Shocking but true I am on my way to my college reunion in upstate New York. I am a bit nervous to see some of the crowd but otherwise excited I must say and I have a great exit strategy. If all else fails, I am going up towards New York State wine country. While... Continue Reading →
Wine of the Week: Rosso Conero DOC 2008 from Tenimenti Spinsanti in Le Marche
My wine of the week is from Le Marche, a beautiful region that is still a little bit under the radar in terms of its gems, meaning its wine & artistic treasures. I first discovered Le Marche on a vacation to Recanati in 1998. I remember driving around with my boyfriend to buy "vino sfuso."... Continue Reading →
Women in Wine: Miss Jane Nickles Who Introduced Me To Texan Wines
Sometimes you meet people only for a brief moment in time and they leave a big impression on you. Sometimes of course the opposite is true, even of people you have known for many years. Miss Jane A. Nickles, CWE is one of those people who left a mark on me after taking one of... Continue Reading →
Remembering Giovanni Falcone – May 23, 1992
Every year May 23 is a day that I mark in some way. It is the anniversary of the murder of a famous judge in Italy named Giovanni Falcone. His picture is on my refrigerator along with those of my family and Bruce Springsteen. Falcone was a hero in my world, a crusader for justice.... Continue Reading →
Italian Indigenous Varieties: Catarratto Bianco from Sicily
Catarratto bianco is a widely planted grape on the island of Sicily. There are two very common types of Catarratto grown: bianco comune e bianco lucido. According to experts, the latter produces more elegant wines than the former. Catarratto is a high yielding grape which does well on this Mediterranean island, especially in the province... Continue Reading →
New World Wines: South African Wines Continue to Excite Me
Thanks to the Snooth PVA blogger weekend, I had the occasion to try a number of wines from South Africa paired with South African cuisine at the Institute of Culinary Education. I have written about South African wines a number of times on this blog after a wonderful introduction to these wines in 2010 at... Continue Reading →
Women In Wine Fridays: Websites to Follow – Wine Julia
On Fridays I have been trying to write about women in the wine industry. At first this column was only going to be about Italian women in wine but then I discovered the wonderful world of women in the industry right here in the US. In March I met Julia of the great blog Wine... Continue Reading →
Mid-Week Delight: Two Special Tastings In New York
The press materials for Madeira start out with the line "Madeira is a gift of nature" I tend to agree with this assessment and I haven't even been to that isle. Madeira has always fascinated me both for the wine and for the island which sits in the Atlantic, off the coast of Portugal. I've... Continue Reading →
Mother’s Day, Gruner and Riesling
A happy Mother's day to my sister and my mother, both interested in imbibing along with me through the years, one way in which we bond at every occasion. I spent yesterday with my mother, buying her lilacs and chatting about life. One of our favorite topics over the last 15 years has been wine.... Continue Reading →
Wine Conundrum – What To Pair With A 15.5% ABV Wine
I participated in the Snooth Virtual Tasting last night of wines from Lodi, Ca. I have never visited Lodi and it was fun to hear how into the wines the two guys from Lodi were. It's also always great to see Greg Dal Piaz interact with winemakers. I tasted two of the wines which were... Continue Reading →
