Champagne wine picks wine randomA couple of weeks ago, a 7′ 1″ 325(+)-lb. graduate donned a cap and gown: Shaquille O’Neal earned a doctorate in education. His thesis studied the role of humor in the workplace and leadership. Dr. Vino gives a doff of the academic cap to Dr. Shaq Diesel. Nice going Big Daddy!

American wine wine picksThe wines of Tyler winery get a thumbs up from me for the brilliance of the name alone–but also for what’s inside the bottle. tasted a few of them recently at a trade tasting and was impressed with the lean, taut wines from a land known all too often for buxom chardonnay and pinot noir. Rita Hills.)

American wine wine picksAmerican wine under $15 is a difficult category. And domestic pinot can be downright dicey. And charity wines often sacrifice quality for the good of the cause. So it was with skepticism that I tried the Grochau Cellars , “Commuter Cuvee” 2010 recently. It glides in at 12.5%

He likes to open one when I'm over for dinner, and he's gotten quite good at picking one that I might also enjoy. Been so busy lately with work that I just haven't had time to write here. But I want to share some recent "Whoa," wine and food that really knocked me out. 1999 Clos Rougeard Saumur Bréze , Louis/Dressner Imports, price unknown.

French wine wine picksVin de soif. The term captures a wine style–thirst-quenching, gulpable–that delights in the pleasures of drinking wine, not worshipping it. It has to also be somewhat light in body and easy on the wallet to make it really thirst-quenching for me. Red berries and hint of funk permeate the aromas.

vivacious Daniel Pisano, director of his family's winery, picked me up and gave me a tour of his fabulous winery as well as one of the most entertaining lunch experiences of my life. an absolutely fabulous visit to Pisano Wines today. The story started three centuries ago in Italy. His dream was to start a winery in Uruguay. I asked, amazed.

says vivacious Ana Pizzorno, with a bright smile and flashing dark eyes as she picks me up at the Montevideo airport. “Welcome!” It had been a long flight from New York, and Ana’s enthusiasm to show me her vineyard makes it all worth it. to designer sunglasses. Did I mention she was also the mother of two teen-aged children? Around $13.

French wine wine picksDolcetto, which means either “sweet-ish” or “the one you drink while your Baroli are aging,” is rarely in better hands than it is with the traditional producer Francesco Rinaldi. give it my highest rating: I’d buy a whole case of this wine. Search for this wine at retail.

It was the first Grüner Veltliner I tasted and decided that just maybe I better pick up a few more just to find out for myself if this was a one hit wonder or a varietal that I would feel comfortable ordering at any time. know that for a very long time, I did just that. very nice Sauvignon Blanc like color when poured. Recommended.

That day they were featuring Bogle wines, so I picked up a 2008 Petite Sirah( $9 ) and a 2009 Old Vine Zin( $10 ). A few weeks ago, while out shopping, I passed by a local wine shop that I haven't been to in quite a few years. The '08 Petite Sirah was a little tamer with a little more fruit aroma and taste. That was a great move.

CraigCamp : hear the Oxygen network picked up the rights and will turn it into a micro-series. DrVino : Michel Rolland has an autobiography coming out? magnum oakus, surely. Wink Lorch : Bet it will appear late. OlivierLandry : A very ripe comment on your part, good sir. JosiahBaldivino : He taught Jesus how to turn water into wine.

If NFL viewers are going to put down the Lite beer and pick up a wine glass, they might reach for a wine from Three Fat Guys, a new wine from three former Packers who weigh in at a cumulative 1,000 pounds. SIPPED: award. According to the illustrious Hosemaster of Wine, wine bloggers are barking poodles calling out for attention. Saveur.com ].

While it’s true that a reader can pick and choose from a list of recommendations, it’s still worth bearing in mind that if a reader were to have a $15 bottle of wine every other night, the total spend on wine a year would be $2,730, a significant figure for most household budgets.

And this exercise does not even include all the bending one has to perform to pick the botrytized grapes! "Gorgeous weather for tasting Sauternes!". Of course, a bright blue sky and a warm yellow sun is precisely the message needed to spread the word that Sauternes. the delicious golden sweet wine of Bordeaux.

