Travel & Tasting Notes From A Couple of Wine Lovers
Coming up with novel wine tastings for visiting friends is a challenge when half your bottles are California Cabs and the other half are a polyglot selection of favorites from wineries near and far. What's the common thread? Varietal? Terroir? Year? After scouring the cellar, we found our theme: 2019 -- Two Chards. Two Cabs.… Continue reading NY vs. California Smack Down: 2 Cabs, 2 Chards, One Year
During our recent return trip to the North Fork of Long Island we were shocked by how many wineries were crafting extraordinarily good sparkling rosé wines, virtually all in the méthode champenoise style used to produce French Champagne. In fact, over the last 20 years, sparkling wine has emerged as a signature of the North… Continue reading Champagne Showdown: French vs. Long Island Rosé
During a whirlwind 3.5 day visit to Long Island wine country--our third trip in 15+ years--we covered a lot of territory. One day was spent on the ritzier South Fork [aka The Hamptons], visiting two wineries that had been on our hit list for years: Channing Daughters [below] and the O.G. winery Wölffer Estates. The… Continue reading Tasting Adventures in Long Island Wine Country, part 1
We had the great pleasure of taking two wine-tasting trips to Europe in 2025, where we tramped through gorgeous vineyards, met with visionary winemakers, and sampled a whole lot of brilliant wine. In Spring we visited parts of Umbria, Tuscany [Chianti, Brunello] and Sardinia. In the Fall we took our first wine-focused trip to Spain,… Continue reading VinoDuo’s 12 Favorite Wines of 2025
OR, HOW WE SPENT [PART OF] OUR SUMMER VACATION Last Night's Pour of Acinore Like most wine lovers, we have favorite bottles that we return to time and again. From Puglia, two exquisite Primativos: Acinore and Rinforzo Primitivo Salento. From Napa, Edict and Burgess [a 2024 discovery] Cabernet Sauvignon. And from Trader Joe's by way… Continue reading Ten Wine Discoveries To Buy Now
It's easy to fall in love with a wine when you're surrounded by gorgeous vineyards and savoring local meats and cheeses while chatting with the staff. Every wine tastes good under those conditions! But sometimes, a wine that charmed us in situ was less charming when we got it home. You've likely had the same… Continue reading You Loved it at the Winery, but how Does it Taste at Home?
Put four opinionated oenophiles in a room with four Tuscan reds and you're sure to get a lively debate and a few surprises. Since our return from Tuscany [see our post], we've become evangelists for lesser-known wines from the Chianti region. So we threw down the gauntlet: we invited our wine-loving friends to a blind-tasting and… Continue reading Blind Tasting: Battle of the Super Tuscans
Siena is a glorious Tuscan city, markedly smaller than Florence but with its own storied history and fantastic architecture, food, and wine. Lisa had visited Siena 40 years ago (!) and Gary had never been, so we were eager to spend four days exploring its narrow streets and broad piazzas. Known worldwide for the Palio… Continue reading Drinking Chianti in Chianti
Great Wines from Our Trip to Umbria, Tuscany + Sardinia You Can Buy Locally from $18 to $100+ Stumbling on a small mom-and-pop winery in the middle of Italy can be a great joy. You sit with the winemaker, often in their kitchen/tasting room, and listen to stories about their passion projects. But ask where… Continue reading These 9 Wines have US Distribution
After spending three delightful days in Umbria, we drove two hours north to Tuscany. While the charms of Tuscany were never a secret, the region rocketed to the top of everyone's Italian bucket list following the 1996 publication of Frances Mayes' uplifting, romantic memoir, "Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy." The book remained… Continue reading A [Short] Guide to Brunello di Montalcino: Great Wines, Great Time
