The passion and energy of wine
“Grape Stompers Wanted”. I received the above call to people with big feet and good balance in a link promoting the 4th Annual White Mountains Crush Festival (Oct. 25-27). Naturally, I was intrigued. So I telephoned Mark LaClair, owner/winemaker of The Seven Birches Winery in Lincoln, N.H., and was instantly fascinated by the details of […]
Israeli winemaking dates back 5,000 years – 2,000 years before the Romans crushed grapes – yet only recently has the small, eastern Mediterranean nation gained notice as a burgeoning wine paradise. It’s true. Despite a land mass slightly smaller than the size of New Jersey, 14,400 total acres under vine (one-third of California’s Napa Valley), […]
This week’s column begins with a Double Deal of the Week Special and for good reason. There are still some bottles around of winemaker Jean Luc-Colombo’s 2016 Cotes du Rhone “Les Abeilles” Rouge ($12.99) and “Les Abeilles” Blanc ($12.99) and they’re worth snapping up for autumn/fall entertaining. Both are outstanding French wines for the listed […]
Women are a strong force in the U.S. wine industry and here are three winemakers worth watching: Angelina Mondavi of CK Mondavi Family & Wines; and Chrissy Whittman and Niki Williams of The Prisoner Wine Co. in Napa Valley. All have crafted new and exciting wines over this past year. For Angela Mondavi, wine is […]
Summer might be winding down but it doesn’t mean your palate has to fade away to fall. Here are five fun-filled and flavorful wines to keep summer’s spirit alive through the Labor Day weekend. Villa Wolf Pinot Noir Sparkling Rose`,Germany, $13.99 – Dr. Loosen and Villa Wolf owner Ernst Loosen’s philosophy is simple: Make quality […]
Aperture Cellars winemaker Jesse Katz is “changing the way the world drinks.” That’s what Wine Enthusiast editors gushed in a recent cover story praising Katz as one of the industry’s top under-40 innovators. Katz’s small-batch wines from California’s North Coast appellations represent a “textural” revolution, especially the whites, where fresh-pressed juice is initially barrel fermented […]
I’m fortunate to have a wine expert living in my neighborhood. For more than 20 years, Craig Gandolf was the wine director for Jorge Ordonez Selections, one of the largest U.S. importers of Spanish wines. In May 2018, he was named national sales manager for Cynthia Hurley French Wines based in Needham. While French wines […]
I’ve added a new destination to my Bucket List: Leonardo da Vinci’s long lost and now revived vineyard in Milan. Yes, the 16th century genius in art and science was also a vintner. He loved wine and ever the visionary wrote about its health benefits as the “divine juice of the grape.” In 1495, the […]
Is your summer half empty or half full? Recently, I overheard several people lament that, following the Fourth of July, the summer season “is all but over.” Blasphemy! Don’t be a summer-doldrums type person. If things need perking up, do what I do: Turn to Trentino (generally called Trento), a high-altitude autonomous province in northeast […]
[URIS id=4969] Pizza is food, says Marco Caputo, and it should be cooked so that all the ingredients’ flavors emerge – some patiently, others powerfully – to be enjoyed as a meal. When Caputo talks pizza, your mouth starts watering for a taste. He’s the owner-chef of Boston’s Mast’ Restaurant & Drinkery on Province Street […]