Deciding when to pick can be agonizing, yes?" ah, the Bordeaux airport! have just arrived via an eight hour layover in Madrid and am adjusting from Spanish to French. Sebastian , a smartly attired driver in a black suit suit awaits me with a sign. Welcome!" The renovation happened seven years ago, I learn. basket press. I ask Eric.

Grapes are hand picked extremely selectively on successive passes (4 to 7, depending on the year) according to their maturity, only harvesting those grapes that have attained the required degree of concentration under the influence of noble rot – also called botrytis cinerea – and to preserve the precise aromatic qualities desired. Yields.

wine picksTo poll at 90 percent is unheard of in a democracy. So it’s a good thing this wine isn’t running for office since all but three out of 30 or so in my NYU class liked it when I poured it this week. We had a quick tour de France I was looking for an example of a Rhone that would fit within our budget.

So, happily to take any suggestions, I picked up a bottle of Paso A Paso Verdejo 2010 ( $9 ) early last winter. Over the past two years I became very fond of a white wine for the Rias Baixas region of Spain made from the Albarino grape. On one of my reviews a comment suggested that I also try another Spanish white wine, Verdejo.

And what about the disconnect Hayes suggests between the masses not picking up on tasting note descriptors? There’s something of a cottage industry that has emerged in trashing the reputation of wine experts. Richard Quandt of Princeton wrote an hilarious essay entitled “ On Wine Bullshit.” Yay, experts, right? wine writin

wine picksIt’s the time of year when distributors and/or importers have annual (or semi-annual) portfolio tastings. These are opportunities for breadth, not depth, as hundreds of current release wines (and occasionally some older ones) are put out on tables, often with the winemaker pouring. Below are a few impressions and photos.

Since Mike has fallen off the face of the internet (actually, I think he’s traveling) and has let his blog idle this week, we’re happy to pick up the slack on etiquette with a timely topic: the serving of counterfeit wine. One sommelier told me this week that he opened a bottle that a collector had brought in. wine collecting

So Monday morning, myself and another MW student were picked up at the hotel AXA so generously secured for us by the very handsome and charming technical manager, Cedric Loiseau. Christian Seely just posted a video of blending at Mas Belles Eaux. you can see it here. You can read about my visit below. Visiting Mas Belles Eaux. The Winery.

wine picksI love cycling. live in the rolling country of Westchester County, NY and one of the perks of the freelance life is having the flexibility to rack up the miles on two wheels. also love a good craft beer. As do the editors of Bicycling magazine who write often about many delicious brews to pop after a ride. Do you cycle?

wine picksNicolas Joly’s talk wasn’t the only thing packed on Monday; the tasting itself at Return to Terroir, NYC edition, was really crowded in the latter half. didn’t get a chance to taste all the wines (I hear I really missed out by not hitting the German area), but I did taste some really good ones.

Heading to visit a non-wine friend who graciously offered to pick something up for us. So what’s the best I could ask her to pick up at a supermarket? It is generous of your friend to give you such a warm, Florida welcome. Or a domestic sparkler, such as Roederer Estate? reader mail wine travel

Some caramel notes, but also a bunch of freshly picked white honeysuckle. Been busy and not able to write as often, but please don't think that means I've been starving and not drinking anything interesting. Oh no, my friends, I've been a very lucky Brooklynguy lately, in large part due to the generosity of friends. This neighbor raises pigs.

Sometimes Shirley just picks the wrong time to do one of her signature dishes. Tonight it was her Southern style BBQ pork ribs. This would have been a perfect dish for Super Bowl Sunday next week, but I'll probably go with the usual pizza and wings for the game. quick check of my wine supply found neither. Highly recommend.

Their approach can best be described as follows: Grapes are hand-picked. Do you like sulfates in your wines? No one does. Last night at Eataly (the new Italian food specialty megastore in Manhattan) I discovered  Domodimonti,  a boutique winery located on the picturesque countryside of Montefiore dell'Aso, in Le Marche Region, Italy.

We leave some grapes on the vines so the old people could come and pick it and make a sweet wine traditional to the area,” Manuele says. For acidity, it is important to pick the grapes before they get too ripe.". “Welcome!” visitors. Emanuele makes Franciacorta, and only Franciacorta. The wines we try are: Prima Cuvee Brut. Saten.

