It’s indeed getting hotter out there, and I am not talking about global warming! Go to any restaurant, traditionally spicy cuisine or not, and you will be amazed at the number of ‘picante’ opportunities that are available to assault your palate. And it’s not just restaurants- check out offerings at sporting events, grocery stores, take outs, and just about any place food is found. Indeed in my own household, I am at times amazed when I open the refrigerator and it seems that the entirety of the door shelves are jam-packed with bottles of hot sauce, jalapeños and other pickled peppers, and other concoctions collectively hell bent (bad pun) on mugging, if you will, your tongue. Is it just me? Continue reading »

When you think of Brazil, you think of many culturally relevant markers- beaches, carnival, churrasco (Brazilian barbecue) and feijoada (the classic rich black bean, pork, and sausage stew), the two ‘national dishes’, and perhaps, as a beverage, cachaca, the powerful sugar cane distillate that is akin to rum and goes down so easy (especially in a caipirinha). What you likely don’t consider is their wine industry which, albeit largely unrecognized outside of Brazil, is healthy and thriving. Continue reading »

In reading a recent piece by my good friend Dan Berger regarding terroir in Sauvignon Blanc, I found myself nodding my head in affirmation regarding his comments about this varietal being a paramount vehicle for demonstrating the concept of ’sense of place’ (aka terroir). In the article Berger: Sauvignon blancs best at reflecting “terroir”, his stated feeling is that no other grape does this as well. Though I am in agreement that white wines are much better mirrors of terroir than reds, I have to take slight exception with Sauvignon Blanc as being the singularly best conduit. Continue reading »

Is good for your beer, but not for your white wine. I was reminded of this when dining out the other night and ordering a bottle of Torrontés to go with our dinner. The bottle was brought quickly to the table but it was sooooo cold (how cold was it?). It was so cold that as the wine was poured into the glass, it fogged up with condensation and actually bit my tongue with its frosty bite. Then there were the stalactites on the bottle that should have been a clue (just kidding). Continue reading »

When I began buying wines in the early 1980’s at Square One, I remember being interested in and intrigued by Australia. It was, to the USA, relatively new in terms of being available domestically but outside of the wines of Rosemount and Lindemans, at the time, hard to track down. When regional wines began to trickle in, the Hunter Valley, perhaps due the late and great Len Evans living there and being a relentless advocate, was a first to take a toehold in the USA. And a flood of Chardonnays, seeking to sate the thirst of an emerging appetite for Chardonnay in the USA, led. The wines were good and occasionally very good but not life changing stuff. I put them aside, in my mind’s palate, and ultimately moved on to other areas that would follow and that were, to me, more captivating- the Barossa, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, and the Yarra Valley. Continue reading »

Cute, no? While it’s certainly not the case in terms of global percentage metrics (especially when compared to grapes like Chardonnay), Riesling has long been the darling of wine aficionados and the sommelier set. Driven by activist importers (Rudi Wiest, Terry Theise etc…), domestic powerhouses (Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pacific Rim etc..) and a fanatical group of winemakers and fans, the folks who work with Riesling have taken a very novel and energetic approach towards spreading their gospel. Continue reading »

Having just gotten around to reading the current June 2009 issue of AAA’s Via Magazine, I was surprised to find out that something I had believed, is in fact an urban myth. Indeed, did you know that truck drivers aren’t nearly the menace on the road that many of us think that they are (cutting you off, squeezing your lane, etc.)? In actual fact about 70% of fatal collisions that occur between cars and trucks are the fault of the car’s driver and not that of the man behind the wheel of the big rig. I stand corrected.

In wine there are a number of so called myths (maybe more oenological than urban by nature) and I thought I’d throw in my own observations. Continue reading »

Hard to believe that only a matter of weeks after coming back from South Korea that I am back in Asia- this time in Hong Kong and then Singapore. No wine judging this time out, this trip is MS driven as the Court continues its courses and ‘brand building’ in Asia. Hong Kong is an amazing city with a growing interest in wine fueled by the elimination of tariff on imported wines this past year. A trip to most any premium wine store will leave you amazed at the availability here. Continue reading »

Cows in Berkeley? Wine in Slovenia? Well… Alas, there are no real grazing cows in the People’s Republic of Berkeley (California), but in Slovenia there is wine, and it has a long and heralded history in this new country. Post a thorough tasting and discussion with Emil Gaspari, the walking sandwich board for Slovenian wines, I think that you can add another new and worthwhile wine number to your proverbial dance card.

Over an email exchange a few months back, Jancis Robinson MW queried me about Slovenian distribution in the USA, so charmed was she having recently come back from tasting in this newly sovereign nation (having achieved such independence in June of 1991). While I have had some experience with wines from Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and indeed Moldova and Croatia, Slovenia had not yet crossed my radar screen. Since that cyber dialogue with Jancis, my antennae have been tuned for Ljubljana Free Radio, or more seriously, any tasting opportunities for Slovenian wines that would present themselves. As luck would have it, I was contacted via Emil’s West Coast distributor, Blue Danube Wine Company, and I jumped at the opportunity to taste and learn. Continue reading »