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Review: Ciavolich Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo (2023)
Montepulciano was a grape that I thought I’d left in the distant past: The carafes of soft, plodding table wine ordered alongside spaghetti and mozzarella sticks. To a college-age Wine Fairy, “Montepulciano” sounded sophisticated and worldly. It seemed like a step up from the house Chianti in the wicker basket, if only because it was…
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Six takeaways from Wine Paris 2026
We’re back from three days of tasting, learning, and exploring at the colossal Wine Paris trade show! Each day, I wandered the exhibition halls from open until close to try and soak up clues about what’s happening in the international wine biz. On Friday, I shared seven personal moments that defined my Wine Paris experience.…
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Review: Gloria Ferrer Carneros Blanc de Noirs (NV)
A plush pink bubbly is the wine treat of the day: The Blanc de Noirs from Gloria Ferrer. I’m taking a quick break in downtown Sonoma, just a few miles from Ferrer Caves & Vineyards. Gloria Ferrer is the original sparkling wine producer in Carneros (established in 1982). And so the name of the wine…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #15: Flutter Rosé (Aude, France)
Fifteen wines into the 2025 Costco advent calendar, and finally we uncover a rosé! Thank goodness. I know it’s almost winter, but I will never turn down pink wine, no matter the season. The package of Flutter Rosé is appealing, too–its millennial-friendly label swathed with dusty pink, tasteful foil accents, and Luna moths. But will…
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Southern Italy (Campania & Puglia) tasting at Corner Wines (Plano, TX)
Wine, at its best, is both a teleporter and a time machine. The right glass can whisk you away to distant locales visited long ago (or never), to historical moments remembered or imagined by the yearning, eternal soul inside each of your tastebuds. This is why we drink wine. That, and because it’s a tasty…
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Drink North Texas Wine Festival at the Frontiers of Flight Museum (Dallas, TX)
North Texas wines took flight last Saturday with a special showcase of 12 local producers. DFW wine fans, you came and saw and sipped. From bold reds to crisp aromatic whites to only-in-Texas oddball blends, there was wine aplenty for all y’all Texas wine lovers. The host was the North Texas Wine Country trade organization.…
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Review: Lyla & Kennedy Barrel Aged Rosé (2022)
Another day, another strange rosé. Today we’re sipping on Lyla & Kennedy Barrel Aged Rosé. This was a limited-stock bottle I picked up at the wine shop because the packaging was gorgeous and the price was right. My impulsive moment is about to be either punished or rewarded–we shall see. The label text doesn’t reveal very…
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Review: Lavau Tavel Rosé (2020)
My most recent wine find is a shamrock in a field of clovers. A crane among chickens. A redhead in a room full of blondes. It’s a piquant and powerful rosé from Tavel. I’d heard about Tavel from wine geeks. But I’d never had the opportunity to taste one because unlike Côtes-du-Rhône and Provence rosés…
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Review: Ferrari-Carano Dry Sangiovese Rosé (2022)
Despite what designers of T-shirts and insulated tumblers would have you believe, it’s not actually very fun to “rosé all day.” Trust me–I’ve been there. Having a bottle of the blush stuff on Sunday morning is a good way to ensure that you wake up on a lounge chair with a sunburn and a whanging…