SIPPED : I offer some wine picks at Men’s Health. SPIT : Burgundy 2010 allocations are harder than ever to get, per above video! CHUGGED : USA remains the largest wine-consuming country for the second year in a row. China rose to the top five for the first time. thedrinksbusiness ]. NJToday.com ]. decanter ]. SIPPED : Mmm, maps.

You would pick up the book, look up Pinot Noir (found on page 32), and read the following: Pinot Noir. So you pick up the illustrated card key (presented by family, such as "fruity," "floral," "vegetal," "animal," and "roasted). Picking up a glass, she attempted to note its characteristics. Quick! Wine, of course. Well done!"

Granted, by picking the right reds–lighter varieties such as pinot noir, gamay, or poulsard–or the right vegetables–mushrooms or lentils–the problems are surmountable and the results rewarding. My wife has a dilemma: she loves red wine and she is a vegetarian. Not too much. Mostly plants.”) food and wine

Juicy orchard fruit flavors become drier in the middle palate and pick up a hint of white pepper. Pommery Champagne POP Earth (France, Champagne). bubbles: gorgeous, fast moving, tiny. beautiful to behold. nose: med+ intensity, brioche, toasty, very delicious. palate: dry. Good with dessert. By Josh Raynolds. 87 points. 596 Cases, $34.

So, on my last wine shopping spree I picked up a bottle of E.Guigal Gigondas 2007 ( $24 ) Gigondas is situated right under the rugged, rocky range of the Dentelles de Montmirail. I very rarely buy, order or drink French wines. The region, once a Cotes-du-Rhone village, earned its own appellation in 1971. Aromas were awesome. Gigondas French

One problem with this is that people in the room might want to see the label of the fantastically old wine and pick up the bottle from where you have it. I was given an amazing birthday gift in November, an old bottle of wine by Produttori del Barbaresco, the 1959 Riserva. In my case, not very often. How do you open an old bottle of wine?

This 2005 is hand picked using only the best grapes of the vintage made from 90% Tempranillo with a 10% blending of Mazuelo & Graciano, and aged in American oak barrels for 2 years before bottling for a year before release, thereby softening the tannins a bit. And the finish goes on for a good distance. Alcohol by volume: 13.5%

Now I get to pick my favorites from 2011. There were also some very nice Cabernet Francs from the Finger Lakes and surprisingly my pick for Best Red Wine is from the Finger Lakes. I guess saying that 2011 was not as eventful as 2010 would be understating it a little. should be back on track after the holiday season. So, here goes.

would never have picked that wine, and wow, was it a great pairing. Well, of the last few months anyway. There have been a few truly memorable drinks and eatsin the past months that I never found a way to write about here. So I'll compile them in a best-of-the-unposted list from the last part of 2011. And more Sherry. It was a special treat.

French wine wine picksIt’s no secret in Burgundy and beyond that Faiveley has been on a roll. And it’s no secret why: the arrival of the young Erwan Faiveley at the helm. Erwan, 32, is the seventh generation in his family to run the company, which was founded in 1825 as a negociant, buying and selling wine. He grew up in Nuits-St.-Georges

Les Rachans is based on chardonnay grown on limestone silliceux - we taste the '06 and picked on "fruit day " and bottled on "fruit day. During his time in the family business Raymond Boulard & Fils (founded in 1980) Francis became increasingly interested in viticulture. He also uses another organic compound to fight mildew.

The NYT tasting panel has some good picks for all your blanc de blancs needs. SIPPED: anti-snobbery. What might just be the best-selling wine glass this holiday season? Why, the RedNek wine glass, a Bell jam jar on top of a Libby candlestick holder as a base. Sales have hit $5 million already. CNN ]. SPIT: Vinturi aerator. bonappetit.com ].

The reception, lunch, and tasting was held at the very elegant winery of Bouchard Finlayson, which is described as “a boutique winery” yet looks like a Bel-Air mansion or a 5-star hotel in Beverly Hills – take your pick. Hermanus is a coastal town about in the most southern part of S. Hamilton Russell is just one of the two S. link]. link].

Natural yeasts are used, the grapes are very gently picked and whole-bunched pressed, and though I am not in the field working the harvest, I can very easily imagine how gently these grapes are treated. “Dazzling!”. The slopes of Schaapenberg boast a myriad of different aspects but south-facing ones predominate. Waterkloof. News S.

