Choosing Champagne for New Year’s
What a better way to usher in the new year than to open a bottle of the real stuff, which we all know is Champagne. Yes, I love Prosecco, Cava…
Holiday wines under $18
‘Tis the season to be jolly! And what makes any event “jolly”? Wine, of course. The wine shops carry a lot of outstanding wines at sensationally low prices. Most wine…
O’Shaughnessy wines are outrageous
Amanda Schark , an extremely knowledgeable and agreeable wine representative who works for Charles River Wines, alerted me she would be pouring some special wines at Spirited Wines in Lenox at…
Bordeaux wines make a comeback
It is a rare occasion when I get so excited about each and every wine that I sampled at a wine tasting. In this case, the wines were from Bordeaux. The…
St. Supery wins Winery of the Year award
It was not a stretch to accept an invitation to sample the wines from Napa Valley’s newest wine superstar, St. Supery Estate. Since the return of legendary winemaker Michael Scholz in…
Three generations of “Dons”
The rich history of Sauza Tequila began in 1873, when visionary Don Cenobio Sauza founded the Sauza Distillery. As the quality of his tequila distillation advanced, his son, Don Eladio…
Thanksgiving wines
Well, it is again turkey time in America. The age old question arises every year. What wines do I serve with the big bird? I have interviewed numerous colleagues and…
Five generations of female winemakers
Members of the Petitto family, from southern Italy’s Campania region, have been land owners for over 1,200 years. Imagine what your relatives looked like in the ninth century? During that…
Martini & Rossi sparkles throughout time
Martini and Rossi’s long tradition of making exceptional quality sparkling wines and vermouth has always been a landmark in the industry from generation to generation. I remember when my parents…
‘Luce,’ the light of the vine, shines in Tuscany
The morning sunlight that wakes up the vines in Tuscany’s Montalcino region inspired partners Robert Mondavi (California) and Vittorio Frescobaldi (Italy) to name the plot of land they acquired together…