Gary Farrell 2003 Zinfandel Maple Vineyard Tina’s Block
Classic aromas of peppercorns and crushed, ripe red berry fruit, followed by a mid-palate rich with the flavors of figs and dark berries. Despite all this richness and depth, though, it’s …
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The B’More Roadtrip
I was in Baltimore over Labor Day weekend and thought it would be a good time to have dinner at Charleston. I had worked with Chef Cindy Wolf over a decade …
Helyos 2002, Banyuls
So maybe it doesn’t have the same name recognition as Port, but a great vin doux naturel, as we tasted at last night’s annual Champagne & Dessert Wine Gala, proved, as …
The Science of Soil
I loved this article from the Lancaster Farming website by Chris Torres, “A Systems Approach to Organic.”It’s a quick and fascinating read about how California winemakers recently demonstrated to local growers …
Bestest Day Ever
Oh POOP, this is GREAT! I rolled into the school late today, expecting a rather boring day in the office. The usual: need to file a UC report to the state, …
The Top Ten Truths of Tuscan Tourism
The Wine School of Philadelphia took our show on the road the first week of June, converting the Villa Giusterna in Chianti into our Tuscan campus. Instead of boring everyone with …
Wasting Away in Wineville
Margaritas and mojitos usually come to mind first, but wine is every bit a part of the laid-back lifestyle that defines Key West. Sure, it is effortless to wander into any …
Cellarist Speaks
In this week’s Cellarist, Jon Bonne’ makes this excellent point: “If we can’t say ‘clos,’ do we get to ban such Franco-American labels as Fat Bastard and French Rabbit, or the …
A Sideways Blast into the Past
Just going through some old files on the wine school‘s web server when I found an old promo for a yet-to-be-released movie called Sideways. The school had been given about 20 …
Olivares Altos De La Hoya 2005 Monastrell
For the past three vintages, The Altos has been a unique & consistent great value. I am glad to see the trend continues. On the nose, a distinct minerality is coupled …
The UC Davis Diary
My former wine certification student Jenny S. is a first-year grad student in the Oenology & Viticulture Department of the University of California at Davis. Her emails about her first year …
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 …
Eddie Feraud 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
What a polished, silky, modern wine, amazingly appealing now but with years of evolution ahead of it. The nose is rich with deeply stewed fruit, cigar tobacco, and an underlying note …
Wine & Cheese Pairing with Dibrunos
In 2010, we ran a series of wine & cheese events with Dibrunos. Emilio & I had a blast with this event. Emilio has the passion, and talking to him for …
The Dark Effect of the Wine Glut
Wine prices are meager right now, which is a great deal for us wine drinkers and sommeliers. Problems come in when the prices are too low. This is happening in the …
Albarino Season!
With the warm weather upon us and the season of root veggies and all things braised blissfully put away for another year, this time has come to break out those bottles …