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Merlot Thursday: Les Chênes de Macquin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2018)
Les Chênes de Macquin has been uncorked for #MerlotThursday! This Merlot-dominant blend (90%) serves as the second wine of the Premier Grand Cru Classé estate Château Pavie Macquin. It pours up a mouthwatering Bordeaux ruby color, with some garnet variation just starting to emerge across its rim. An oversized glass can barely contain the wonderfully layered aromas:…
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How I score wines
How are wine scores calculated for The Wine Fairy blog? What do the different scores mean? I’m so glad you asked! Having published almost two hundred bottle reviews in the last 18 months, I realized this explanatory post is long overdue. In this article, I share some of my methodology and philosophy of grading wines.…
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Review: Cantina Produttori di Cormòns Collio Sauvignon (2024)
Is your phone popping off with TravelZoo ads and photos of everyone‘s summer in Europe? Are you scrolling through eye-popping food pics while mentally cleaning out a fridge full of leftovers? If so, there’s only one antidote: Grab a crisp, vacation-ready bottle of wine and cook something you actually want to eat. Today’s wine comes…
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Merlot Thursday: Orin Swift “Advice from John” California Merlot (2024)
“There is no arguing about taste” is a maxim that goes back centuries. But as wine fans and wine critics, that’s what we absolutely love to do, regardless. Let’s taste wine! Argue about taste! Then open another bottle and argue about taste some more. Today’s wine is a very popular Merlot from the very popular…
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TEXSOM Sommer Camp 2026: The most exciting week in wine
It’s a reunion that I’ve been awaiting for many months: TEXSOM 2026 and almost an entire week of Sommer Camp! Sommer Camp starts in Irving, Texas on August 20. In the summer of 2025, I was a raw beginner with stars in my eyes and a brand-new wine blog. I registered for five days of…
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Merlot Thursday: Chateau Ste. Michelle “Indian Wells” Columbia Valley Merlot (2022)
It’s an uncomfortable experience to re-watch a movie you loved as a kid. Often, the jokes are stupider than you remember, and the special effects look like crap. Worst of all, you may find yourself thinking that the hero is acting like a selfish twerp, and that the villain–the school principal or parent or cop…
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Review: Emmolo “No. 8” Méthode Traditionnelle California Sparkling Wine (NV)
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris–the famous 1976 wine competition that humbled French oenophiles and made Napa Valley famous. For months, my wine calendar has been full of “France vs. United States”-themed classes and tastings. The exercise throws you straight into the deep end of the philosophy of winemaking. Can…
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DFW Wine Events: August 2026
August is the center of harvest season in Texas, with grape stomps and festivals sweeping through the vineyards. But there are plenty of wine activities for city dwellers, too! Here’s our curated event roundup for August 2026. As always at The Wine Fairy, we’ve done our best to make this info current and correct. Still, we…
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Merlot Thursday: Château La Rose Perrière Lussac Saint-Émilion (2020)
“When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” the saying goes. And when you are a cooper, every wine needs time in a barrel. So it is with Château La Rose Perrière, the Bordeaux estate owned and managed by Jean-Luc Sylvain (of renowned barrel supplier Tonnellerie Sylvain). The Château’s red wines, unusually, are…
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Review: Granbazán “Etiqueta Ámbar” Albariño Rías Baixas (2023)
Albariño from Spain was on the screen and in my glass. I pulled a cold bottle from the wine fridge and settled in for a one-hour Zoom class hosted by New York-based importer Olé & Obrigado. “El Camino del Albariño” is their July-August virtual education and promotional tour. It’s an invitation to wine pros to…
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Merlot Thursday: Siboney Cellars “Storm Breaker” Texas High Plains Merlot (2024)
In September 2019, an epic thunderstorm tore through the Texas High Plains, sending growers and winemakers scrambling into the vineyards to grab up their grapes. Those who waited for the rains to pass risked muddy fields and watery fruit. Those who rushed in got some excellent raw materials (and a story to tell). Such was…
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The 2026 Costco Wine Advent Calendar: First look!
The most popular posts on The Wine Fairy last year were (by far) our coverage of the 2025 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar. We unboxed the crate of half-bottles and diligently tasted and reviewed every single wine. A few readers have reached out to ask if Costco is planning a similar release for 2026. The answer…