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Bodegas La Magdalena 2011 “Sueno” Tempranillo

Ribera del Jucar is one of a dozen unknown yet exemplary wine regions in Spain. It’s an ancient wine region that was under vine during the Roman Empire. But it’s also …

Montecillo 2008 Rioja Reserva

If I could figure out a way to turn the Wine School into a religious institution (think of it: best communion ever!), Rioja would be one of our holy lands. It’s …

Bodegas Briego 2009 Crianza, Ribera del Duero

Bodegas Briego is an obscure winery from one of the greatest wine regions in the world, the Ribera del Duero. The winery was founded in the nineties by three brothers from the …

Bodega Triton 2009 “Tridente” Tempranillo

What is this curious label? The wine region listed is “Vino de la Tierra de Castilla y Leon,” a reference to a huge — and unremarkable — wine region in central …

Cellars Baronia “Flor D’Englora” 2011 Garnatxa

It was not too long ago that $10 bottles of wine were ground zero for the frugal and the downwardly mobile. That is no longer the case, at least for wine …

Reserva de la Tierra 2008 Vega Escal

Reserva de la Tierra, a Spanish wine cooperative, has been working with a US importer for several years to craft a bottle of wine for the American market. The result is …

Emina 2005 Atio

Ribero del Duero is one of the top wine regions in Spain. At its heart is what has been dubbed “the golden mile.” Many of the region’s top producers have their …

Francois Lurton 2009 El Albar Barricas

Spanish Wine Review One of the finest values in fine wines I have seen in a few years. This is a remarkable bottle for both its impressive weight and finesse from …

Philadelphia Inquirer: The newlywed cellar

Making those choices would be a challenge for even a well-seasoned wine drinker. So I turned to several Philadelphia wine experts for advice – plus specifics on how they would spend that $500 – and discovered a wide range of strategies, styles, and considerations for tackling such a happy conundrum.
The first question each one asked, though, was probably the least sexy: What is the storage situation?

“If wines are not stored in a reasonably cool, dark environment, they’re not going to hold very well,” says Keith Wallace, founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia. “Even two years out, bottles can be compromised.”

Dealing with wine fridges or a genuine basement wine cellar is a project of its own that can easily devour hundreds of dollars. But it’s a necessary evil if you plan to lay an expensive bottle down for a decade or two.

Bodega Baigorri 2005 Crianza Rioja

A Spanish Wine Review A beautiful Rioja with an aroma of cigar box and toasted cinnamon. Flavors of vanilla and espresso dominate the attack. On the mid-palate, mineral and red cherry …

Bodega 2010 El Agosto Bierzo

Spanish Wine Review A beautiful bottling of old vine Mencia grapes. A nose of garrigue with pain grillé, basil, and dark berry. On the palate, rich fruit and savage elements dominate. …

Associated Press: Taking wine as gift shouldn’t be a chore

It’s a look wine shop clerks know well. That overwhelmed, glassy-eyed stare that afflicts people as they wade through aisle after aisle of wine in search of the right bottle to bring to a party.

But arming yourself with a little advice and doing a bit of planning can make it easy to break out of the wine shop stupor and get the right wine for the right event for the right price.

Step 1: Relax. It’s just wine. And most shops are jammed with great $10 bottles, so it’s hard to make an awful choice.

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