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Review: El Pino Club “Sea Floored” Pinot Noir (2021)
Working as a prep cook in a hotel, I used to clean a lot of strawberries. Strawberries for the breakfast buffet, strawberries for the cold line’s fruit plates and salads, strawberries for the pastry shop. (This is a Pinot Noir review–I’m getting to it, I promise. But first I want to tell you about my…
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Merlot Thursday: Château la Grâce Dieu les Menuts Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2016)
If there is any 2016 Saint-Émilion left on the planet at the end of this year, it won’t be for lack of trying. I have been uncorking these bottles with relish on Thursdays (and other days), and they are consistently tasting just right. Want a sip of this vintage? Then you’d better hurry. Château la…
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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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WSET Level 3: What it’s really like + tips for passing with Distinction
Are you studying for the daunting Wine & Spirit Education Trust Level 3 Award in Wines? Is your hand about to fall off from writing flashcards? Are you talking about the sub-regions of Rioja in your sleep? If you’re taking the Level 3 exam soon–or thinking about enrolling–then this post is for you. I took…
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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: Salentein “Portillo No. 06” Uco Valley Merlot (2020)
Among wine drinkers, Argentina’s Uco Valley is almost synonymous with Malbec. Malbec’s growth, largely driven by international demand, has been heroic–more than 800% since 2004. The mountainous terrain allows this dark-skinned, intensely fruity variety to produce wines that also show elegant floral aromas and firm acidity. The emergence of Malbec as Argentina’s principal grape has…
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I tried all the wines on the drink package! Here’s the lowdown on 23 of Princess Cruises’ house wines.
Gangway crossed, drink package purchased, Princess Medallion® in hand. It was time to attempt a feat of exploration and endurance: Tasting all of the available wines before disembarkation day on a 7-day Caribbean cruise. Buying the drink package presented an irresistible opportunity. Normally, I have to pay for the glasses and bottles I review for…
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Review: Masi “Bonacosta” Valpolicella Classico (2022)
Rare bottles are nice and all. But sometimes your mood (or your wallet) pulls you in a different direction–toward clunky glassware, red-sauce pasta, and BYOB. Wine can be part of the occasion without being the occasion. Valpolicella knows this, and is a gracious guest at almost any table. My bottle of the night is a…
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The 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards: Last call!
March 8 is the last day to submit your entries for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards! (I know this because…well, I also put it off until the last minute.) The third edition of the awards will recognize wine communicators across six categories, spanning written, audio, and video content. Being at the Wine…
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Merlot Thursday: St. Supéry Rutherford Estate Vineyard Merlot (2021)
I’ve pinched myself a bunch of times today, but it hasn’t worked. This is no dream…I really am in California. It’s the last full day of the Wine Writers’ Symposium in Napa Valley. It’s just after sundown. And there is excellent wine everywhere. Earlier today, I woke up in a cottage on the side of…
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If wine were only art or only science, what would be lost?
I was recently a Fellow of the 2026 Wine Writers’ Symposium in Napa Valley. In late February, I spent several days in classes and on field trips in the St. Helena area. I met winemakers, toured vineyards, tasted unreal bottles, and conversed with wine writers at every stage of their careers–from beginners to near-legends. It…
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Napa Zin for the win: A visit to Robert Biale Vineyards
Trying to choose just one winery to visit in Napa Valley is a torturous exercise, like buying a single scoop from an ice cream shop with dozens of bins. Whatever you pick, it’s sure to be good. But choosing Pistachio means passing up Boysenberry and Black Walnut and Lavender Honey–there’s only so much flavor you…