Merlot Masters

Too many Sideways fans have pushed the debate on wine in the wrong direction. Not that there’s anything wrong with a decent Pinot Noir, but these people have tried to convince the wine-loving public that all Merlot is insipid plonk. Well, maybe some of it is, and that’s the reason this reasoning has gotten traction. [...]

Love Those Baby Blues

  I first met winemaker Kenny Kahn in 2008 at Bassin’s annual charity California Barrel Tasting event in Washington DC. In a room full of Cabernets toting triple-digit price tags, Kenny’s $20 Baby Blue blend from Sonoma was the highlight of my evening, and I have been a fan of Blue Rock Winery ever since. Kenny’s [...]

Post Card from Napa – Antica

  We arrived by car, but it seemed at times that even mountain goats would have trouble ascending these slopes. The narrow paved road curved from left to right and, at the top, revealed a stunning hilltop winery that seemed to emerge from our imagination. We had reached Atlas Peak, the mountain but also the [...]

Cabernet with — Cooler Air!

  With temperatures breaking thermometers – let alone records – and the Weather Channel refusing to report the next forecast, the thought of anything sizzling on the grill sounds like a scene from a Stephen King horror story. So most of us have huddled inside our homes where the air conditioner groans under loads that [...]

Let American Champagne Light the Night!

There’s nothing like a good bottle of Champagne to celebrate America’s independence. Right? Wrong. Champagne is made in France and, despite Gaul’s claim to having helped the Colonists wrest their freedom from Mother England, there’s no reason for us to pop their sparkling wine when we have so much of our own to enjoy. Known [...]

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