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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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A year of Merlot Thursday: What I learned from tasting 52 different Merlots
Looking back at The Wine Fairy archive this week, I realized something neat: July is my one-year anniversary of Merlot Thursday participation. I first learned about #MerlotThursday while scrolling wine-related posts on Reddit. The premise is simple enough: On Thursday, you drink a Merlot and review it, in hopes of raising the profile of an…
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Texas Wine News Roundup: Summer 2026
Big news from the Decanter Awards, a new grape variety, and a new place to sip sparkling wine in the Hill Country! In our quarterly news roundup, we share some of the top Texas wine news stories that have hit the presses in 2026. Story #1: Texas wines make a huge splash at the 2026…
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Review: Tiraki Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (2025)
We love to crush a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in The Wine Fairy household. (Just call us the Marlborough women–we adore those zesty tropical flavors.) Today, I’m recommending a breakout example of the genre: The 2025 Tiraki. Tiraki’s Sauvignon Blanc is a single-vineyard bottling from a family winery in Nelson, at the “Top of the…
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Review: Château Le Devoy Martine “Via Secreta” Lirac (2019)
It’s the best evening combo I could hope for: A favorite bistro, a couple of hours to kill, and a bottle of Rhône. Rhône reds (sadly) aren’t common in restaurants in my town. They’re usually crowded out by blockbuster Cabs and Paso Robles blends. In the best of cases, they’re relegated to one or two…
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Review: Kirkland Signature Vacqueyras (2023)
There are two types of people who buy the Kirkland Signature wines from Costco: Those who care about wine tasting, and those who (mostly) don’t. Among the latter group, Kirkland wines are convenient, cheap grocery items and house-party standbys. Grabbing a case of Prosecco or a jug of Chianti saves you money and a trip…
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Merlot Thursday: Meeker “Winemakers’ Handprint” Sonoma County Merlot (2022)
Every bottle of Meeker‘s “Winemakers’ Handprint” Merlot is marked by the winemaker with acrylic paint. Fingerprints grasp the curves of the bottle in neon smears of fuschia and yellow, wrapping the glass in a handshake–or reaching out from the shelf in a friendly wave. The handprint is meant to remind drinkers that wine is made…
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Review: Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2023)
This dive bar is better known for birria tacos–and for bad decisions involving tequila–than it is for wine. But I really want a glass of red wine with some carne asada, so here goes nothing. Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sitting in mini bottles, next to vials of beer salt and a frozen-drink machine…
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Review: Taittinger “La Française” Brut Champagne (NV)
Taittinger’s “La Française” is one of the best widely available Champagnes in the $50-$60 price range. It’s like a sampler platter of all the classic Champagne flavors, and it hits an ideal spot between richness and freshness. It’s versatile, too. Not too soft, not too acidic. Good brand-name recognition for impressing your friends, but not…
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Onward and upward for Texas wine! Tasting North Texas at the Frontiers of Flight Museum
Texas wine took over the Frontiers of Flight Museum for a day, with a dozen producers showing up to pour their wines for thirsty Dallasites. A backdrop of historic aircraft and spacecraft set the scene as the post-brunch crowd streamed in for an afternoon of tasting. The Wine Fairy was there, too! Here’s what we…
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Merlot Thursday: St. Francis Sonoma County Merlot (2021)
“This lady reviews more cheap house wines than anyone I know.” That’s how I was introduced by a friend to a small group of wine folks earlier this week. While it was meant as a playful jest, it’s certainly true. Especially on #MerlotThursday, when Merlot’s ease of use propels it to the top of the…