Pierre Moncuit – Quite delicious champagnes, overall. The 2010 Clary Ranch Syrah had lots of similarities to a St. It’s the time of year when distributors and/or importers have annual (or semi-annual) portfolio tastings. Yesterday was the Polaner Selections tasting and I dropped by for a while in the second half. Quite fun. MORE >>

One, the Carmenere, has been disappointing, but the Zinfandel, Syrah and the Peitie Sirah have joined the list of my favorites. My fault for always believing the only descent white wines from France were Chardonnay and Champagne. Here at home, I guess eventful would be saying it a tad mildly. Still have to put together that list. MORE >>

For this tasting I was joined by Rosemary Gray, the Champagne, Austria, Germany, and Sake wine buyer and a manager at Chambers Street Wines , Ben Hagen, the wine buyer at Slope Cellars , one of my favorite Brooklyn retailers, and Dan Melia who runs the US operations for Mosel Wine Merchant. But the inexpensive red wines of Provence? It is 12.5% MORE >>

So grab a glass of wine, throw another log on the fire, grab a sandwich, channel your inner wine geek, and listen to John opine on the topics of natural wines, zero dosage champagne, some pitfalls of collecting, 2007 vintage for Port and in the Rhone, the nobility of chenin blanc, the Piedmont producer Produttori del Barbaresco and more! MORE >>

Oddly enough, a wine with a lower amount of residual sugar can sometimes taste sweeter than one with a slightly higher amount; it’s often a question of balance with acidity and one category that can be hard to discern in this regard is Champagne, which also as carbon dioxide zooming at your palate as well. need water!&# MORE >>