Happy December! The holidays are coming, the days are nearing their shortest, and the air is getting colder. By the time this is posted, I’ll hopefully be halfway through a long hike in the mountains to enjoy the cold solitude. And, I’ll likely be sipping some red wine and eating a burger upon my return.

That said, I love stocking up on lighter wines for winter. I have a tradition – which dates back about a decade at this point – of opening a nice bottle of rosé on the day of the first proper snowstorm. Maybe it’s a way of both embracing the cold and the discomfort that sometimes comes along with it, but also raising a glass that brings those summery, fresh vibes to the day. I highly recommend it. So, if you’re looking for some lighter wines for the holidays, I’ve got a good range of selections today.

For summery pinks, Provence is always on my mind. I received a few samples from Wines of Provence, a region that sent the U.S. 34% in volume of its exports last year. We love this stuff, and it’s easy to see why. (If I had a dollar for every winemaker from a different region who told me they make a “Provence-style” rosé, well I’d have money for a few of these bottles.)

Napa’s Castello di Amorosa provides a wide array of white grapes and wine styles, from drier, zestier Pinot Bianco to Gewurz in an off-dry styles. These show good value and crowd-friendly appeal for holiday gatherings. And, on the richer side of things, I have a wonderful white Rhone from Chateau La Nerthe, that would be great with all sorts of warm winter dishes.

I’m a big fan of the red wines from Napa’s Frank Family, but their sparkling wine program has been impressive to watch. Their Brut rosé and Blanc de Blancs offer a lot of complexity, vibrancy, and age-worthiness that makes their price points so reasonable. Worth checking out for sure if you’re a fan of California sparkling wines.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Credit: Terrazas de los Andes

I hope everyone has recovered well from their Thanksgiving meals. And whatever holidays you’re celebrating at this time of year, may they be full of healthy family and friends, and delicious wines for all to enjoy.  Now that we’re getting close to those holidays, value is important as ever. So, it’s time to dig into a few wines from Argentina.

I’ve long loved wines from Argentina, for both their value and reliability. When I was first getting into wine, I found so many Mendoza Malbecs that delivered a ton of flavor and complexity for not a lot of money. And in those 15 years or so since, the options and quality have only increased.

Terrazas de los Andes started in the early 90s, and today they’ve grown to farm more than 200 mountain terrace sites. Their reserva line at $20 would be a great by-the-glass option at a wine bar or restaurant, as they offer classic Mendoza goodness at such reasonable prices. While the Grand Malbec has a lot of complexity and depth to unpack with a great steak and a cold night. And there’s a nice Malbec from Orfila to add to the mix as well.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

With Thanksgiving coming up, I wanted to share some American wines I think would fit well with any seasonal fare you and your friends and family may be serving. These represent a drop in the bucket of the diversity in regions, of course, but I’d be stoked to share these wines with my family and friends this week.

I haven’t (yet) made a wine trip to Long Island’s North Fork – but that’s long overdue. I’m a long-time East Coast wine fan, and it’s been awesome to see the growth in regions like Virginia, Maryland, and others since I started paying attention about 15 years ago. Recently, I received a six-pack of wines from Long Island’s North Fork that made me think: I’ve gotta get out there already!

And speaking of Virginia: Early Mountain. I love this place and their wines – just such reliably exciting, delicious, honest Virginia expressions. Their Petit Manseng rocks, and is worth checking out if you don’t have much experience with this grape and worth checking out even more if you do. Their reds offer a lot of juicy, spicy, Virginia goodness as well. And the value in here is really something. Very much worth a visit if you’re ever passing through the region.

Troon shouldn’t be a new name to long-time readers, as I’ve been stoked on this Oregon producer’s wines for years. This biodynamic outfit from Southern Oregon’s Applegate Valley is always experimenting with exciting blends and styles. But two of their classic reds in this report make for great cold weather sipping.

And, of course, California is represented here. FEL delivers again with two delightful Savoy Vineyard wines from Anderson Valley that are a great choice for Pinot and Chard-lovers.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

With Halloween behind us, I’ve started seeing holiday decorations and displays going up in stores these past few days. But we still have plenty of fall left, and November is one of my favorite months. I’m looking forward to spending time in the mountains, cold nights, gathering with friends and family. But before we transition into the holiday season and crack open the Champagne and burly red wines, I have some offerings on the lighter side of the spectrum. And holiday travel, cooking, etc., can get expensive, so the selections this week all highlight value.

