What happens when one of Philadelphias most soundly established and respected chefs, Marc Vetri, comes out to play at one of the citys more adventurous micro-restaurants, Snackbar?  read more »

I first visited Chteau Calissanne in the fall of 2000, far too long ago to merit as much detail as my usual winery profiles. Besides, I wasnt taking notes. It was my honeymoon. Aside from the romance of the occasion and of being in Provence in general, the visit stands out in my memory. Its not so much the winery tour and tasting that I fondly recall; they were nice enough but pretty typical. What made the visit special was a tour around, and I do mean around, the property in winemaker Jean Bonnets farm vehicle, an Isuzu Trooper if memory serves. Driving up the single-track dirt path that climbs the cliffs to the north of Calissannes vineyards, we passed first through the farm, vineyards to one side and olive groves to the other. Continuing the climb, we saw a group of partridges scurry across the trail. A short distance further, we traversed the mud puddle, formed in the wheel ruts left by the occasional 4x4, where the local wild boars come to wallow. We disembarked at the end of the road, atop the bluffs starkly white limestone outcroppings streaked with red veins that form the backdrop of the landscape surrounding Calissannes property. From the 360 vista those bluffs provide, one can see the entire estate spread out below. Mont St. Victoire looms to the near northeast. Immediately to the south is the inland sea, tang de Berre, just to the west of which spread the fingers of the Rhne delta. The proximal influence of the saline sea air becomes apparent, as do the effects of the Mistral. Most of all, it becomes clear just how hot, dry and arid is this viticultural area at the southern reaches of the sprawling Coteaux dAix en Provence AOC. Immediately to either side of the property, we witnessed the ravages to the landscape caused by wildfires that swept through the area the year before, taking the lives of two local firemen (pompiers) and narrowly missing Calissannes vineyards. I think I learned more about the wines of Aix en Provence during that short journey than in all my years of tasting them, before and since.  read more »

It's not every day that I get to leave a wine tasting knowing that I've probably spit out a volume of wine that would cost more than the entire contents of my own personal cellar. OK, I'm probably being slightly hyperbolic, but I did spend last Saturday tasting wines that for the most part I will never be able to afford to own. The Grand Tasting at La Paulee de San Francisco offered an opportunity to taste approximately eighty top Burgundies from recent vintages alongside food samples from some of San Francisco's top restaurants, including Coi, A16, Boulevard, La Folie, Quince, Piperade, The Slanted Door, Michael Mina, and Aqua, among others. Very few opportunities exist to taste such a large number of such very expensive Pinot Noir, and almost never with the winemakers or estate owners in attendance as they were last Saturday at the ballroom of the Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco. As La Paulee is known as one of the best Burgundy tastings in the world, I couldn't help but have inflated expectations of the event, which both lived up to some, and partially disappointed in others. Let's get the bad out of the way first -- the event was crowded -- seriously crowded in a way that reminded me more of the ZAP Zinfandel tastings, or many of the other public wine tastings in California.  read more »

Ports vary in color, taste, and complexity based on the grapes used to produce them and the material used in the aging process. Among the most commonly found types of port are: Tawny Port - Tawny port is made from red wine grapes, aged in wood. A reserve tawny is one that has been aged at least seven years. Tawny ports are usually light yellow in color and have a slightly "nutty" taste. Tawny ports made from a single vintage are called "colheitas" and indicate the vintage year on the bottle. Ruby Port - Just as the name indicates, ruby ports are deep red in color. These are the least expensive ports and are made with red wine grapes and aged in stainless steel to preserve the color. Generally, ruby ports are aged from three to five years. Vintage Port - The finest kind of port wine, vintage port comes from a single year's grape production. Not every year is declared a vintage year in Portugal and, as with fine Bordeaux or Burgundy wines, some years' growing conditions create a better product. Vintage ports are aged a maximum of 2 1/2 years before bottling. LBV Port - LBV or "Late Bottle Vintage" ports were originally crafted to be vintage ports. However, due to lack of demand or other factors, they are left in the barrel longer than allowed for a vintage port. Generally, LBV ports are lighter in color and texture than the vintage cousins. (photo eurodrifter/cc license) See full article . Related Entries: Port of Melbourne model draws UN attention - 20 April 2006 Port, Just of Old Men?  read more »

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome!  read more »

SPECIAL NOTICE : Today’s wine, Vaquero Cabernet Franc has sold out. When we started running low, we begged our friends at Deerfiled Ranch Winery to let us re-list their fabulous Sangiovese – which ran yesterday. It turns out we didn’t have to beg, but quantity is limited. If you missed out yesterday, you have one more chance… If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome!  read more »

If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome!  read more »

Nicolas Quill is Randall Grahm’s right hand man in the Pacific NorthWest. Yet Mr. Quill remains independent. He speaks his mind. I think that is precisely why Mr. Grahm paused when, after he put some of his Bonny Doon labels on the market, Mr. Quill protested that the Pacific Rim line should be retained: Riesling could do great things in Washington State. Mr. Grahm listened, Mr. Quill went to work. Supplemental to this interview I suggest readers visit the fine geological vids on Wine Press North West , and this page . View the August 14th, 2007 entry and that of October 30th, 2007. Admin   Born in France, what was your first exposure to American wines?   Nicolas Quill When I was in high school and then in college, I worked for a small wine shop in Lyon and I recall selling and tasting a Zinfandel from California (I cant remember the name but it had a hot air balloon on the label). I dont remember liking it that much but I was only 16 at the time. The second experience was in California itself. A good friend of mine brought a secret bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and asked me to taste it blind. He then went on to ask me how much I would pay for it. It was good and I thought this could be about $25. Well, it was a Caymus Special Selection, and when it told me the price (it was about $100 at the time) I thought that this was really a great country to make wine in!   Before you came to the US you took university degrees at Dijon, in Bourgogne & at Reims, in Champagne. Could you give us a glimpse into the French university system with respect to viticultural degrees? What was your course of study?  read more »

SUPERIOR WINE ALERT!

Today’s wine deserves special recognition, for it is a supreme example of superb, Cali-Burgundian, Pinot Noir. These special alerts are issued when we bring you a really excellent wine.

SECRET SAVINGS ALERT!  read more »

SAVINGS ALERT : Todays wine is 20% off from its normal retail price. To sweeten the deal, well include Free Ground Shipping if you purchase 6 bottles or more. Enter coupon code MERLOTSPY during checkout.  read more »