For example, for the Mount Bullet wine there is as much as an 11-to-14 day gap between picking the first and last clone. Downes Family Vineyards Sanctuary Peak Sauvignon Blanc 2011. This looks like an 18th century English cottage!” First, imagine the vista. Then, visualize the gleaming Palmiet river right there in front of you. News S.

wine picksI recently tweeted that I’d be leading a tasting of hipster wines. “Will you wear a wool hat?,” ” someone asked in response. Another tweep asked if there would be any PBR on hand for afterward. But we did taste some fine and fun wines, if quirky and hard to find (though not in Brooklyn). What can you do?

The other night, after picking up my kids and bringing them home to begin their week with me, I made a simple and quick dinner that we could eat together before bed time. I thought it would be fun to do one more of these before the year ends. Hamburgers, mashed potatoes, a few vegetables. What would you open with this meal?

You will find various quality levels and varietals here too, with the whites often picked at different sugar levels to keep the acidity high. Arco Laamar & Harry Haddon (checked shirt). Two wineries being neighborly!”. Both seemed very effervescent and personable and passionate about South Africa and its wines. Backsberg Winery Website.

And if such an era seems remote, consider that just a few years ago, in 2004, a person walking along a Delaware beach picked up a piece of glass with the inscription "Constantia Wyn" on it., Answer quick: is South Africa a "new world" or an "old world" region in terms of wine? Of course, in those days S. In our wine tour of S. link]. News S.

Chenin Blanc” all the levels of Chenin Blanc were naturally quite good, with the best being the FMC as the fruit is sourced from old (1967) bush vines, with low yields and three to five pickings. "So here i am, at Ken Forrester's 96 Winery Road restaurant in South Africa!". Africa for many decades. During my recent trip to S. 96 Winery Road.

Julian, one of the friendly AXA staff people, picked myself and another student up from our station in a shimmering black car, and as if to highlight the drama of our destination, swirled the car into the impressive lengthy driveway of Chateau Pichon Longueville, where we would stay during our visit and dine tonight. Perfect Berries.

I'd like to thank Kristen and her good friends for helping me taste this flight of wine picks for Thanksgiving. The wines were from California, Italy, France and New Zealand. While semi-dry in flavor, this wines slightly higher acidity balances the residual sugar for a refreshing, lighter style of wine. Great deal at $10. SRP $40. Beautiful.

Very much like a beef or hobo stew, filled with diced carrot, potato, yams and chicken thighs, I thought I'd bring out a nice light Albariño, one that I picked up locally a few weeks ago. Sometimes I believe Shirley just likes to purposely prepare a dinner that will not pair with any of the wines in the rack on purpose. Pairing was OK.

It's that time of the year again. Over the next few days I'll be featuring wines that will work for you this coming holiday season. Here is the first, Stoller Vineyards SV Estate Pinot Noir 2007. Located in the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley in the Dundee Hills AVA, Stoller brings this Pinot Noir to the Thanksgiving table with a blast.

Champagne Spanish wine wine picksDuring the recent, week-long power outage, we sought refuge in an undisclosed location that may or may not have been the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We found a bottle of “brut nature” cava German Gilabert (about $15; find this wine ) at a local wine shop and got some lobstah rolls.

Since I prefer wines with more post-disgorgement age, I’ll usually pick the older one if there’s a choice. When you’re shopping for bubbly between now until New Year’s Eve, how will you know how long that nonvintage bottle has been on the shelf? If there were a disgorgement date on the label, you would have a better clue.

Last week-end I stopped by one of the many nearby wine and spirits shops to pick up a bottle of Chianti for Shirley's spaghetti sauce and found this inexpensive Rioja on the store's "picks of the week" rack. was able to return to the wine shop and pick up a few more. Don't ask why, I don't really know why, but it is.

The merlot picked from La Butte (regardless of vintage) is marked by a very dark color, velvety texture, deep, complex, spicy falvors and great length. So very interesting to hear the colorful stories of people who sought out a winery, nursed it to fruition, and are now making a success of their wine. London Lennie’s. 63-88 Woodhaven Blvd.

wine picksSometimes you can seek solace in wine. Our town was shaken by an unthinkable tragedy this week. Right now, all I want from wine is to act as a bit of a balm. So here are a few wines that I brought some joy to my NYU class this week. The Francois Pinon , cuvée tradition, Vouvray 2009 was almost unanimously liked, and rightly so.

