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 …
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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 …
Jenny Schultz of Jolie-Laide Wines
When Jenny first wrote to me from UC Davis, she was a brand-new grad student with no winery experience and a dangerous Philly mouth.“My former wine certification student, now out in …
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 …
Food & Wine Pairings
“If I got anything out of this relationship, it is cheek meat.” A vignette from a book never finished. Check out our Food & Wine Pairing guides for more. Snapper We …
Enrico Santini 2005 “Poggio Al Moro” Bolgheri
See if this sounds familiar. Someone touts or perhaps even gives you a high-priced Super Tuscan, maybe a bottle with a recognizable name. Or you’re at a big-time tasting, stop at …
Ethics and Wine Critics
There has been an ongoing conversation about ethics regarding wine writing. Specifically, wine reviews. Should a (well-known) critic and his or her colleagues take samples and/or go on junkets that have …
Latour on Latour. The wines of Domaine Louis Latour with Louis-Fabrice Latour
When Louis-Fabrice Latour came to the Wine School and poured his wines. Simonnet Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne Louis Latour 2006 “Duet” Chardonnay-Viognier,Vin de Pays des Coteaux de L’Ardeche Louis Latour 2006 …
Chateau D’Alzon 1949 Saint Emilion
The story behind this bottle is intriguing. Discovered in a basement in Philadelphia recently, it was part of a cache of French wines that had been cellared and apparently forgotten about …
Al Fresco Dining in Philadelphia
Philly noshers are all about 2 things: Brunch and dining al fresco. Ask any local Provision Pathfinder were to do either, and they’ll give you a list as long as the …