It’s no secret that on Christmas Eve, Italians and Italian Americans celebrate the holy night with “La Vigilia”, or “The Vigil”.  Authentically, it’s nothing more than staying up late, eating, drinking, and attending midnight mass.  Many Italians fast on Christmas Eve,…

It’s not often, in all my length of time drinking and enjoying wine, that I’ve awarded a “perfect” score to a wine.  It’s happened before, but it’s few.  Last night was another such occurence.  The 1990 Vietti Barolo Villero Riserva…

The colder weather and the Army-Navy game called for the comfort of roasted chicken. On a whim, I also grabbed a wedge of what I consider the ultimate Zinfandel cheese;  Cambozola.  Needing a Zinfandel to accompany this, I grabbed the 2010…

Typically Syrah comes in two general styles. There’s the riper, more viscous and decadent California and Australian style, and there’s the more reserved, cooler climate, European style, which can lead to more secondary aromas and flavors that one would more…

Let’s face it, as wine drinkers, we’d love to be able to pull $30 or $40 bottles of wine from our cellars on a regular basis.  Who wouldn’t?  But that’s likely not reality for most of us. For many wine…

Mostly known as a Zinfandel Producer, the Dry Creek Vineyard in Sonoma should not be forgotten as wonderful proprietor of classic Meritage wines.  By loose definition, a Meritage is a blended wine – typically including the classic grapes of the…

Day 6 – Castello Banfi Today was the pilgrimage to Mecca…..errrr Castello Banfi.   We were all looking forward to this trip but it goes without saying that I was perhaps the most eager to see the estate and the surrounding…

Years ago, I “discovered” Foppiano Vineyards Petite Sirah, I think during the 1997 vintage. The wine was so good, that I bought it by the case. Somewhere along the line, I lost track of them, but recently got on track…

Over the years, I’ve had countless bottles of Italian wine. There are several types that I love on a consistent basis; for example Brunello di Montalcino.  However, when I want a comforting, delicious, complex, and very sensual wine, I am…