Herencia Altes 2016 Garnacha Peluda, Terra Alta
Peluda is a crazy variant of Grenache. The translation is “Hairy Grenache” and that is quite apt: the leaves are a bit hairy on the underside, which is kinda gross when …
Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas 2019 Douro
The rough translation of this brand is “Full Moon over Old Vines,” which is pretty apt for their wines. They aren’t a winery but a project of entrepreneur Manuel Dias and …
Chateau Courac 2018 Cotes du Rhone Villages Laudun
For frugal lovers of Chateauneuf du Pape, the town of Laudun has become a gold mine. It’s a tiny Rhone village that was recently upgraded in status; it’s biting at the …
CVNE 2019 “Bela” Ribera del Duero
This bottling is a brand new project from CVNE, the legendary Rioja winery. Bela is a single vineyard in the town of Villalba de Duero. While CVNE is known for classical …
Cafaggio 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva
The world’s love of Tuscany is all-encompassing, but I think that blinds us to nuance. So while we dive head-first into our love affair, perhaps a more critical eye may be …
Te Mata 2019 Estate Vineyards Syrah, Hawke’s Bay
New Zealand’s South Island is well-established for its Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. However, the North Island is still forging its identity as a fine wine producer. Of note, Hawke’s Bay …
Ram’s Gate 2017 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Great wine often turns millionaires into, well, less wealthy millionaires. This is one of those stories. The owners of Ram’s Gate spent seven million on building the winery, only to discover …
Upcoming Wine Tastings Classes
New Zealand & Australia WinesTired of illustrations of Kangaroos and Kiwis? Yeah, me too. Why is it that wine cultures get reduced to their worst moments? The truth is that New …
Fattoria Le Pupille 2019 Morellino di Scansano
A quick Italian wine lesson: When you see an Italian wine labeled as “Blah Blah” di “Blah Blah,” it always means “This Grape” from “This Place.” The phrase Morellino di Scansano …
Gunther Steinmetz 2018 “Unfiltriert” Pinot Noir, Mosel
German Pinot Noirs are having a well-deserved renaissance. Before the Little Ice Age (a time of drastic cooling in 15th Century Europe), Germany grew a lot of Pinot Noir. The Mosel …
Wine Review: Bryn Mawr Vineyards 2017 Estate Pinot Noir, Eola Amity Hills
If you recognize the name “Bryn Mawr” then you are a very specific type of person. Option number one: from the Philly region and recognize it as (1) a posh mainline …
Wine Review: Torre Mora Cauru 2019 Etna Rosso
There are few places as beautiful and unknown to Americans as southern Sicily. It’s a place of great history (Phonecians anyone?), great vulcanology (hello, Mt. Etna!), and great wines (yo, Guisto!). …
Wine Review: Bodegas Frutos Villar 2015 “Muruve” Toro Reserva
If you don’t know Spanish wines, you are missing out. This is a bottle that could not exist at this price point in any part of the world. A fourth-generation winemaker …
Wine Review: Cellier des Terres Blanches 2019 Intuition Cotes du Rhone Rouge
This is one of those hard-to-find wines that have an insanely great quality to price ratio. For our Pennvyania readers, the search will be pretty easy: the entire 2019 vintage was …
Wine Review: Grain de Lune 2020 Sauvignon Gris, Bordeaux Blanc
Sauvignon Gris is a beautifully exotic grape: it is a pink mutation of the ubiquitous Sauvignon Blanc. You see a bit of it in South America but very little in its …
Wine Tasting Classes for Fall
France vs South AmericaPart of the ongoing series of wine tastings devised by the brilliant Alana Zerbe. Take two great wine countries, toss them into a battle royale, and see who …
