La Crema Chardonnay Sonoma County 2005 Generally I’m not a fan of California Chardonnay, mostly because many of the examples I’ve tasted were too over the top with sugary fruit, high alcohol, and overabundant oak. Of course, not every California Chardonnay is like that, but in my experience there have been more “cocktail quaffers” than [...]
Drylands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006 In the summertime, I’m always on the lookout for a clean, quality Sauvignon Blanc under fifteen bucks. They’re around, but can take some time to find. Usually you’ll find such bargains from Chile or Argentina, and on occasion from New Zealand or South Africa. One good valued example is this [...]
Your Questions Answered by Vino Joe How to Store Wine Question Question: Is it OK to store red wine (mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) at room temperature if it was previously stored properly in a walk-in cellar? I’m moving from a large house with a cellar to a small house with only a portable [...]
Michel Bailly et Fils Pouilly-Fume “Les Loges” 2005 If you can’t pronounce Pouilly-Fume, don’t fret — you need only recognize it when you see it on the shelf (you can always point it out to the sommelier in a restaurant as well, without embarrassment). And you should be on the lookout for Pouilly-Fume (POO-wee foo-MAY), [...]
Masi Soave Classico “Levarie” 2005 Soave gets a bad rap, mainly because most people associate it with the big 1.5- or 3.0-liter bottles filled with insipid, watery juice from mass-market producers, or the similarly tasteless “house wine” of a faux-Italian restaurant adorned with red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Truth is, a good Soave is a fine choice [...]
Winemaker Profile: Elizabeth Vianna of Chimney Rock Winery Let’s play pretend for a minute. Pretend you are a bright young woman with a degree in biology from Vassar, and currently working as the head of a lab at Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Where would you expect to be, say, five years from [...]
Vinos Sin-Ley G2 Garnacha D.O. Monstat 2005 Vinos Sin Ley translates to “wines without law”. This is an interesting winery, created by two bright winemakers who have added additional enologists to their group and are focused on making high-quality, value-oriented wines. They produce wines that retail from seven to thirty bucks, with the bulk of [...]