Recommended Wine Buys
Our few recommended wine selections. Also make sure you have the perfect wine glass to make the experience truly memorable. Vionta Albarino (Spain)An aromatically complex white with plenty of white fruit …
Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley Vineyards 2004 “Top of the Crop” Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander ValleyÂ
A bottling from AVV’s new Reserve line, this Cabernet is a good step forward for this family-owned winery. The aromatics begin with a whiff of buttered popcorn flowing into fresh tobacco …
Torres Mas La Plana 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon
It would be enough if this were simply an elegant, fully mature Spanish red. But the fact that it’s an elegant, fully mature Spanish red for one-third its usual price makes it truly special.
The First Great Pennsylvania Wine Vintage
Lost in the ValleyEric really should have told me to take a right in front of the Amish lass picking flowers. She was there every time I sped past. Eric Miller’s …
Buehler 2005 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa
This hearkens back to the halcyon days when my friend Jonathan Newman was the Chairman of the PLCB. I still remember all those great deals on top-shelf Napa Cabernet. Although the …
Ornella Molon Raboso, 2003 Pieve DOC, Veneto
 Though it has been vinified since the pre-Roman era and was once an important wine for trade by Venetian merchants (known as recaldina), Raboso literally lost ground to Merlot and Cabernet …
Hogue 2006 “Genesis” Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley
I have been impressed by this line for a few years now. It’s an excellent product when priced at $15, but in PA it usually costs more. Fortunately, this is in …
Badia di Morrona 2000 “Nantia” Toscana
Quick quiz. What do these wines have in common – Solaia, Lupicaia, Cepparello, Olmaia, Feliciai, Summus? Super Tuscans with prices to match. Throw in a few more “aias,” and you have …
Turkey Flat Rosé 2008, Barossa Valley
Not your usual rosé blend, but the proof, year after year, is difficult to argue with. In fact, we recently opened up a bottle of 06 that still had life in …
Thelema 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch
Though Chenin Blanc–or Steen in local parlance–gets all the glamour, Sauvignon Blanc has really been shining lately in South Africa. This effort from the wildly delicious “Mint” Cabernet Sauvignon producers is …
Bodegas Benegas 2005 “Libertad Red”
With 35% each of Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc (the latter from 100+-year-old vines) and the rest Merlot, this gorgeous Argentinean red is everything you’d hope for in a Bordeaux-style blend as …
Unexpected Pairings
This past summer, I fell madly in love with a perhaps unexpected food and wine pairing: Braised beef ravioli with tomato sauce alongside a bottle of Grand Cru Burgundy. This past …
Wildberry 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Australia
Classic nose of black olive and cedar, a surprisingly complexstructure considering the price, but some very straightforward andeasy fruit.
Keith Wallace Tapped as Daily Beast Contributor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Wine School of PhiladelphiaLocal Philadelphian Tapped as Daily Beast ContributorJuly 23, 2009, Philadelphia, PA. The Daily Beast has contracted Philly’s own Keith Wallace to write about wine. …
Jardin 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Stellenbosch
A brick-like color leads to a nose of pure graphite and green pepper–quintessential cabernet sauvignon. That green quality follows through on the mid-palate, but it’s softened by some herbal tea and …
Prince Michel of Virginia Cabernet Sauvignon NV
Sure, the wine was overoaked and a bit melodramatic, but it was, nonetheless, surprisingly tasty considering its provenance. Super-ripe raspberry fruit on the nose and deep aromas of coffee and vanilla …
