Wine Review Newsletter
Wine reviews and all things vino from Keith Wallace
Wine Reviews & The Wine Report
Over two thousand wine reviews! While most of our reviews focus on great wines under $20, we also offer reviews of luxury and collectible wines. As we are located in Philadelphia, most wines reviewed here are available via wine shops in Pennsylvania. Our main reviewer is Keith Wallace, the executive director and founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia.
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Wines of Portugal
There is evidence of wine production in what is now Portugal since the time of the Tartessians, who planted vines in the Sado and Tagus valleys around, at least, 2000 BC. Later, Phoenicians, Romans, and Celts contributed to the expansion of the vineyards into new...
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Cambria 2014 “Benchbreak” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Cambria has always been that tiny corner of the Kendall-Jackson empire that didn't have that smell of overstuffed marketing. It was family home of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, his second wife. His daughters grew up there. The winery itself, located in the Santa...
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Mazzei Belguardo 2013 “Serrata” Toscana
I've written about Tenuta Belguardo over the years. It's a property owned by the Mazzei family of Chianti, which also owns Castello di Fonterutoli. They consistently put out wines that perform well above their price categories. Belguardo's vineyards are on the...
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Bodegas Montecillo 2011 Reserva Rioja
A 19th Century winery that still manages to put out some serious juice, year in and year out. If you need an everyday bottle of Rioja, this will fit the bill. Aromas of cigar box and tomato leaf; flavors of cherry, burnt vanilla, and laurel. There is plenty of fresh...
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Commanderie de la Bargemone 2017 Rose, Coteaux d’Aix en Provence
It's about time America fell in love with rosé wines. We've been extolling the virtues of rosé since the 2006 vintage. Historically, one of the great spots for the wine has been the Coteaux d’Aix region in Provence, France. The region has been making one version or...
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Jean Cavaille 2016 “Cep Noir Vielles Vignes” Apremont, Savoie
Sometimes you find a great bottle using a wine heuristic. Sometimes is simply picking up a bottle from a beloved-but-obscure wine region. The Apremont region in the Savoie department in France makes delicious light wines, pretty as a filigree of sunlight on a...
read moreThe Wine School Blog
This is where we feature all our favorite things. Great wines, top sommeliers, awesome winemakers, great articles, and charity events at the Wine School. If we really love it, or we think you should know about it, it’s going to be right here.
Wines of Portugal
There is evidence of wine production in what is now Portugal since the time of the Tartessians, who planted vines in the Sado and Tagus valleys around, at least, 2000 BC. Later, Phoenicians, Romans, and Celts contributed to the expansion of the vineyards into new...
read moreCambria 2014 “Benchbreak” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley
Cambria has always been that tiny corner of the Kendall-Jackson empire that didn't have that smell of overstuffed marketing. It was family home of Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, his second wife. His daughters grew up there. The winery itself, located in the Santa...
read more
Domaine Kuentz-Bas 2014 Alsace Blanc
Sometimes a wine review doesn't start with the wine, but how the writer discovered it. Finding great wines at any price point would be impossible if I were to taste every wine. There are over 2 million wine brands in the world currently, which breaks down to about...
read moreJuly 2018 Newsletter
Hope you are having a good summer. It's been really great here at the school, and we have a lot of interesting classes coming up. The Great Ciders of the World class is going to be really interesting. The Mixology class is going to be really amazing. We did a...
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May 2018 Newsletter
I hope you are doing well. I am a bit late with the newsletter this month. Sorry! We've been a little busy renovating the school. I hope you can forgive me. I've enclosed my top wine suggestions, and I've posted a few really cool classes. I think you'll like...
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A Wrinkle in Wine: The Former Chairman Returns. Sort of.
File under: down the rabbit hole we go. Jonathan Newman, the former Chairman of the PLCB is selling wine to Tim Holden, the current PLCB Chairman for the Chairman's Selections Program that Mr. Newman created when he was Chairman. Huh? It's been over a decade since...
read moreSelections from our Wine Cellar
A few wine reviews from our archives.
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