Our chardonnay was picked on the 14th after the early October rains that lasted four days. We'll be picking the Oak Knoll District Merlot next. Harvest is progressing nicely, if slowly, here in Napa Valley. Our 2011 St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc is all barreled down and aging nicely. We are stirring the lees regularly to maximize flavors.

Tonight Pam made the sauce with our last pickings of tomatoes from our garden. finished the wine with a few bites of a super extra sharp cheddar, from Buttercup Cheese , that Shirley picked up at the CNY Regional Market on Saturday. Last week I stopped into one of my favorite wine shops, Vinomania , in downtown Syracuse.

Italian wine wine picksI attended a private dinner recently where a Brunello was the main wine. It was big and extracted and I found it fatiguing. can’t even remember the producer’s name. Of course, the palate fatigue wasn’t helped that the other wines on the table were a primitivo and an Amarone.

Pinot Noir is gently handled, hand picked, then fermented for 2 weeks with natural yeasts, the use of “whole bunch” makes spicy green characters from the stems. Marlborough, New Zealand's South Island seems to have a handle on Sauvignon Blanc. recently had a chance to sample a few along with a Chardonnay, Reisling and a Pinot Noir.

You can read about my exciting week partly spent at Chateau Suiduiraut (picking grapes and pressing them too) with winemaker Pierre Montegut as part of an AXA scholarship from the Master of Wine program here. Grapes in Ch Suduiraut's Press. Decanter magazine just reported that Chateau Suduiraut is launching a Sauternes for younger drinkers.

The New York Times magazine ran an infographic on Sunday that compiled the picks of 18 wine industry types. Also, the composite nature of the list means that one author didn’t save spaces for certain categories as each contributor gave a top pick. The category? Wines under $12. What do you think? American wine Wine under $10

It's also the coldest day since last spring and I'm in need of a little red wine to keep me going and I have a few I just recently picked up at a local shop. It's been a lazy Sunday afternoon, watching NFL games and Nascar while waiting for playoff game two between the St. Louis Cardinals and my Phillies. The Baus Vineyards produce two Zins.

The harder press wine, which includes the press fraction from the riper-fruit -- picked and pressed separately -- was pressed to a small tank for a cold-settling, and then allowed to begin fermentation. Happy to report the Sauvignon Blanc has completed fermentation and we've topped up the barrels in preparation for aging. So far. so great!

After hand picking the juice is in contact with skins for 4 days, fermented in stainless steel then on the lees in barrels for 2 months. Pablo Morande first planted vines in Casablanca Chile in 1982 where he introduced Chardonnay, Riesling and in 1986 the first Sauvignon Blanc. The qualities Casablanca had in its favor was its terroir.

Shirley was not in the mood to slave over the stove, so she ran to our local Wegman's and picked up a store cooked roasted chicken which she served with some steamed veggies and a nice tomato and cucumber salad. For the wine, I opened a Boutari Kretikos Red Wine 2008. Surprise your friends and yourself with this delightful Greek red.

After picking we brought the fruit back to the winery and covered it with a little SO2 and a little dry ice to keep it cool. Our sauvignon blanc is coming along nicely! The fruit was transfered to a 2-ton basket press, pictured below, for a gentle pressing. After pressing the cool juice was racked to a stainless steel tank for cold settling.

Italian wine wine picksAs the fall weather starts to arrive, here’s a great wine for the seasonal transition: SP68 red from Arianna Occhipinti. Hailing from an organic vineyard in Sicily, the wine blends the summer joy of Frappato with the more structure of Nero d’Avola. Serve it slightly chilled for maximum enjoyment.

usually hate going through the wine fridge and choosing a wine, so I reached in and was determined to open whatever was picked. Been an OK night at work and the weather is pretty nice with a higher than normal humidity, but after the past few days, the feeling is comfortable. got home from the day job a little past 10 p.m. Yuck!!

