NANCY KNOWLES PARKER 1929-2O15
WINE JOURNALIST/VINTNER Such a vibrant presence was Nancy Knowles Parker, that I was struck speechless when informed of her death on January 1O. Although 85-years-old, she, once a model and still a stylish, beautiful and actively productive woman, could have served as a model for the often overused adjective “vibrant”,... Read More
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SAVES LIVES MODERATE DRINKING IS PART OF THE PRESCRIPTION
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE is the runaway leading cause of death and disability in the developed world, with heart attack (myocardial infarction) the most frequent coup de grâce. Although some basic inherited vulnerabilities can be modulated to a modest extent by medical intervention – such as treatment of high blood pressure, high... Read More
TAMING TANNAT IN THE LAND OF PAINTED BIRDS
ASKED to explain why wine can capture and hold the interest – even the fascination – of so many and so disparate a spectrum, I thought that, after the good tastes, social lubrication, food enhancement, and health promotion, it must be the infinite variety. There is always another vineyard, another... Read More
OBITUARY Philip di Belardino
Philip di Belardino, for many years a very large and beloved figure in the wine scene, died November 13 in New York City. Born in Rome and, as he liked to say, brought here in infancy without his consent, he was nurtured amid Italian wine and culture. His late father,... Read More
CARMIGNANO – WINE of the MEDICI
ALTHOUGH, as Tuscany’s smallest, Carmignano is not a well-known wine appellation, by history and quality it stands high in the pantheon. Officially honored for hundreds of years, it was among the first to receive the DOCG. Carmignano may be viewed as having anticipated the Super Tuscans nearly 5OO years ago... Read More
CHAMPAGNE REDUX
REIMS Champagne, the region, is well named. Rolling fields of vines extend from horizon to horizon under a sky so wide one can track approaching rain squalls. Here and there the expanse is punctuated by villages with evocative names: Bouzy, Dizy, Cramant, Moussy, Billy-le-Grand. The River Marne flows serenely, indifferent... Read More
THE STYLISH WINES of CASTELLO DI MONSANTO
IT WAS APPROPRIATELY Valentine’s Day, 2O14, on which Laura Bianchi returned my visit of 18 years ago to Castello di Monsanto. This prime estate near Poggibonsi in Chianti Classico was a wedding gift in 1961 from Laura’s grandfather, Aldo, to her parents, Fabrizio and Giuliana. But it wasn’t a prime... Read More
Absent Friends
MASSACHUSETTS now has 5O licensed wineries, extending from the tip of Cape Cod to the Berkshires. All but a couple are active. The curve has been steadily upward, both in number and in quality. In fact, I find the quality nowadays of winemaking by beginners without formal training vastly better... Read More
MULL THIS OVER
ACIDITY MAY BE the least appreciated essential element of wine, yet we are losing it. Acidity gives balance, liveliness, some of the elegance of wine, and helps to preserve its integrity while aging. Insufficient acidity equals boring, flabby, heavy wine that may reach senility before maturing. Progressively rising global temperatures... Read More
FORMULA ONE BUBBLY
No question that Champagne sets the standard, but sparkling wines of character and elegance – and price – are also made in other places, even places not French. Today we’ll consider those of Cantine Ferrari in Trentino. Located in Italy’s far north, the vines grow on south-facing slopes at between... Read More