2004 Dynamite Hill Petite Sirah this wine a behemoth pimp in a blue fedora. Rich, round, and condensed, with plentiful blueberry and vanilla notes (the wine saw 33% new oak). Good now and should develop some secondary spice over the next ten years.  Good notes of frozen dried strawberry and whey.  Should improve with a year or two in bottle.  MORE >>

This white from Serralunga, in the Piedmont region of Italy is a Gavi made with Cortese grapes. Straw colored with pleasant aromas of melon, Italian pastries and honey followed by flavors reminding me of powdered sugar sprinkled onto a honeydew melon. The and high acidity and dry, but fruity style make this a perfect drink for an August afternoon MORE >>

I read two very interesting articles yesterday about Wine Competitions and the awarding of Gold Medals. mention this because a few hours prior to reading them, I took my list of winners from the New York Wine and Food Classic and went shopping for wines on that list. Wine Competitions , published by American Association of Wine Economists. MORE >>

I'm taking a little vacation from the blog this week - I'm traveling on the west coast for business. Just a couple of quick things to say before I go: --I have a small article published in the Fall issue of Wine & Spirits magazine, called 48 Hours in New York City. An I can tell, you're proud of me too - thanks. The author recommends 3-4 days. MORE >>

Reader Ben writes in: Floaters in wine. How do you get them out? finger? spoon? Spit out the first sip? And I am frankly curious as to the best approach! just swallow them for extra fiber! Okay, not really. usually either try to drink around any floaties or swirl/tip the glass to get the bit of cork onto the side of the glass and out of play. MORE >>