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Content about American wine

May 19, 2013
John Grapevine

Consultant John Levenberg is spreading the gospel of good winemaking up and down the East Coast.

His name is John Levenberg, but please excuse me if I want to call him John Grapevine.

April 16, 2013
A Delectable Artifact: Gypsy Canyon’s Angelica

Santa Barbara County winemaker Deborah Hall followed a series of cryptic historical clues--quill-scrawled letters, a frayed 18th century tome, and a modern-day DNA sample--to find treasure in the Sta. Rita Hills.

Early Spanish explorers may have consulted elaborate treasure maps in their search of the mythical gold of El Dorado, but Santa Barbara County winemaker Deborah Hall followed a series of cryptic historical clues--quill-scrawled letters, a frayed 18th century tome, and a modern-day DNA sample--to find treasure in the Sta. Rita Hills.

March 3, 2013
Biltmore's Bi-Coastal Wines

North Carolina estate has it both ways, growing grapes locally and also buying them on the West Coast.

One of the most-interesting wineries in the United States is located in the Great Smoky Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.  You have probably heard about it but may not have tasted its wines unless you happened to have visited the property, which tens of thousands of people do annually.

November 4, 2012
Keeping Up with the Masters

“The most important lesson I learned when I passed the Master of Wine exam is that wine can never truly be mastered.”

For many years now, whenever I see a particular gentleman who is one of the most respected and well-known Master Sommeliers in the country, he quickly gets around to asking me the same question: “What’s new?” Early on, I would always think, “Why is he asking me this? Is this a test to see how smart I am?

November 2, 2012
The Taste(s) of Chablis

We all know the taste of Chablis.  Except when it tastes different.

Chablis brings up an image of “purity” – Chardonnay purity, at its best – and one could certainly argue that if the world could have only one white wine to drink with food, it would be Chablis.  One could also argue that there are “better” whites, even more-luscious and more-complex Chardonnays produced just down the road along the Côte d’Or, but as a universal food white wine, Chablis can

October 1, 2012
Reflections on a Glass of Port

The attractiveness of Port can be found in the excuses people give for not drinking it.

It was the middle of the Port grape harvest last week in the Douro Valley, and I was having a cup of morning coffee with Rupert Symington – one of a band of brothers and cousins who run the family Port business – before we headed out to spend a day visiting the quintas (vineyard estates) that supply the family’s sterling group of Port brands: Graham’s, Warre’s, Dow’s, Smith Woodhouse and, more-

May 6, 2012
Wines of Chile~Worthy and Well Priced

Wines of Chile

     

 

 

January 16, 2012
The Rise of Destination Wineries?

A small Pennsylvania winery is making a reputation as a low-volume, high-quality producer of northern Italian blends.  If you want to taste them, you'll have to show up at their Avondale winery and tasting room.

The term “destination restaurant

July 28, 2011
The Kingdom of Navarra~Kingly Wines

The Kingdom of Navarra is producing some noteworthy and delicious wines. 

  

July 25, 2011
New Harvard MBA Course: Bordeaux 1999

The elite B-school wins a prestigious wine competition.  How does your wine knowledge measure up?

June 30, 2011
Once Forgotten, Now Cherished

Lip-smacking flavors of ripe blackberries and boysenberries give it enough sex appeal to seduce even the snobbiest of wine snobs.

Zinfandel is an excellent choice for restaurant wine lists.

June 21, 2011
Are your guests being served wine properly?

Good wine service techniques are universal, whether the restaurant’s style is formal white table cloth or casual bistro.

Perhaps they’re only being half-served, or poorly served.

Basic aspects of wine service are often slaughtered, regardless of the level and reputation of the restaurant.

March 21, 2011
Kosher Wine Past the Holidays

Now that kosher wines are receiving good reviews and are being produced around the world, shouldn't they become a year-around part of restaurant wine lists and wine-by-the-glass programs?

January 6, 2011
Washington Assoc. of Wine Grape Growers Annual Meeting, Convention, & Trade Show

 

Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers Annual Meeting, Convention, & Trade Show
January 5, 2011
The Italian Wine Masters at The Hilton New York