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Merlot Thursday: Murphy Goode California Merlot (2023)
I think and talk constantly about what makes a wine good. For a person whose wine life intersects the commercial, critical, and consumer spheres, a glass of juice is almost never just a glass of juice. But what if, once in a while, it could be? What if the little voice that’s always yammering on…
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First Glass: How to Taste, Talk About, and Buy Wine Like a Master Sommelier by Tim Gaiser MS (Review)
Master Sommelier Tim Gaiser’s new book, First Glass: How to Taste, Talk About, and Buy Wine Like a Master Sommelier was released on October 20, 2026. It’s available in paperback and digital formats. I’ve been looking forward to reading it since Gaiser announced the title at the TEXSOM Conference back in August 2026. Here’s my…
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Tasting the 2026 Costco holiday wine calendar: Wines #13-18
We have made it to the third installment of our Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar tasting marathon. Twelve bottles down, twelve to go! On the tasting table this week are the next six bottles, contestants #13-18: Before we go any further: I am not a wine snob. Sure, I think and talk about wine more than…
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Texas + Rioja: Spain’s finest wines come to Dallas
You could say that we’re separated by an ocean but united by a grape. Texans adore our smooth, spicy, food-loving Tempranillo wines, whether homegrown or imported from the historic wine-producing villages of Spain. That love was evident when Rioja came to town this week, bringing lots of their signature Tempranillo-based reds–plus a few delicious surprises!…
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Review: Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay (2024)
When serving wine, I get requests for “unoaked Chardonnay, please” about as often as a pub musician gets requests for “Tennessee Whiskey.” The backlash against buttery oak bombs is still going strong. Lucky for all of us, there are some woodless wonders coming out of Burgundy, including bright, minerally Chardonnays from the Mâconnais. This bottle…
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Merlot Thursday: Clos Pegase Napa Valley Merlot (2023)
A few things have happened since I started writing about Merlot every #MerlotThursday. First, I’ve gained a fresh appreciation for the variety and all its styles and nuances. Second, I’ve gotten better–not perfect, but better–at recognizing Merlot in blind tastings. And third, people have started to approach me with their Merlot stories. The last Merlot…
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Let’s unbox the 2026 Costco holiday wine calendar!
Today we snagged the 2026 Costco Wine Advent-ure Calendar! For the third year in a row, we’ll be tearing apart that bright blue cardboard and digging into a selection of international wines from the warehouse giant. Reviews posted so far: Wines #1-6: First-round reviews! Wines #7-12: Second-round reviews! Wines #13-18: Third-round reviews! Read on to…
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Your Hill Country wine trip: A wine lover’s guide to tasting Texas
Planning a Texas Hill Country wine trip? There’s so much exciting wine being made in Texas, and the choices can be overwhelming. The Fredericksburg and Johnson City area features over 50 wineries and tasting rooms along the 30-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 290. In total, the greater Texas Hill Country region is home to over…
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Review: Alma das Donas “Almalarga” Ribeira Sacra Godello (2024)
I had tasted at least 70 wines that afternoon, and I couldn’t stop thinking about this one: a stealthily excellent Godello from Galicia. Long tastings are demanding. Your mouth gets tired, your notes get scribbly, your memory gets fuzzy. Some gentler wine styles get drowned out as your palate is bombarded with oak and tannins.…
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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…