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
Category: Tastings
$5,000 Chardonnay? Skinner Wine Auction Preview and How the Other Half Lives
Vino Duo recently attended a Skinner pre-auction tasting of some of the wine industry’s most storied quaffs. These are big-money wines that are treasured by collectors, including Montrachet’s rare Grand Cru, a Rothschild 1982 Bordeaux, vintage Barolos, and few Chateau Neufs thrown in for good measure. Pricing was irrelevant as we had no intent of… Continue reading $5,000 Chardonnay? Skinner Wine Auction Preview and How the Other Half Lives
Recovered From the Archives: Blind Tasting 2015
2015: Crossed-Up Blind Tasting — Napa CabernetsI'm an old Jethro Tull fan. One of my favorites from Aqualung is “Cross-Eyed Mary” whose opening line is “Who would be a poor man, a beggar man, a thief --if he had a rich man in his hand? And who would steal the candy from a laughing baby's… Continue reading Recovered From the Archives: Blind Tasting 2015
Best Napa Cabs for Splurge Day and Every Day
Carolina Wine & Spirits hosted a terrific "Best Napa Cab" tasting event at Osteria Posto in Waltham MA a few weeks back. The selection of 100+ sampled wines came from the best-known, upper-tier vineyards from Napa, Alexander, and Knights Valleys. Gary is the big Cab lover of the duo so we’re posting reviews of his… Continue reading Best Napa Cabs for Splurge Day and Every Day
The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 3
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
The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 2
Continuing with our walk through of the Grand Tasting from Carolina Wines, here are three "must buys" and one "I'd buy it if it were cheaper" wines. TENUTE SANT'ANTONIO/SCAIA [Veneto] 2016 Scaia Corvina $15/bottle A pleasant surprise with floral cherries and red berries on the nose and light zesty cherry notes on the palate. At… Continue reading The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 2
The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 1
A grand tasting ought to be held at an opulent venue and Carolina Wines held nothing back when they put on the Ritz at Boston Symphony Hall on September 10th. With the Hall’s majestic organ pipes as a backdrop, 67 purveyors brought out their best wines and spirits for a truly grand tasting for the… Continue reading The Sound of Wine and Music/Part 1
Chick Chick Chorree
Dining at a new place called Chickadee this evening and we were blown away by the interesting wine list. A 2015 Vietti Nebbiolo by the glass!! Barnyard nose and floral strawberry on the palate...very good!
Red for Valentine’s Day
Red sauce. Red wine. Red hearts. We sampled 3 (under $20) Wine Spectator top 100 wines with red sauce Italian on Valentine's Day. Top score goes to Cline Ancient Vines Zin 2016 (91 pts/40 on Top 100). Always reliable, always smooth and spicy and the one we'd buy again time after time. It's $11 !!… Continue reading Red for Valentine’s Day
Wine Tasting in Puglia/Part 2
https://youtu.be/ZDJ9ux2qHQw Back to Puglia and two of our favorite wineries. Not only do these winemakers produce gorgeous wine, they also export some of their best bottles to the U.S. TENUTE EMERA (from Claudio Quarta) We were treated to the three wines Tenute Eméra exports to the U.S.-- a Negroamaro rosé, the Anima di Negroamaro Lizzano,… Continue reading Wine Tasting in Puglia/Part 2
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