Travel & Tasting Notes From A Couple of Wine Lovers
In October, we spent two days in the Priorat wine region of Spain, visiting six wineries across the DOCa. Four of those were absolute stand-outs. We wrote about Clos Mogador and Celler Cal Pla in our previous post. Today we finish up with En Numeros Vermells and Bodegas Mas Alta--two dramatically different but equally exceptional… Continue reading Part 2, Priorat Wine Tastings: En Numeros Vermells and Bodegas Mas Alta
Part 1: Clos Mogador and Celler Cal Pla The final leg of our trip to Spain brought us to The Priorat wine region. Priorat is in Catalunya, about a two hour drive from Barcelona. Unlike that tourist-filled [overrun?] city, the Priorat DOCa flies a bit under the radar, at least in the US. But it's… Continue reading We just Visited Priorat! Prior-what?
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
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
VinoDuo 