Vinho Verde brings to mind hot summer days with a plate of oysters (and that is certainly a great idea). But I’ve got some complex Vinho Verdes this week that offer more complexity and even some aging potential. No joke, I’d consider cellaring these two for a year or two and see what happens, as they have the depth and complexity to benefit from it.

If you’re looking to restock on some bright white wines and save some money, I’ve got two wines from Val de Vid, from Rueda in Spain. I also have two German samples I received from Wines of Germany. It was while living in Germany my senior year of high school that I had my first vineyard and wine appreciation experience, and I always keep some German wines on hand for holiday gatherings. And we round things out with a bright red blend from Portugal.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted.

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I love California wine, and this week I have a handful of wines from producers that consistently deliver for me. It’s autumn, the nights have been cool and I’ve been cooking a lot at home. And it is prime time for deep Napa Cabs, refreshing Sonoma Pinot Noirs and creamy Chards. I’m planning on hosting a lot of friends and family over the coming holidays, and I chose some wines I would love to serve at such occasions. There are complex and age-worthy Cabs from some great producers: Smith-Madrone, Sullivan Rutherford Estate, Frank Family. And Gary Farrell and Ram’s Gate deliver Sonoma goodness in droves.

If you’re stocking up for the coming holiday season, here are some of my favorites from recent California samples. These wines were tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Autumn is in full swing, and I am loving it. I’ve been enjoying cool morning birdwatching walks, seeing the leaves start to change and evenings spent cooking up soups, stews and braised meat dishes after a long summer.

I’m looking forward to hosting friends and family over the coming weeks, and, of course, planning some wines to share.

I’m always stocking up on whites, pinks and bubbles around this time of year, and I’ve got a few selections that would be versatile options for the upcoming season. For sparklers, I have an interesting new project to share: Vara from sparkling wine guru Laurent Gruet. This Brut blends Washington state Chardonnay with some Cava grapes from Spain – and the result is pretty darn cool.

Italian reds will definitely be a big feature of my fall and winter meal planning, and I’ll share some really nice ones this week. Founded in 1857, Bertani knows what they’re doing with Amarone, and their 2011 Amarone Classico is a stunner. And I have some value-driven reds that would be great for big gatherings.

I also have two awesome wines from Shaw-Ross Imports, a delightful aged Gavi from La Scolca and a beautiful Chilean red from Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi’s Seña.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

2020 was a challenging year everywhere. In California, growers and vintners had to deal with a lot of their own: the novel coronavirus’ impacts, heat waves, wildfires in parts of the state. And while conditions were varied across the vast growing regions, a lot of the yields were lower. From what I’m hearing and tasting so far, the fruit quality seems to be really high and the resulting wines are very pretty and expressive.

Sonoma’s Merry Edwards likely needs no introduction here – I’ve focused on their wines before and will continue to do so because, well, they’re great. I’ve been a huge fan of their Pinots for about 15 years now, and the 2020s are stunners, and a great follow-up to the epic 2019s.

Another reliable Pinot producer, Siduri, brings some value-driven Pinot to the table. I had always been a fan of their single vineyard bottlings, but these appellation-level wines (from Anderson Valley, Santa Barbara and Willamette in Oregon) offer a nice snapshot of the region at an enticing price.

And to round things out, I also have an exceptional Chardonnay from Sonoma’s Chalk Hill.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Syrah is my favorite grape, and I love all of its great iterations.

In a world of increasing uncertainty and change, I find Two Hands wines to be refreshingly reliable. I first tried Two Hands in 2007 or so, and I was a newb and venturing into more “serious” bottles while trying to spend my money wisely. That’s when I tasted some of Two Hands’ Australian Shiraz, and I was hooked. A few years later, I shared a 2002 Ares Shiraz with friends, and the experience was exquisite. It was such a memorable, singular bottle and time that I became a life-long fan.

That said, it had actually been a while since I opened a Two Hands wines, so I was excited to attend a virtual tasting with co-founder Michael Twelftree. When he and his co-founder decided in 1999 to pursue making great Aussie Shiraz and marketing it to the world, I wonder if they imagined it would turn out so well. As a lover and student of wine, I respect this winery’s approach, from the consistency and quality of the wine (of course – that’s first), to the diverse range they produce, to the whimsical yet meaningful names, the label design and marketing. It seems like a team that take their work very seriously, but not themselves too seriously.

