Travel & Tasting Notes From A Couple of Wine Lovers
Rosé wines get a bad rap. Damned with faint praise as a “great summer sipper” and showcased by wine shops from June thru September, rosé wine is lumped in with pop top wine spritzers and sweet, beach-ready whites. I think rosé still suffers from the dreaded “blush” wine craze of the 1980’s—remember ‘White Zinfandel’?—and from… Continue reading Some Napa Cab Lovers Walk into a Rosato Tasting
Our last wine journey to Italy was in the year 2018 BC (Before Covid). We spent a very happy week visiting wineries in Puglia, taking a deep dive into lesser-known [to us] red grapes like Aglianico, Susumaniello, and Negroamara and the white grapes Verdeca and Fiano. So, when the Commonwealth Wine School announced a 90-minute… Continue reading Italian Wines off the Beaten Path
Altopiano Terre di Chieti Rosato, Feudo Antico 2017 $8/bottle In previous posts I've raved about Italian rosés crafted from Nebbiolo, Negroamaro, and Sangiovese red wine grapes. These Italian rosato wines aren't light summer sippers with adorable labels and soda pop flavors. The wines I favor have structure and substance while also feeling a little like… Continue reading Another Stellar Italian Rosato
We wrote our last blog post on the cusp of 2020, praising the whites and rosés from the Basque region and considering a visit to this Northern Spain region. What a difference six months makes. We're not traveling to any wine paradise, at least for the foreseeable future. Between Covid-19, the economy and the nightmare… Continue reading First Post of 2020 – How’s the Year going for You?
We know Spanish wines...a little bit. Rioja, of course. Priorat for sure. And we've dabbled a bit in Sherry from Jerez. But the Basque region? Nowhere on our radar until last summer, when I savored fresh and fizzy glasses of Txakolina (cha’-kō-lee-nah) rosé at two of Boston's hipster restaurants, Chickadee and Pagu. Txakolina is a… Continue reading Uncovering the Basque Wine Region
Gary loves Napa Cabs. Our dear friends also love Napa Cabs. Lisa? Not so much. But she was game for organizing a blind tasting of 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. This was a proper horizontal tasting with three bottles of 2014 Napa Cab Sauv and one 2014 Sonoma ringer. The tasters were six knowledgeable… Continue reading A Tale of Four Cabs: Napa 2014 Blind Tasting
24 years ago today two lonely VinoUnos became VinoDuo when they met for a disastrous blind date. Don't ask. Lisa was a wine novice, enjoying an occasional Pinot Grigio. Don't ask. Gary was far more sophisticated and drank...reds. Any red. More than two decades later, our tastes have changed. Our palates are more refined. And… Continue reading When Two VinoUnos Became VinoDuo
In autumn, wine shops typically hold a “grand tasting” showcasing wines promoted by their various distributors. In advance of the holidays, wine-lovers flock to these events for free tastings and a few cubes of cheese. VinoDuo is always up for a free gala tasting, particularly if it’s held at a shop we’ve never been to.… Continue reading New $25 and Under Finds at Gala Tasting
We wrap up our review of the Carolina Wines Grand Tasting at Symphony Hall with three excellent wines from St. Helena in Napa Valley. ROMBAUER VINEYARDS, St. Helena, Napa Valley CA2016 Cabernet Sauvignon $65/bottleLet’s start with “wow!” The balance between tannins, fruit and finish is truly a masterpiece. It’s got a full-body mouthfeel and provides… Continue reading The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 3
I take a lot of crap from friends who equate rosé with the pale pink juice from Provence that floods wine shops in June. Those summer confections (I'm talking to you, Whispering Angel) are light, fun and forgettable. I, of course, have a far more sophisticated palate. Which takes me across the Pyrenees to Basque… Continue reading You Say Rosé, I say Rosato & Txakolina
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