Volume XXV – Issue 3

By Dan Berger Although the coronavirus has radically changed the way Americans now live their lives, wine lovers should consider themselves fortunate because some of the changes we have seen benefit us in ways we could never imagine. From the sta… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “Wine in the Time of a Virus”

(A version of this story and Tasting Notes were published in a trade magazine a few months ago) In the 1990s, as the world was gaining its first real look at the some of the world’s greatest nontraditional wine growing regions, Alsace was one are… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back … Continue reading “Zind-Humbrecht”

Partially as a result of the worldwide wine glut, the discount supermarket chain Grocery Outlet, with ~350 stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Pennsylvania, is offering (at selected stores) a wider array of branded wines than… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If you aren’t … Continue reading “Special Tip”

A brief note about the retail pricing: We always attempt to list the suggested retail price, and when we started this publication 24 years ago it became evident fairly early that everyone has a different price, based on a court ruling from 1978. … Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – … Continue reading “Tasting Notes”

2017 Black Kite Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, “Gap’s Crown Vineyard” ($62): To say that a Chardonnay is Burgundian can almost be a knee-jerk reaction by some American wine critics for wines that are expansive not to mention expensive. Part of the mystiq… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login … Continue reading “Wine of the Week”

Exclusive to Bottle Barn, Santa Rosa 2016 Avaia Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, Bennet Valley ($9.99/Bottle Barn): Probably no one within earshot is looking for a classic 1970s-style Bordeaux Blanc that has the same minerality that Smith-Haut-Lafite onc… Want to read more? If you’re already a subscriber, welcome back – you may login here. If you aren’t a subscriber, … Continue reading “Bargain of the Week”