Iconic Wines - Unbeatable Prices
Iconic Wines - Unbeatable Prices
Consistency is a tricky word when it comes to wine. On one hand, wine is a food product, and most food products are expected to taste precisely the same as long as they are consumed within a prescribed window of…
“I had ceased now to feel mediocre, accidental, mortal. Whence could it have come to me, this all-powerful joy? I was conscious that it was connected with the taste of tea and cake, but that it infinitely transcended those savours,…
It is doubtful whether any of the original Saint Valentines (there were multiple martyrs by that name in early Christendom) would recognize the modern holiday that has emerged bearing their name. Over a thousand years passed between the martyrdom of…
I recently spent a week in Sonoma with 32 other Master of Wine hopefuls, blind tasting until our palates gave out and getting thoroughly into the weeds on the minutiae of every facet of the wine business (seriously – I…
I never turn down an opportunity to taste top-shelf Bordeaux, and for whatever reason those opportunities have been plentiful lately. After countless trade events and a masterclass or two, I’ve racked up such a mountain of notes on both sides…
If you’re feeling the effects of tariff whiplash from the news this week, you’re not alone. French wine, in particular, had a wild ride, with proposed tariff hikes ranging from 10% to 200%. While the immediate danger seems to have…
Last week we highlighted the top producers of white wine in the Loire Valley, one of France’s most underrated wine regions. The Loire’s red wines, from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and to a lesser extent Côt, Gamay, and Grolleau, are…
Ask a typical wine drinker what they know about the Loire Valley, and you’ll get a blank stare. But mention Sancerre, and their eyes will light up with recognition, while their mouths begin salivating like Pavlov’s dog. More serious wine…
Happy New Year! If you’re like me, certain dates tend to sneak up on you, leaving you in a last-minute panic to secure gifts or mementos to mark the occasion. Wine is, of course, the best gift of all, and…
In this, our last blog post of 2025, I wanted to share a few brief observations about what surprised me in 2025, and what to look for in 2026. But first, I’d like to say a big thanks to all…
Christmas is coming, and the goose is getting fat. I’m going to be all out of ha’pennies after this week’s cellar, the final in our three-part Small Cellar Series, and the priciest of the bunch. I’m always amazed at how…
The Middle Cellar, as I’ve come to calling it in recent years, is always my personal favorite. $15,000 for 150 bottles works out to a clean $100 per bottle, a price point where you can find exceptional wine in almost…