The Wine of Woo

My inbox is overflowing these days with wine suggestions for Valentine's Day -- everything from Argentinian Malbec to moscato from Piedmont to sparkling shiraz from Australia. If it's red or sweet or has bubbles, it must have been crafted ...

Affordable Gold

One of the more enjoyable aspects of a major wine competition, for me at least, is the discovery of affordable wines that were impressive in the challenging environment of a professional wine judging.

Whether I am a judge, as I often am, or an ...

On Tap for 2012

One of the remarkable stories in California wine over the past five years has been the steady rise of the Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, the sparkling wine house on the Sonoma side of Carneros that is owned by Spain's giant Freixenet wine company...

Castello Banfi's Tour de Force

Wine of the year is one thing; winery of the year is another.

To choose the former, I simply go with my gut. The "wow" factor is of utmost importance, and the winner should certainly exhibit profound characteristics that can be easily identified...

The Champagne Houses of Piper and Charles

REIMS, France -- Regis Camus was already something of a legend when he arrived at the state-of-the-art Heidsieck compound in 1994, where he joined another legend, the late Daniel Thibault, to form something of a dream team in the world of ...

Stocking Stuffers

The request came via email: Would I suggest a few gift wines for Christmas in the $10 to $20 range? Despite the degree of difficulty, I have accepted the challenge. Not that there aren't any number of swell wines in this price range, but it was ...