So it's good timing, then, that the Brooklyn Blind Tasting Panel's theme in its second meeting is Poulsard (or Ploussard if you are from Arbois), one of the red grapes of the Jura. Two of them were not included in this tasting - Ganevat's utterly delicious Poulsard is simply sold out, and Domaine de L'Octavin's Poulsard was also unavailable. MORE >>

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Wines from Santorini tasting. This was a great opportunity to taste more of the wines, to build a bit of context, so see which of the wines I would be interested in seeking out on my own. beautiful nose that forced me to return to this wine at least three or four times during the tasting. MORE >>

At least two heads of state showed up - President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada enjoyed light conversation while tasting through the Clos Roche Blanche wines. tasted a load of wine, including new vintages from familiar producers and a few things that were brand new to me. MORE >>

Jenny & François import these wines for the east coast, and they organized a tasting in a small and very comfortable setting that actually encouraged conversation, instead of merely offering a glass and a spit bucket. And converse we did - I spoke with Emmanuel for about an hour while tasting, and I learned a great deal about his wines. MORE >>

So this 2007 Late Harvest Dusi Ranch is the only wine from Ridge I couldn't really get into this year. I'll just say it: I'm not a fan of late harvest zinfandel. On the bright side, Ridge has instituted a new membership log-in to streamline purchases online. Thank baby Jesus, too. MORE >>