Travel & Tasting Notes From A Couple of Wine Lovers
If you've been tasked with bringing the wine to Thanksgiving, this post is for you. Instead of picking up the old familiar names--Kendall Jackson, Meiomi, Cline--spice up your gathering with these lesser-known wines that are as good, or better, than the usual suspects. Many are from smaller producers in up-and-coming wine regions, and they're all… Continue reading Thanksgiving Wines Under $40: Beyond the Usual Suspects
We've been missing Italy of late. Dreaming about our trip to Puglia in 2019. Gorging on Gary's homemade pizza and lasagna. And discovering new wines from Sardinia, Chianti, and Abruzzo. In October we held a tasting of white, red, and rosé wines from the island of Sardinia. A few weeks ago we grabbed three bottles… Continue reading Italian Wine Finds for Under $40
When wine lovers hear "Abruzzo" they think Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, the popular powerhouse red from the Italian region of Abruzzo. When chefs hear "Pecorino," they think of Pecorino Romano, the cheese perfectly suited to grating over home-style Italian meals. But after a recent wine tasting, when VinoDuo hears "Pecorino d'Abruzzo" we'll now think, "Oh, that zingy… Continue reading Why Pecorino d’Abruzzo Deserves Your Attention
Since Thursday is the new Friday for evening social events we said "Yes!" to an invitation to taste some rare and exquisite wines at the Washington Square Tavern in Brookline, MA. The restaurant owner is a wine genius, with a great shop of his own, so we knew the wines would be worth tasting, even… Continue reading Champagne Taste on a Big Champagne Budget…like $400 Big
Everyone's Re-visiting Temecula! In February 2024, VinoDuo returned to Temecula, a small-ish wine region south of LA that we first visited in the early 2000s. We found a lively, expanding wine culture whose growers, grapes, and production stand in marked contrast to the mega regions of Napa and Sonoma. Amid the familiar Cabs and Sauvignon… Continue reading Top Temecula Wineries: Insights from VinoDuo and Wine Enthusiast
When friends from California came calling this summer, we made them feel right at home with a casual tasting of 2020 and 2021 releases of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. We paired two lesser-known producers with a couple of Napa superstars but when those four didn't completely delight, we hastily added a 2019 also drawn from… Continue reading Pine Ridge Napa Cab ’19 Smokes the Competition in Five-Wine Tasting
Wine tastings can take many forms. Horizontal, vertical, by region, by grape, by year...endless combinations. But sometimes you just feel like drinking good wine with friends and conjure up a theme on the spot. We had Italy on our minds and Italian-loving friends in the house, so we cobbled together an "Italian Wines from the… Continue reading Italian Wine Tasting: Rosés and Reds from Piemonte to Puglia
It's been a hot and humid summer in Massachusetts. Not a great backdrop for big red wines or oaky Chardonnay, but the perfect setting for crisp, white wines and mouthwatering rosés-- from palest salmon to deepest cherry. With August approaching, it's time for a mid-summer round-up of the best we've tasted so far. Most are… Continue reading Top White and Rosé Wines for Mid-Summer Tasting
In the 1960s and 70’s, Lisa visited her grandmothers in Hallandale, FL, about 40 minutes north of Miami. Occasionally, the family would venture to the adjacent city of Hollywood, which was a bit dumpy and honkytonk, but had a fun beach broadwalk for strolling and gawking. Fast forward 50 years and Lisa was once again… Continue reading Wine Bar Review: Vintage on Harrison Hollywood, FL
On May 2, 2024 the 1 Across clue in the NYT crossword puzzle was: "Zin alternative." Lisa is both a puzzle nut and a Zin devotee, so the obvious three-letter answer was "Cab." But our Napa Cab-loving friends would scoff at Zinfandel being a simple swap for their beloved Cabernet Sauvignon. True, they're both red… Continue reading Exploring California Zinfandel: Brady Vineyards’ 2019 a Standout
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