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
And so our journey to Long Island comes to an end with a visit to one of the most established wineries in the area; a tasting at a new [to us] sparkling-only winery that's making quite the splash; and a quick pop-in at a winery whose yummy Cab we'd discovered the night before. PUGLIESE VINEYARDS34515… Continue reading Stick a Fork in it: North Fork, South Fork, and the Conclusion of our Visit
Today we visit the North Fork hamlets of Mattituck, Aquebogue, and Cutchogue. They're all within a 20 minute drive of each other and, off-season at least, getting around is half the fun. Eye-candy galore, with farm stands, vineyards, country roads, coffee bars, shops, and restaurants all waiting for your post-wine tasting pleasure. MACARI VINEYARDS150 Bergen… Continue reading Tasting Adventures in Long Island Wine Country, part 2
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
For the better part of the 20th century, the North Fork of Long Island was potato country; one of the largest producer of spuds nationwide. But since the 1980's, this 30-mile long peninsula has blossomed into wine country, with more than 50 vineyards dotting the main roads and country lanes of the North Fork. If… Continue reading Third Time’s the Absolute Charm: Long Island Wine Country Redux
Some couples travel to Europe to soak up the art, food, and culture. Others look forward to meeting new people. VinoDuo looks forward to meeting new grapes. [Yes, art, food, culture, and people are part of our repertoire too] When we travel to a wine growing region, we seek out less-familiar grapes that do a… Continue reading Grapes We Met on Vacation
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
