The other week, I had dinner with the lovely Chiara Lungarotti and Frank de Falco, at Felidia Ristorante–home of the Wine Media Guild Luncheons–on the Upper East Side. Just in from Toronto, via Boston, Chiara was at the tale end of a twenty hour day, sharing six of her recent wines. Landlocked in Umbria, Chiara [.]. MORE >>

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Wines from Santorini tasting. The wines of 10 different producers were present, along with some of the wine makers. Amazing timing, as it was only a week ago when my first Santori Assyrtiko kind of blew my mind. But the wine itself also takes on whole new layers of complexity. Great wine. Compelling indeed. MORE >>

Ray Isle posts an interesting question on his Facebook page. Since Facebook as all the appeal of a leper with cooties these days thanks to their recent privacy decision, why not bring it up here as well? I’ve contemplated this very question several times. It probably matters which type of reds the person is accustomed to drinking. MORE >>

(more Gideon Bienstock from Clos Saron) Where Renaissance is all grandeur of things past, Gideon's place was almost back on the kibbutz. Vines surround his house. He's a farmer who borrows from all philosophies. I'd be interested to see the soil in the heat and drought of summer, after the flowers drain from life. To some degree it is dangerous. MORE >>

Now I am sure you'll agree that there is something slightly decadent about savoring wine aboard the open top of a double deckered bus (painted like big yellow taxi with red baloons) at the start of a warm Manhattan summer. Yet well over a dozen journalists did just that on May 4th to celebrate the start of the Sude de France Festival. MORE >>