Coming from a background in construction, Michael fell in love with wine at an in-store tasting (just like me) and said, “this magical world of wine unfolded before me.” He continued: “We are always trying to think of everything we do through the consumer’s perspective.” Its a stated goal that rings true to me, as a consumer of these wines.

A long-time player in the U.S. market, he also acknowledged it can be difficult to convey regional differences in Australia, from the purple-fruited but coastal-influenced McLaren Vale wines to the deeper, more concentrated juice from Barossa. But the more time you spend with these wines, especially when tasting them together, those regional nuances and signatures start to become evident. While I drink far more Syrah from France and the U.S., I love that Two Hands consistently provides Shiraz (and other wines), that speak so eloquently of their place.

While the winery has expanded to acquire new sites in recent years, I found the same quality and vibrancy in this recent tasting that I remember from years and years ago. The alcohol is kept in check, which makes these wines lively and refreshing, and the oak is also used sparingly and efficiently. If you’ve never tried Two Hands, or if you’re of the opinion Australian wines just aren’t for you anymore, I’d urge you to reconsider. As long as this crew continues doing what they’re doing, there will always be a welcome spot on this Cornas-lover’s table for Two Hands wines.

These wines (all 100% Shiraz) were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

California has been on my mind a lot lately. I’ve been following harvest reports and wineries as they prepare the 2022 vintage. And with the long-term drought, the recent heat wave, and now there’s a threat of flooding from hurricane leftovers? Sheesh! I hope you any California readers have been staying cool and well over this stretch.

So, this week, I have some really special wines from California to share – some chosen selections from producers I’ve grown to respect and appreciate.

Singer Wines at Baker Lane Estate really comes out swinging with two exceptional Rhone wines. Made by legend Stephen Singer, the wines from this west-facing site in the Sebastopol Hills speak with a crystal-clear voice to their place and grapes. If you’re looking for highly delicious yet nuanced Syrah and Viognier, these small-production wines are definitely worth your time and money.

Eden Rift makes some focused and singular Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, and it was a privilege to taste their 2019s. From the limestone-rich soils of the Cienega Valley, these are wines you taste and can just tell they come from a very special place. Especially considering the prices, the wines consistently overperform, and the 2019s are singing.

Sonoma is well represented here, including by Sonoma-Cutrer’s new Grand Brut Rosé, which certainly overdelivers for the price. LaPelle performs with a striking Bien Nacido Pinot Noir, and DuMOL’s Pinot offering is also delightful. Lastly, I also have a Paso Robles Cab that’s a whole lot of fun — Tooth and Nail’s wines are reliably delicious and this Cab is like a chunky slab of rock-and-roll in the glass, for a solid price.

These wines were received as samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Labor Day weekend! I, for one, am excited to see September again. We finally got a break from the heat and humidity here in the Mid-Atlantic region, and I’m sure the autumnal decorations and pumpkin spice will be arriving en masse soon.

Growing up two blocks from the beach on the Jersey Shore, we called September “locals’ summer,” and it was my favorite time. The tourists tended to clear out from our beach town while the air and water temperatures stayed delightful all through September. And we still have about three weeks of summer left (meteorologically speaking), so there’s plenty of time to hit the ocean, the lake, the river, or gather up family and friends for a grill-out.

As such, here’s a handful of wines that I’d welcome to any locals’ summer gathering.

I’ve got another Alentejo white this week because, well, they are delightful and fit the bill. And a Godello from Pagos del Galir in Spain will certainly keep the summer vibes going.

Rosé needs a place at the table (or beach), so I’ve got an exceptional offering from Sonoma’s Ram’s Gate and delicious pinks from Languedoc and Provence. I also have some crushable bubbles with an impressive Cava from Poema, and some value-driven Northern Italian wines with Corvezzo’s offerings.

As the evenings get cooler, I’m looking forward to some juicy, spicy red wines, and Chile is a great place to go. I’ve enjoyed the serious depth and value found from the Primus label, imported by Gonzalez Byass. Sourcing organically grown Cabernet and Carmenere from Apalta and Maipo, these wines provide grill-friendly appeal, plenty of stony, earthy complexity, all with very moderate price tags.

These wines were received as trade samples and tasted sighted. Read the rest of this entry »