Low Carbs, What are You Missing?
“I’ll have a Diet Coke with my hamburger and French fries.” “I’ll have an Atkins-friendly steak with crispy onion rings and cream of spinach as my vegetable.” “It’s a fat-free cookie, so I can eat the whole box.” These are just some of the traps that many Americans have fallen... Read More
Wines of Sardinia
Sardinians, according to Nicolas Belfrage, refer to mainland Italy as the “continente”, and regard wines sold there as exports. In some ways, Sardinia (Sardegna in Italian) has more in common with Corsica, the French outlier just to its north, than with the rest of Italy. This second-largest of Mediterranean islands... Read More
Can We Get Too Old for Wine?
While enormous attention understandably has been directed to the effects of maternal drinking upon the earliest stages of life, not much has been written about beneficial or adverse consequences to those of us several years beyond the age of 39. CAN WE GET TOO OLD for WINE? I shall not... Read More
The Grape Variety Tannat
It is an infuriating grape to work with because it makes wines that have enough tannin to make your mouth feel like a desert. The name of the grape variety probably is derived the root of the word “tannin”. Because Madiran has been far from the madding crowd, it was... Read More
Chateauneuf de Pape
Though not nearly as widespread and important as the Bordeaux blend, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend has become increasingly important in recent years. In contrast to the Bordeaux blend which excels in temperate climates that run cool to warm, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend performs best in climates that run warm to hot. Climate... Read More
Finding Greatness
Whether we’re discussing wine, food, literature, art, athletics, or life itself, there are virtually no clear, uncontroversial standards. Much like love, you can’t prove its existence, but most of us would say you know it when you feel it. The fact is though that “great” means something a bit different... Read More
Profile: Giovanni Folonari
Giovanni Folonari looks the archetypal Italian gentleman – tall, dark, handsome – but the Tuscan winemaker has the animated drive, articulate expression, and Stentorian voice of a marketing professor. Having divested the Folonari winery (and name) a generation ago, Giovanni and his father Ambrogio recently split with members of their... Read More
Winter Beers ae Back Again
It’s the first of November, and that means two things. One, you sold your last bottle of Oktoberfest yesterday; hope you didn’t overstock, and two, it’s now winter beer season, and all the breweries are going to be selling you theirs. But before you buy into the turbo-charged, spice-burning action,... Read More
Working With Barbiere
Valerio Barbieri. He has not been on the cover of The Wine Spectator, nor even in the fine print. Robert M. Parker, Jr. has not anointed him the rising star of the wine firmament. No importer has bragged that such-and-such an estate is now “working with Valerio Barbieri”. Yet Barbieri... Read More
Beer Geeks Online
The Internet has fundamentally changed the operation of the brewing industry. From breweries to beer bars to package stores, the internet has had remarkable effects. One of the its most noteworthy achievements has been the empowerment of the online beer geek. For the brewing industry, the Internet has given birth... Read More