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Sentium, a white wine from Continuum
Seeking to establish a throughline from the groundbreaking Fumé Blanc of her grandfather to her current generation, Chiara Mondavi has introduced a Sauvignon Blanc-based wine called Sentium through her...
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California wines of the 70s-80s versus wines of the 90s: Robert Parker in a...
I recently got my hands on a copy of Tor Kenward'sReflections of a Vintner and was stopped dead in my tracks by its two (count them, two) Forewords by wine and food industry stalwarts Robert M. Parker,...
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Book Review: Tor Kenward's Reflections of a Vintner
I have the good fortune of being able to call Tor Kenward friend. I have shared golf carts with him on Florida courses, sat through multiple Tor-led tastings of his wines, dined with him in Napa...
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Giacomo Tachis and the foundations of Super Tuscandom
He is said to have dragged Italian wine "kicking and screaming" into the 20th century by changing the style and the way the wines were perceived. According to Piero Antinori, he was "instrumental in...
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Tasting Tignanello 1990 - 2020 (Selected vintages)
A small group of Orlando-area wine enthusiasts have been holding monthly in-depth tastings of specific wines in order to improve our understanding of the producer, variety, and wine characteristics....
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Tasting the first 10 vintages (2005 - 2014) of Pritchard Hill's Continuum...
The launch of Continuum represented an attempt to resurrect (in short order) the Robert Mondavi branch of the winemaking family tree. The line from Cesare, founder of the Mondavi winemaking tradition,...
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PDO Muscat of Cephalonia
The Muscat grape is one of the oldest and most widespread grape families in the world and I have periodically reported on instances of its implementation. Previous writings include Asti DOCG, Muscat of...
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The Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) wines of Pantelleria
In his book Italy in a Wine Glass, Marc Millon refers to the Donnafugata Ben Ryè Passito di Pantelleria as ... a glorious, wondrous expression of the fermented grape: at once concentrated and complex,...
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Puglia's Moscato di Trani
I have been flipping between the Muscat wines of Greece, Italy, and Turkey and between the Petits Grains and Alexandria branches of the Muscat family and my hope was to close out the Greek phase of the...
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PDO Muscat of Rhodes
My exploration of the Muscat family of cultivars continues herein with Greece's PDO Muscat of Rhodes. The Greek Muscat wines studied to date have been, with the exception of Muscat of Lemnos, drawn...
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Donnafugata Pantelleria wines: 2021 Lighea Sicilia DOC Zibibbo and 2021 Ben...
I have previously reported on the grape-growing environment, viticultural practices, and wine types associated with the Zibibbo grapes grown on the island of Pantelleria. Herein I explore two of the...
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The sweet white wines of the Achaia PGI (Greece): PDO Muscats of Patras and...
I have, in this series, covered all of the Greek Muscat wines with the exception of the Muscats of Patras and Rio Patras. I address that shortcoming in this post.Achaia is one of the largest wine...
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The PDO Muscat wines of Greece
In this series I have been delving into the Muscat cultivar. With my most recent post on the Muscats of Patras and Rio Patras, I have completed coverage of the Greek instances of the cultivar and I...
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Muscat of Hamburg: Doing double duty as a table grape and a wine grape
Muscat of Hamburg (also known as Golden Hamburg, Black Hamburg, and Muscat de Hamburg, among 100 other synonyms) is the weakest of the muscats, in terms of aromas and flavor profile, and its origins...
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An Exploration of the slopes and terroirs of Mt. Etna with the wines of...
I have utilized discussion with, and the writings of, Benjamin North Spencer (New Wines of Mt Etna), the writings of Bill Nesto MW and Frances di Savino (The World of Sicilian Wine), and discussions...
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ViniMilo 2024: The Milo (Catania, Sicily) context
Over the past two weeks I have had the considered good fortune to attend the 44th edition of Milo’s ViniMilo celebration honoring the village and the producers and wines which bring repute to the area....
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Chateau Montelena Tasting: Background on the estate
The Judgment of Paris (so subsequently named) pitted an upstart American wine industry against its dominant French counterpart. The event took place at the Paris InterContinental Hotel on May 24, 1976...
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Tasting the Wines of Chateau Montelena: 1984 - 2013 (Selected vintages)
Continuing our blockbuster wine dinner tasting series, the Orlando Group gathered at the Herbst's home on August 3rd for a tasting of Chateau Montelena wines spanning the years 1984 - 2013. The tasting...
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Tenute Ballasanti: On the path to realization of a Mt. Etna wine dream
The ViniMilo 2024 program for the evening of August 30 called for a “White Volcanos” tasting dinner to be held at the Barone di Villagrande winery. The event brought together white wines from volcanic...
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Gambino Winery: Aesthetics and wine quality on Mt Etna
One of the kick-off events for ViniMilo 2024 – the municipality’s annual celebration of its wines and regional artisanal products – was a detailed tasting of Etna Bianco Superiore wines. One of the...
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