Yearly Archives: 2018
Choosing Holiday Wines Based on Labels with Memories (OK, Houses)
Since 2004 I’ve been talking about choosing wines for x day on the calendar, y special occasion, z oddball event. How many more arrows do I have in my dang quiver for this? What to do about holiday wines? I was thinking about this while at Vino Volo in SeaTac, on my way to visit [More]
Amplify Your Rosé Life
There’s a fried chicken place in Manhattan called Dirty Bird to Go on 14th that also, surprisingly, houses a natural wine bar called Verre de Terre. This is where I discovered the Amplify Wines “Pink Flag” Rosé of Counoise My methodology of choosing this wine consisted of seeing three rosés on the bottle list and randomly [More]
Champagne Henriot Makes for an Illuminating Evening
As a sparkling wine fan(atic), pretty easy to say “yes” to a media event involving bubbles. And downright simple when it involves the finest of fizz from a producer I have been a longtime fan of: Champagne Henriot. I have to say, it’s nice to be able to walk to an event. In this case, [More]
Blind Tasting Syrah in Reno with Mom
You ever fly across the country just to conduct a wine tasting? Well now I can say I have. I jetted to Reno to lead my mother and about a dozen of her neighbors through an evening of blind tasting Syrah. Of course the main reason was to see my mom, duh, because I am [More]
Hungarian Rosé Six Pack is All I Want, Forever
I found out about the Dúzsi Tamás winery and its Hungarian rosé menagerie thanks to fellow Greenpoint resident and ace wine entrepreneur Athena Bochanis. (We were introduced by Madeline Puckette of Wine Folly fame. Thank you, MP!) In 2013, Athena started a company called Palinkerie Fine Hungarian Imports, bringing in many cool and exciting wines. [More]
Luzón Verde is a Go-To Organic Spanish Red Wine Bargain
Sometimes when I go to a big wine tasting event like Spain’s Great Match, it’s all about cramming as many new wines into my maw as possible. (RESPONSIBLY.) But often the most memorable tastes are when I revisit an old vinous friend. I fondly recall selling the Luzón Verde, a Spanish red wine made from [More]
Paso Robles Wine From Two Sides of the Same Coin
Attended not just a class but a Masterclass no less about Paso Robles wine. It’s a region I visited a couple years ago and had a great time soaking in its low-key charms and surprising wines. This learning session was helmed by Master Sommelier Alexander LaPratt with able assists from Jason Haas (master of Google [More]
