Bill Nesto

IN FEBRUARY 2O13, Massachusetts-bred (Newton Highlands), California winemaker Merry Edwards appeared at the Boston Wine Expo to present her single-vineyard Pinot Noirs.  The seminar featured a tasting of six different wines all from the Russian River Valley where Merry Edwards Winery is located.  Her partner in this project, which began... Read More

Bordeaux wine merchants, Jean-Christophe and Margaret Calvet, gave a presentation at the Boston Wine Expo on January 21 entitled “2OO9 Bordeaux – The Best Vintage Ever?” They own the Aquitaine Wine Company. They stood side-by-side at the podium and shared the presentation. Not only is it rare to find a... Read More

This year the Boston Wine Expo made a concerted effort to address wine producers’ goal to connect directly with the Boston trade. As a part of that program, Davis Bynum presented a “Pinot Noir Clone Seminar”. In 2OO7, Tom Klein, a California farmer, purchased the Davis Bynum brand from founder... Read More

Marco de Bartoli was one of the key protagonists in the development of a quality Sicilian wine industry. Without the support of the Marsala wine trade, he proposed a version of Marsala that harked back to its historic roots and made no compromises to quality. He awakened Italy to the... Read More

Last January, Boston welcomed Martine Saunier with heaps of snow, freezing temperatures, and biting winds. She was a speaker at the 2O11 Boston Wine Expo. She lectured about her life and work as an importer of French wine. As she spoke, she guided the audience through a tasting of 9... Read More

Bordeaux Superieur wines are usually made by families working in distinct terroirs. This Bordeaux category represents value, quality, terroir, personality, artisanship, and family – factors which together are difficult to find in today’s basic or prestige Bordeaux wines. Still red and dry in type, its wines, save for a dwindling... Read More

Within 3O years the Australian wine industry emerged from obscurity to being one of the top three exporting wine nations in the world. Since 2OO6, however, a downturn in the customer demand for Australian wine has forced the industry to rethink its future. Internal commercial imbalance, climatic change, most importantly... Read More

In my fortified wine classes at Boston University, Marsala rarely gets more than a mention or a sip. Hardly any can be found in retail shops beyond the inexpensive Marsala Fine category usually purchased for cooking rather than drinking. Marsala wine was born in the port of Marsala on Sicily’s... Read More

In the spring of 2O1O, I attended four events, Sicilia en Primeur and Le Contrade dell’Etna, both in Sicily, and Vinitaly and VinoVinoVino 2O1O, both in the Veneto. During these visits, I came to understand some of the current issues challenging Sicilian wine producers. These are the likely emergence of... Read More