron saint of local, Chilean plants. Thanks to Claude, anytime you travel to Chile, it is made abundantly clear in all government proclamations that you cannot bring in any plants, fruits or vegetables. A friend inadvertently crossed customs with an apple in his pocket (I believe he was traveling from Taiwan, though he lives in London) about 15 years ago and was firmly reprimanded, despite eating the same apple in the presence of immigration officers.
Read MoreGrown at a rather low 33° North, there is a fine balance of latitude and altitude that makes wine production possible win the Golan Heights. The altitude - with vineyards climbing to 1,150 meters / 3,773 feet - mitigates the low latitude. Yet, the latitude helps in a surprising way as the grapes near harvest. Whereas more northerly regions receive more sunshine during the middle of the growing season, as the earth turns for the Autumn Equinox, the Golan Heights receive extra hours of sunshine in the crucial weeks before harvest.
Read MoreKind of Wild Wines hit all the right buzz words for today's concerned and informed consumer: "Made with Organic Grapes", "Supporting Organic Growers", "Free of Unwanted Additives", "Sustainable for Soil Health" and "1% to Environmental Partners" are some of their taglines. Mind you, only one of those snippets means anything legally.
Read MoreThis broad selection of Portuguese wines offers a variety of styles and a price point for everyone. What I especially love about the reds is that they have almost all been aged at the winery until they were ready to drink. That is a rarity - and a treat for the consumer - these days as most wineries rush their wines out the door!
Read MoreThe labels and the brand material for Luke, created by husband-and-wife team Thomas and Kristin Vogele look like something fit for a Western flick: a lone, perhaps forlorn, man on dusty, desert terrain. Cleverly, "The Companion" label, is not only a red blend but also includes a dog striding beside him. There is good value here, and there is a lot to like in these muscular, Wahluke Slope wines.
Read MoreIt’s always a treat to taste small production wines, and Andy Smith’s coveted DuMOL wines certainly fit that bill.
Read MoreI have always found the precise and pure Cusumano wines incredibly juicy and approachable. This trio serves to reinforce my many prior experiences.
Brothers Diego and Alberto source the estate-grown fruit for their Cusumano wines from four different areas of Sicily covering over 500 hectares / 1235 acres. (Etna is a fifth region that they use for their other label, Alta Mora.) Focusing on local and international grapes in varietal and blended wines, the wines are a comfortable fusion of modern winemaking and Sicilian soul.
Read MoreI was pleased to see Ventisquero pop up a few weeks ago. It's been a while since I have seen this name. I used to buy some of the wines for the defunct Spice Market Atlanta when it first opened. The GREY Carménère was a favorite at the time, and I often lamented that the range wasn't more widely available in the US for the other restaurant lists that I was overseeing at Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges. Over a decade later, it appears the wines are now widely available in the US. Check them out!
Read MoreThis is the third Côté Mas that I have tasted in the last few years. The wines show clear familial style, but the 2019 is the most sophisticated yet.
Read MoreJoachim Splichal collaborated with his sons, Nicolas and Stéphane, and the winemaking team of rosé specialist Bruno Tringali to craft the fourth vintage of this estate-grown and decidedly Provençal pink. It is a highly inviting and complex blend of Grenache 48%, Cinsault 35%, Rolle (a.k.a. Vermentino) 6%, Syrah 5%, Carignan 4% and Grenache Blanc 2%.
Read MoreMi Sueño Winery 2016 Syrah Napa Valley: This full-bodied, opaque wine carries its weight with style. This is hardly surprising for a Mi Sueño wine; they typically show very good balance. This Syrah is a textbook example of its Napa origin as well as its single grape variety.
Read MoreTroon Vineyard 2018 Vermentino Kubli Bench Applegate Valley: Sleek and sexy, this is an enticing Vermentino. It has full-throttle flavor and an intriguing combination of structure and texture that keeps me going back to the glass. The flavors are so subtle as to be elusive. A whiff of flint. A wave of spring flowers. A suspicion of peach pit. It's like a game of catch-what-you-can as the wine evolves in the glass.
Read MoreI recall Viña Vik hitting the US wine scene about five years ago. The labels jumped into the wine fray with great fanfare. The wide range of vintages was interesting to taste, and they prove that the wines - at least these specific bottlings - can age to benefit. However, they made it harder to see the stylistic winemaking differences between the wines.
Read MoreSeven years ago Stefano Casadei and Fred Cline met over dinner for the first time. Now they are making a wine named Casadei, a total heart-throb red, together. That's not all. The Cline family is importing Stefano's Castello del Trebbio wines, too. Saluti!
Read MoreBarton & Guestier 2018 Côtes de Provence Tourmaline: …the wine tastes great, too. It starts with a refreshing blast of pink grapefruit and strawberry hull. Vinous and dry, there's a nicely pithy grip on the mineral-driven finish.
Read MoreIt's easy for reds to feel ponderously heavy in the summer, especially when they are concentrated, elevated in alcohol and lavished with new oak. But, we all still want to drink red wines from time to time during warm weather. Leave it to the out-of-the-box renegade - and seriously good palate and globe-trotting winemaker - Ernst Loosen to find not only a solution but also a very gently priced one. Moreover, the wines come from France's Languedoc, a region formerly strapped with the reputation of producing clumsy, jammy wines.
Read MoreI met Joachim Splichal when I was the National Wine Director for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant group. Smith & Wollensky was publicly traded and a hostile take-over was underway. His Patina Restaurant Group purchased the Smith & Wollensky restaurants outside of New York City, and I figured I'd never again cross paths with him.
Read MoreBeckmen Vineyards 2017 Cuvée Le Bec Santa Ynez Valley: I am delighted to be head over heels for this wine’s 2017 incarnation. It's got a soft and juicy texture with a sleek, supporting tannin structure and pithy acidity. It's spicy. It's bramly. It's chock full of blackberries and rimmed with black plum skin.
Read MoreThese two rosés surprised me.
I expected the Arrogant Frog to be the less expensive and less complex wine. This was without knowing that the Côté Mas wine is to be marketing in 1 liter bottles – my sample arrived in a 750 ml. Yes, I succumbed to label bias. Happily, it was only briefly.
Read MoreTorres 2014 Priorat Salmos: The vibrant mouthfeel and perky acidity were the first things I noticed about this infusion of Carineña, Syrah and Garnacha. Then, I felt the smooth, gilded tannins welling up on the palate along with the rich, concentrated body.
Read More