Vignerons de Caractere 2009 “Les Hauts du Castellas” Vacqueyras
All the hallmarks of a great Rhone wine: opulent kirsch, lavender, burnt toast, and a deep and haunting minerality. A finish of burnt vanilla and sweet cinnamon ties it up with …
2009
Chateau d’Or et de Gueules 2009 Cuvee Trassegum, Nimes
From Costières-de-Nîmes, across the river from the Chateauneuf du Pape. Medium-bodied with an earthy component of graphite and wet clay. The fruit really shines here, with a finish of black pepper …
Falesco 2009 Tellus, Lazio
Luxurious, like a velvet cushion of dark sweet fruit. The only fault is its perfection –round, sexy, slick perfection– which takes away some of the pleasure of drinking a bottle of …
Jersey Wins!
Keith Wallace (the founder of the Wine School) hosted an event for National Public Radio. It was a blind tasting pitting his top picks from New Jersey with comparable wines from …
Wine Reviews
The top six wines for $15 were highlighted as tonight’s First Friday at the Wine School. A great list for the weekend binge purchases.
Dessert & Sparkling Wine Reviews
Seven sparkling & dessert wines for your holiday splurges! For more, we strongly recommend signing up for a wine tasting class (we do in-person and virtual) or signing up for our …
Sicilian Wine Reviews
For all our current reviews, register for our wine newsletter. The Gambino winery sits in the shadows of Mount Etna near Linguaglossa, its terraced vineyards sloping toward the ring of towns that circle the …
Monastero Suore Cistercensi 2007 “Coenobium”, Lazio
You have to be a certain age to remember when cloyingly sweet Riesling with a “Blue Nun” label was all the rage, or, more to the point, what was available to …
The One-Time Wine Show in Atlantic City
Back in 2008, the Wine School was growing super-fast, and I was hungry for more. There were many wine shows at that time (they were super-popular), and I had run a …
Wine Taint in California Pinot Noir
There’s no denying one of Pinot’s wine tasting hallmarks — and the reason many of us love it so — is its discernible funk on the nose. Barnyard stank, dung, smokey …
Sicilian Wine Reviews
A recent trip to Persephone’s island allowed tasting dozens of wines made from indigenous varietals, all of which captured Sicily’s sun-drenched, arid landscape and gave evidence of the cultural and ecological …
Private Wine Events
In 2009, the Wine School started offering private wine events. This was the press release we sent announcing this new venture. This was a very successful program, which we still run …
Center City Wine School
The Wine School of Philadelphia was originally located in the Fairmount neighborhood. Our first foray downtown was the second floor of a then-new restaurant. This is the press release that announced …
The Summer Accelerated Sommelier Program
This press release announced our very first Accelerated Core Wine Course, back in 2009. Since then, we have offered this program every August, with the exception of 2020. The current list …
Hilberg-Pasquero 2007 Vareij
If you’ve read any of the wine reviews I’ve posted over the last couple of years, you are well aware of my fondness for the unusual, the eccentric, and the downright …
Future of Australia Wines
What with their over-reliance on mass-marketing lower-end products (damned critter wines!); and, of course, they are relying heavily on those high ratings that Robert Parker so lovingly gave to those big …
