A lot of people don't like blind tasting, but I enjoy it a lot. My favorite way to blind taste is to get together with a group of friends and ask everyone to bring a bottle to serve to the group. My friend Tista was in town recently and I decided to use his visit as an excuse to gather some friends and have a blind tasting dinner. MORE >>

Fall is tasting season in New York. But still, there have been plenty of trade tastings to attend. But I made a point of going to a couple of tastings that I'd never before attended. This year, for example, I went to the Willette Wines portfolio tasting. had heard of it, but never tasted, and I was very impressed. MORE >>

I was lucky enough to be invited to the recent Blaufränkisch tasting and luncheon at Gramercy Tavern, organized by David Schildnecht. This was a challenging tasting for me. But some are subjecting their wines to an oak regimen that, to my taste, doesn't promote the best in the wines. was a clean slate. It should cost about $30. MORE >>

Perhaps these things are a bit silly to focus on, but it became an issue when I decided to convene the Brooklyn Blind Tasting panel to sample a load of "basic" German Riesling from the 2009 vintage. Anyway, I bought some wines for the tasting, and when I asked a few Riesling importers for donations, they were all a bit confused. MORE >>

There is some duplication with Evan Dawson’s travel post from yesterday but there is also much new, including John’s tasting notes from Mayacamas Cabernet 2003, 1991, 1985, 1974, & 1968. Tasting this wine takes me back to the excitement I had tasting the newly released 1986 Bordeaux. 2015-2050. 2017-2050. MORE >>