Shops + Shows, Tastings

12 Wines to Love Now

New Finds from the Boston Wine Expo After a Covid-inflicted hiatus, the Boston Wine Expo was back in March 2023, with new ownership, a smaller venue, and a more professional ambiance. Shifting from the cavernous World Trade Center to the more intimate Park Plaza Hotel Ballroom was a smart move. Less cattle-call, more sip and… Continue reading 12 Wines to Love Now

Buys $25 and under, Buys under $75, Lisa's Whites, Rosé Rosato etc.

Recent Favorites

Normally I would start a late-March post with "It's been a tough winter with cold and snow and we were stuck inside tasting new wines." I can't use that excuse this year, as our winter was remarkably temperate and dry. In fact, it was the perfect weather for seeking out new wines. Here are a… Continue reading Recent Favorites

Buys $25 and under, Buys under $75, Red; Mostly Napa Cabs

Year-End Wine Finds 2022

Instead of a Best Wines of 2022 we're sharing some recent finds that have quickly become favorites. Most are $20 and under; a few are a bit pricey. Bring any one of them to a New Year's Eve party or other gathering and your host will thank you. Cheers, Salut, Skoal, Santé and L'Chaim to… Continue reading Year-End Wine Finds 2022

Buys $25 and under, Central/South American Wines, Tastings

A Return Engagement in Uruguay

Uruguay. Wine. What? Isn't Uruguay that tiny country wedged between Brazil and Argentina? The one with the great beaches and the primo beef? They make wine? Yup. And it‘s a robust wine industry at that. When we first wrote about Uruguay following a 2015 “Tannat Tasting Tour,” the country produced just 10 million cases annually.… Continue reading A Return Engagement in Uruguay

Buys $25 and under, Central/South American Wines, Red; Mostly Napa Cabs, Tastings

From the Archives: Wines of Uruguay 2015

In advance of attending a tasting of wines from Uruguay this week, we re-visit a 2015 post on...wines of Uruguay. We'll check back in after the new tasting to see how this growing wine region has progressed. When you think of Uruguay what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Oh, you don’t know much… Continue reading From the Archives: Wines of Uruguay 2015

Buys $25 and under

20 Wines For $20 and Under: Inflation Edition

Inflation has hit our pocketbooks in so many ways: gas, food, clothing, wine. Of course, higher wine prices are not as painful as increases at the pump or the check-out line, but for those who consider a glass of wine with dinner as essential as coffee at breakfast, a 20 -25% bump in wine prices… Continue reading 20 Wines For $20 and Under: Inflation Edition

Shops + Shows, Tastings

Tastings Return!

Chianti Tasting with Famiglia Cecchi Wines One of the great perks of blogging about wine is the opportunity to attend private tastings hosted by wineries from all over the world. The invitations stopped cold in March 2020 as COVID swept across the country. In a hopeful sign of the “new normal,” we were invited to… Continue reading Tastings Return!

Rosé Rosato etc., Tastings

Wide World of Rosé

Long-time readers know I’ve got a thing for rosé wines, particularly the robust ones from Italy and Spain. Usually, I’m a fan club of one amid a crowd of Napa Cab drinkers. But when friends who share a taste for serious rosé came to visit, I whipped out the mats and cups and had a… Continue reading Wide World of Rosé

Puglia, Red; Mostly Napa Cabs, Shops + Shows

Our Favorite Puglian Wine has Landed in the US!

Tenuta Giustini Tasting Room Our last wine tasting trip to anywhere except the local Packie [a quaint Massachusetts term] was in 2019, when we visited Puglia, in the heel of the Italian boot. During a memorable five-day bacchanal, we visited six wineries and tasted more than 40 wines. One of our favorite wineries was Tenuta… Continue reading Our Favorite Puglian Wine has Landed in the US!

Big Splurges $75+, Red; Mostly Napa Cabs

Checking In on Napa Cab Faves

A friend heading to Napa for a few days asked us for recommendations on our current favorites. Like Gary, she's a Napa Cab fanatic, so it didn't take long to generate this list: Sullivan VineyardsPine Ridge VineyardsTrincheroOrin SwiftTurnbull We can't vouch for the quality of the tasting rooms, but we can heartily recommend these wineries'… Continue reading Checking In on Napa Cab Faves