Content about Dessert wine

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.

February 4, 2013

Wines from Portugal are Coming

Watch for more Portuguese wine on the shelves in the coming year, as well as major promotional events featuring them.

Portugal is making great efforts to increase the awareness of her quality dry wines in the United States from all major regions, including Alentejo , Minho/Vinho Verde, Lisbon/Estremadura, Bairrada, Dao, Setubal, and Algarve, as well as Douro, from which Port comes. Douro has already made inroads for some of its dry wines, with Douro Boys portfolio as an example.

January 10, 2013

The Human Touch

Let's not forget that relationships can - and should - often trump ratings and our social theories.

Some years ago, when I was in corporate marketing, I was transferred to our company’s pharmaceuticals division – the people who make and sell prescription drugs. After a few days of going out on calls with sales reps to doctors’ offices, I came to a surprising conclusion: Physicians, with all their scientific training, often made decisions on which drugs to put into their sample closets o

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-

September 2, 2011

In Defense of Big Wines

No matter how delicious they may taste, California wines with higher alcohol are not feeling the love.

Recently, I had the opportunity to drink a couple of big Napa Valley Cabernets from Knights Bridge Winery.

March 15, 2011

Luscious Liaisons

Desserts are always appreciated. Sweet wines? Not so much. Food and wine pairings at the end of the meal too often get neglected. This is unfortunate, because the right pairing can intensify the flavors of the dessert and the wine, thus creatin