French wine wine picksWhat’s the best white wine currently in the US market for about $15? I’ll make a case for the 2010 Clos des Briords from Marc Ollivier (Domaine de la Pépière). The 2010 is electric. After the 2009 had more ripeness, I find 2010 a reversion to the exciting norm of citrusy freshness and minerally, iodine verve.

We picked 3.2 Our harvest began this morning at Wilson Ranch. tons from our one acre block of Sauvignon. The fruit looks and tastes amazing after all the hard work we've put in

The 2009 Syrah (99% Syrah, 1% Viognier) is selected from old vines, hand picked, de-stemmed, and tipped directly into a five tonne open top vat. I recently tried new signle estate wines from TeAwa from New Zealand, which just joined Cognanc One's National portfolio. liked the 2009 Chardonnay , which is from Hawkes Bay. Quite delicious!

It would be so romantic of me to never sleep the night before the first pick of the year but usually I sleep fine these nights. I've worked with Salvador for three years now, and his crew during picking has been the most attentive and disciplined I've worked with every year. Tonight it's just too freaking hot, and I'm sweating it.

The first time I visited Dr. Franks Vinifera Wine Cellars , I picked up a bottle of their Cuvee d'Amour 2007. Easily one of the best Finger Lakes red wines I have ever tasted. Last month on my first return to Dr Frank's since then, I was not going to leaving without their latest vintage, the 2009( $30 ). found it more like a nice Barolo.

Grapes are picked by hand, sometimes in several stages from October to November -- it looks like we will be just a bit early to see the harvest. White grapes are hand picked, and using gravity rather than a pump, pressed very gently.on I am SO EXCITED to be visiting Philipp Kuhn in Pfalz this week! a pneumatic press. Large Karl Str 20.

French wine wine picksThe best bottles are the quickest emptied. But you knew that. Last week, I made my wife a birthday dinner. But before I started covering the kitchen counter and, inadvertently, the floor and my clothes with flour to make fresh pasta, I popped open a bottle of slightly chilled Mugnier Clos de la Marechale 2007.

In the next week we will be dropping the bad fruit and picking the raisined clusters to crush as a separate lot. The following week we will be picking the rest of the beautifully ripened fruit (pictured below). Harvest is approaching in our little section of Wilson Ranch. wonder how Mr. Sauv B feels about this. What we're drinking.

All winemakers participated in the planning/expense of the trip, yet Matt Spaccarelli, pictured above, acted as host -- he picked up half of our members in NYC, and the event (due to rains) was held at his winery. Matt Spaccarelli of Benmarl. Do you live in NYC? Michael Migliore – Whitecliff Vineyard. Cesar Baeza – Brotherhood Winery.

wine picksI’m a day late to the theme of the Labor Day holiday. But, heck, why don’t we make it Labor Week? In the wine world, the efforts of those who prune, spray, and harvest go mostly unheralded as we tend to focus on glamorous vintners or winemakers. Perhaps nowhere is the labor situation as acute as South Africa.

My second visit here and Mark's first, but I was stopping to pick up a limited release 2009 Cuvee d' Amour along with tasting some of what may be considered the most famous of all Finger Lakes wines. Finally got to do something other than working around the house on my week off. Our first stop was at Hunt Country Vineyards. at least for now).

No laundry to go pick up, paychecks to go deposit.It's It's a low table and she can stand near it, pick up the glass, drink, and return it to the table without any problems. Cursing yourself at not using a plastic cup, you simply pick her up and place her, crying, in the tub. good wine pairing can help. Don't move!" Just booze.

luscious ripe strawberries picked this morning. To me, sometimes fruit is a better thirst quencher than a simple glass of water. And the Macari Rose 2010 from Long Island's North Fork is a case in point. The wonderful wet aromas of a freshly cut watermelon. And ending happily with a smooth and long finish. The blend by the way is 70.7%

With enthusiasm, Feiring hand picks the grapes, drives the forklift that takes the grapes to the de-stemming machine, and begins to stomp the grapes with her bare feet over several days to start the fermentation process. Naked Wine by Alice Feiring. Reviewed by Marisa D'Vari. So what is natural wine, anyway? don’t make that kind of wine.

wine picksAs a fan of the box wine format , though not always the wine inside, I was pleased to see Eric Asimov and the NYT wine panel recommend some box wines. Their clear favorites were the Wineberry Cotes de Rhone red and the Eztezargues , boxes that I have also recommended. Solid rosé, especially for the equivalent of $7.50 a bottle.

