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Wines of SE Arizona: Impressive Quality, Diversity and Taste of Terroir. Part I: Highlights of the Willcox Area
In an attempt to escape the gray post-New Years's blues, I recently flew to Tucson, AZ to evaluate the wines of the southeastern part of the state between Willcox and Sonoita. These towns both have their own regional AVAs or American Viticultural Areas, and 75% of...
My Top Wines of 2017
I’ll start off my list of what I consider the top wines I've tasted in 2017 by listing the wines in the Governor's Case, the top twelve-scoring wines in the Governor's Cup wine competition. I am one of the judges for the final round in which these wines were picked...
Vinous Encounters: An Old Australian Classic, a Very Old Virginia Cabernet Sauv., and Two New Releases from Ankida Ridge
Thursday 12/14 I enjoyed dinner in Charlottesville with consulting viticulturist Lucie Morton, and a colleague of hers from Australia, Helen Waite. After enjoying some introductory tastes, I was asked to fetch a bottle from Lucie's wine cellar. I couldn't find it, but...
My Virginia Wine Picks for a Locavore Thanksgiving
It goes without saying that Thanksgiving is the ultimate American, loca-vore feast, so why would you shop for locally farmed produce and turkeys, while buying a wine from overseas or the West Coast? Especially now, and especially in the East (where Thanksgiving...
The 50th AWS Conference and the Great Inland Northeast Winery Tour
November 2-4th saw the 50th conference of the American Wine Society in Kalahari Resort of the Poconos, PA. Seminar highlights for me included: Annette Schiller’s presentations on Alsace and Burgundy, accompanied by brilliant wines, as well as Paul Wagner’s fascinating...
Virginia Cideries Showcase New Releases Prior to Cider Week
On Friday, October 20th I went to a press tasting featuring half a dozen Virginia cideries at Buskey Cider in Richmond. The tasting was the first step in getting the word out about Virginia Cider Week (Nov. 10-19), and I was impressed at both the quality and diversity...