The first of the Zin's I recently stocked up on is the Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek Valley 2004 Reserve. The 2004 vintage is 96% Zinfandel and 4% Petite Sirah. I'm leaving Chile(till later) and heading over to California to try a few more Zin's. Deep dark fruit aromas with some cherry. Hey, you're never too old to learn. Not that I am old?? MORE >>

Apparently, blending syrah from the Northern Rhone with Bordeaux was fairly common in the pre- appellation controllée era, particularly in weaker vintages, to result in a wine that had been “Hermitagé,&# so-called after the celebrated region that produces fine syrah. in the one I tasted last week. MORE >>

Here are some of the wines that stood out for me: 1992 Edmunds St John Syrah Grand Heritage. This is the one that I must buy for my own cellar. 2004 Produttori del Barbaresco. should pull the few bottles I have out of the cellar and drink them over the next year or two. Same is true with wine, I would say. Who knew. MORE >>

So much so, at half time of game, I got on-line and ordered more Atwater Cab-Merlot and Syrah. Sometimes when you least expect it, you open what may becomes your new favorite bottle of wine. Tonight I opened one of my remaining bottles of Finger Lakes wine purchased at my last tour in December. blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot. MORE >>

Somewhere among my 50 New Year's resolutions (99.9% failure rate) was to leave my wine comfort zone more often as I continue to expand my trapped palate. To do so, I will have to taste, I mean drink, more wines that I never tried or wines I just never liked. So, to start off the new year I opened one of my least favorite wines, Zinfandel. MORE >>