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
Category: Red; Mostly Napa Cabs
“Noble” Brunello di Montalcino Tasting
Brunello di Montalcino is widely regarded as one of the three “noble wines” of Italy, the others being Barolo and Amarone [Super Tuscan lovers, hold your boos.] Produced exclusively around the village of Montalcino using a particular variety of the Sangiovese grape, the ‘Sangiovese Grosso’, a Brunello di Montalcino must be made with 100% Sangiovese,… Continue reading “Noble” Brunello di Montalcino Tasting
We Went “Searching For Italy” where Stanley Tucci Failed to Go!
We devoured CNN’s “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” series featuring the actor’s trek through the farms, fields, and restaurants of Italy. The show made us want to pack our bags and follow in his footsteps. But our trek would venture where Tucci failed to go: the vineyards and wineries in each region. Wine is as… Continue reading We Went “Searching For Italy” where Stanley Tucci Failed to Go!
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
Going Vertical With Edict Reserve Cab
2014, 2018 Vintages Tops in Vertical Tasting We’ve been buying Edict Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet for years, since the 2010 release. Dependably delicious and well-priced [$40ish] when compared with Napa Cabs that sell for twice the price, we amassed quite a collection of Edict vintages over time. When Napa Cab-loving friends came to visit, we… Continue reading Going Vertical With Edict Reserve Cab
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!
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
Our Top 10 Wines of 2021
After the wreck of 2020 all eyes looked towards 2021 for, what? Normalcy? Comfort? How'd that work out? As we look ahead to 2022, let's revisit the 10 wines that brought us the most joy while we all suffered the slings and arrows of an outrageous 2021. WHITE/ROSÉS Favorite White Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Feinherb Spatlese,… Continue reading Our Top 10 Wines of 2021
Seven Summer Surprises
As we turn the clocks back into darkness and careen towards winter, we thought a quick post on seven great wines we discovered over the summer would keep the warm feelings going a few days longer. These are not "summer" sippers; we just happened to find them while staying sane through Covid, family health issues,… Continue reading Seven Summer Surprises
Napa Cab 2017 Blind Tasting
Napacab. One word, three syllables. Celebrated all over, often over-priced and occasionally over-hyped, it’s the pour of choice among one-half of Vino Duo and most of our wine-loving friends. Last month, we gathered these friends for a blind tasting of four moderately-priced ($50 - $100) 2017 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon wines, along with a ringer—a… Continue reading Napa Cab 2017 Blind Tasting