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Review: Château La Rose de Vitrac Bordeaux Blanc (2024)
Imagine this: You’re in a less-than-ideal wine shop in a new city and you don’t recognize any labels. You have $20 in your pocket. You’re meeting up with friends…and there’s someone who maybe doesn’t drink red? You have no idea what you’re having for dinner. What’s your move? If you said “white Bordeaux,” then great…
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Merlot Thursday: Cantina Il Cavaliere “Ottavo” Bianco di Merlot Ticino (2023)
Bonjour from France! I’m at Wine Paris, the world’s leading wine and spirits event. Over three days, more than 6,000 exhibitors from 60 countries fill the Porte de Versailles convention center with a truly mind-boggling amount of wine. How many different Merlots are waiting for me in this sprawling plaza of exhibition halls? Considering that…
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Review: Thierry Delaunay “Le Grand Ballon” Val de Loire Sauvignon Blanc (2023)
Now that Taylor Swift has gone and ruined Sancerre for everyone, ordinary wine drinkers like moi have to look for alternatives to the popular but scarce Loire Valley label. Just kidding, Swifties. Sancerre shortages have been a recurring wine-biz story for at least 2-3 years now, due to harvest challenges and other supply-demand mismatch issues.…
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Review: Otronia “45° Rugientes” Patagonia Corte de Blancas (2017)
A Patagonian white blend is on the bar today: The “45° Rugientes” from Otronia. It was my first pick for “Try January” and it is a unique and delightful wine. “Try January” is a promo that my local wine bar hangout is doing this month. Instead of attempting to convince us that de-alcoholized wine tastes…
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Review: Granbazán “Etiqueta Verde” Albariño Rías Baixas (2022)
When someone says, “Spanish wine,” do you immediately envision red? I know I do–and I will never stop loving the spicy Riojas and toothsome Garnachas that first made me fall for the country’s exports. But lately, another Spanish love has been creeping into my thoughts…and it’s Albariño from Rías Baixas. This is a wine I…
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San Francisco’s Queen of Sauvy B: Eco Terreno Winery
Beer for breakfast and wine for lunch–this is how you pass a wintry day in San Francisco. Today, I have tasted everything from cinnamon-sugar pumpkin ale in a toasty brick basement at Fisherman’s Wharf to vegan gluten-free beer (made with sushi rice) at a queer-friendly microbrewery in North Beach. And before strolling off to reconstitute…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #22: Maison du Lac Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc (France)
If you’ve been following along on our journey through all 24 of the Costco advent calendar wines, then you know it’s been a bumpy ride. There is a lot of variation in quality and style this year. The Wine Fairy tasting team (me and my wife, Sarah) are using a very informal (non-blind, non-mathematical, go-with-your-gut)…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #20: Meadow Moon Riesling (Germany)
Christmas Day is approaching! Santa is buffing his sleigh, scalpers are hawking Nutcracker tickets…and we are almost to the last bottle in the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. A light German Riesling is tonight’s designated wine. But does Meadow Moon Landwein Rhein deserve a stocking full of presents, or a visit from Krampus? Let’s gather ’round…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #18: Aralena Pinot Grigio delle Venezie (Italy)
A very merry December 1st! Today is the day that good and patient boys and girls can begin opening their advent calendars to behold the first of the treasures hidden within. But at The Wine Fairy, we are neither good nor patient. So tonight it’s time for Bottle #18 from the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar:…
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Review: Alta Mora Etna Bianco (2022)
Volcanic wines and volcanic curries seem like a natural match. It was exciting to find this Etna Bianco on the wine list at my favorite neighborhood Thai spot. Made from 100% Carricante, Alta Mora’s Etna Bianco grows on the foothills of Mount Etna. (Before wine, this is a place I was familiar with only from…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #16: Starlight Wonder Chenin Blanc (Western Cape, South Africa)
December is almost upon us, and there are still eight wines lurking in the Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar crate. Will we get to them all before the holidays, or will we get sidetracked by other seasonal treats like Glühwein and Beaujolais Nouveau? Who even knows? But today, we’re back on task. We’re tasting the lone…
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Costco Advent Calendar Wine #14: Solo Reflections Chardonnay (Australia)
Another day, another Chardonnay! I’m busting out my best stemless glassware for a casual pour from Down Under, the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar‘s wine #14: Solo Reflections Chardonnay. It’s well-chilled–and I’m ready to be well-chilled, too. Costco wine can help with that. No thinking, just drinking. But is Solo Reflections a wine that likes…