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Review: Champagne Barnaut Bouzy Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut (NV)
A bigger-is-better Grand Cru Champagne is on the menu for today. Determined to get over my birthday blues, I’m celebrating at Coupes, a chic bubble-centric wine bar in Dallas. Coupes has an eye-popping list that includes–by my quickest count–more than 80 different Champagnes and Crémants by the glass, bottle, and half-bottle. I rattle off some…
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All roads lead to wine: On starting a wine career at 40
I’m 40 years old tomorrow, and I’m starting off my birthday weekend with a short pour of midlife angst. At first, I thought I’d celebrate with a special bottle. But there are no 1986 wines in stock at the local shop. (They laughed.) So instead of uncorking a birthday vintage tonight, I’m looking back at…
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Merlot Thursday: Les Cadrans de Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2022)
Once again, I’m in the North Dallas suburbs and searching for Merlot. It looks promising: The steakhouses here are wedged into the crevices between every parking garage and highway median. However, this is the land of Caymus and Austin Hope, and finding a fresh glass of Merlot is never a sure thing. I pop into…
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Pinot Forum Dallas: Tasting the Russian River Valley
What could be better than traveling to your favorite wine regions? Not much–except having your favorite wine regions come to you! That’s what happened in April when I met up with the Russian River Valley Winegrowers in downtown Dallas. Located just north of the Bay Area and cooled by fog from the Petaluma Gap, Russian…
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Review: Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Villages “La Côte Blanche” Unoaked Chardonnay (2022)
Today’s white wine is 100% Chardonnay–you can be sure of it. Not only because Chardonnay is the only permitted variety in the Mâcon-Villages appellation, but also because the label proudly proclaims it to be so: “Chardonnay.” Although it’s jarring to see the name of a grape beneath the sloping shoulders of a Burgundy bottle, it…
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Merlot Thursday: Bodegas Volver “Juntos” Alicante Merlot (2024)
A ripe ‘n rowdy Merlot from Spain is our pick for this #MerlotThursday! “Juntos” comes from the sunny Mediterranean coast in the region of Valencia. Wine lovers may hear “Alicante” and think of Alicante Bouschet, the red-fleshed grape that lends its irresistible color to blends. And indeed, Merlot-Alicante blends do exist in the table wines…
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Three winemakers, three Spanish regions: Juan Gil, Bodegas Shaya, and Bodegas Morca
Spain is one of my favorite wine-producing countries. Even though I’ve yet to collect that stamp on my passport, when I drink a Spanish wine I can almost taste the Mediterranean sunshine in my glass. Recently in Texas, I got to sample some marvelous wines (and meet the winemakers!) at The Wine Authority. They came…
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A whirlwind of wine! A 2026 update from The Wine Fairy
A big, hearty “Cheers!” to those amazing readers who follow my wine adventures. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes at The Wine Fairy. Things are flowing fast. It’s been the craziest three months in my wine career–probably in my life. My brain is mush, my palate is exhausted…and yeah, I’m ready…
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The 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards: I’m longlisted!
This morning started with a small thrill–Château Giscours liked a recent post I made about enjoying their wine with dinner. A few minutes later, a much bigger surprise landed in my inbox: I’m longlisted for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards! My name is on the 2026 longlist in two categories: • Laurent-Perrier…
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What Is This Thing? Giambellino Bellini Wine Cocktail
This is what it’s like to write a highbrow-lowbrow wine blog: Sometimes we’re drinking a single-vineyard Pinot Noir, and sometimes we’re drinking a dubious orange liquid that we bought at ALDI. On What Is This Thing?, we look at various wine-adjacent products and try to determine: 1. What is this thing? 2. Should you drink…
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Close calls: Three recent blind-tasting traps–and what I learned from them
Identifying mystery wines isn’t easy at the best of times. But when a wine is chosen specifically to trip up the taster, it adds another layer of difficulty. I’ve been doing a lot of blind tasting practice since earning my WSET Level 3 certificate in February. I’m trying to get an honest look at my…
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The Wine Fairy on Substack
Some cool news: The Wine Fairy is now on Substack (@winefairymichelle). If you’d like, you can follow me there for the same articles and reviews you see on the blog, delivered via email or the Substack app. Or keep reading here, as always. (Or via the RSS feed–I know there are some of you who…