From Umbria Italy, this is a blend of 70% Trebbiano (harvested in Mid-September) & 30% Grechetto (picked at the end of September) and fermented in stainless steel. Good, clean, and slightly bitter finish with decent length. Will work well especially if paired with risotto, seafood or pasta. 12% Alcohol, SRP $15.

Normally, I like to drink four or five or more wines per week and then pick one for a weekly review. We'll settle that in the morning when we pick up our fruit and veggies for the week at the Central New York Regional Market. It's Friday night and I find my self getting a little ahead on the reviews. riesling Keuka Wine Trail

If you are lucky enough to live near a large city like New York City, I recommend you pick a few of these up when you find them. Wine from Algeria! Who would'a thunk. Ok, for some reason I may have missed this in Geography class. When I think of Algeria, I think of desert, sand, sun and boiling hot! Just right for growing red grapes, right?

American wine wine picksI always relish the rare opportunity to taste a California wine from the 1970s, the era before rising temperatures and fruit bombs. But I recently had something even more rare: tasting the BV, Georges de Latour, Private Reserve, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon, 1958. Ah yes, the renowned St-Emilion cabernet sauvignon!

wine picksWith the year almost half over (um, where did it go?), I thought it about time to post about a few memorable wines that I’ve tasted so far this year. First among these needs to be the J.J. Prum, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Auslese, 1971. Forty years young, I’ve had the good fortune of tasting the wine twice this year.

For example, hourly workers in the vineyard may not care about the nuances of wine, yet when Mr. Collins gives a lecture/tasting and explains why it is important to pick only the ripest fruit, the hourly workers can taste the difference between wine with improper canopy management (leaf arrangement) and wines with proper canopy management.

American wine wine picksSaul had his conversion on the road to Damascus. Wells Guthrie had his conversion on the road home from Burgundy. The lanky, California maker of pinot noir, chardonnay, and syrah told me at his Sonoma winery that he had his conversion in 2005, after returning from a trip to Burgundy and the Rhone.

Spanish wine wine picksA group of friends that know each other through their sons’ school has a tasting every so often. I’ve been fortunate enough to lead the smart and fun group in about ten tastings over the past couple of years. We started with a manzanilla pasada, Pastrana vineyard, from Hidalgo La Gitana ($28).

was very excited to attend for two key reasons: First, I won an AXA scholarship for my ideas on the subject, and second, a benefit of the scholarship was a day at AXA property Chateau Suduiraut picking grapes (and even vinifying them!) picking grapes at their exact point of ripeness involves a great deal of stooping. thankfully.

Italian wine wine picksNebbiolo, it’s not just for Piedmont! Well, actually it is just for Piedmont (think: Barolo, Barbaresco) since there are so few examples of the grape outside the region. But consider this example from Valtellina, in the adjacent region of Lombardy, slammed up against the alps and Switzerland. Ar.Pe.Pe.–an

People in NYC don't seem to know this aroma as well as Californians like myself, and now that I tasted every producer's SB and received those exact aromas, I hope I can identify it correctly when facing a blind tasting exam that asks me to pick out the Chilean SB from ones from Sancerre, South Africa, and New Zealand.

This is enough sun to "bake" the grapes and raise the alcohol levels, yet when its current winemaker/owner Manuel Farina returned to his father’s winery after attending wine schools in Bordeaux and elsewhere, he immediately gave the order to pick grapes three weeks earlier as to avoid high alcohol in the wine and create lower, smoother tannins.

You cruise by the shelves of wine regions or grape varietals, recognizing familiar favorites like Pinot Noir and pick up a bottle or two. So there you are, in your local wine shop on a Saturday afternoon, craving something out of the ordinary. Then the clerk (that new one) comes up to you and asks what you are looking for. Grigolino.

Grub Street has a lengthy breakdown on how mileage picking wine based on label designs will get you. SIPPED: irony. On his bulletin board, Robert Parker calls a “courageous visionary&# who will say “enough is enough&# and drop Bordeaux prices 20% for the 2010 vintage from the previous year. SIPPED: moxie. Why, swap the price tags!