This week at the Italian Culinary Center in New York City I had the pleasure of meeting Adolfo Folonari, co-CEO of Ruffino, who put together a tasting of his wines, and Cesare Casella, currently of Salumeria Rosi, who created the pairing menu. After the initial tasting, we moved on to the luncheon where there were four more wines to sample. MORE >>

Following my interview with Jean-Marie Fourrier, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a Domaine Fourrier tasting that featured several wines from the 2008 and 2009 vintages. Equally instructive is tasting the same wines from 2008 and 2009. Not as perfect as 2005, but this is a vintage of big wines that should age well. MORE >>

Terroir of Navarra. In previous years, the emphasis has always been on the terroir, which is enormously varied. Not just the names of the regions, but their individual terroirs, the grapes planted in each, the styles employed by the winemakers, etc. Tasting. Ana Laguna & Pilar Garcia-Granero. Navarra. Personality. MORE >>

Wines that can offer the same level of quality as good Beaujolais or Loire red wines at those prices - delicious wines that express terroir and work perfectly with food. With that in mind, I convened the Brooklyn Blind Tasting Panel to take a closer look at inexpensive Provence red wines. But the inexpensive red wines of Provence? MORE >>

Is there room for another blind tasting panel? think it will be interesting to gather bloggers and other people with whom I enjoy sharing wine, taste and discuss together with the goal of being able to say something meaningful about a group of wines. Five - that's pretty manageable for an amateur blind tasting panel. Just mute. MORE >>