Paired this smooth Sake with a delicious rice bowl. It's been a while since I drank the stuff. Do you drink yours chilled, room temp or warm?

Aged Brunello with some braised beef shanks. So absolutely amazing..

I have drunk/opened thousands upon thousands of wine bottles in my time but this is a first. A double corking. Delicious wine btw...

That's the last of my Rangpur Gin, touched by some dry Vermouth and gently bathing some stuffed olives.

Enjoying an ‘18 Poujeaux with a Strip steak and salad. Jet lag is a beotch….

Drank some Chasselas on the plane ride home from Switzerland. I gotta say, it's quite nice! It reminds me of Chardonnay done in a minimalist way- no oak, MLF or battonage. Light and crispy with good acidity, a medium (-) body, aromas/flavors of apple, citrus and herbs. Too bad you can't find it.

A stunning CDP that we paired with Fondue, in Zurich. 13.5% ABV, low for the style yet relatively full bodied and silky smooth. The dessert was something else.

German Pinot Noir, under the radar and called Spätburgunder. This one was chock full of barnyard, sour cherries, silky tannins and balancing acidity. Low in alcohol at 12.5%, it had a lovely freshness, despite the funk.

Guess what I taught on the top deck of our river boat….

Currently cruising up the Rhine and Mosel- sipping the local wines. Even the beer is fantastic.

Bought myself a treat wine on our river cruise. An aged Blaufrankish/Cabernet/Zweigelt with powdery tannins, loads of tertiary development and crunchy acidity. Sublime.

Famous for the sweet Muscat Beaumes-de-Venise, this small region in the Southern Rhone makes some pretty tasty Grenache/Syrah based reds as well. Under the radar in the US, I managed to find this beauty in a Paris wine shop. Meaty with cracked pepper and ripe blackberry. Good structure.

Dinner at Chez Gabrielle- Paris. The Burgundy on offer was delicious, it paired beautifully with my wine braised beef.

Fitou- from the south of France. A delicious Carignan based wine that won’t break the bank.

Sipping Savigny in Paris, kicking off our much anticipated Christmas Market cruise. I love Pinot, especially from Burgundy.

There is no legal definition for "Old Vine". This one happens to run a whopping 15.9% ABV. Seems about par for the course with Cali Zins. It's tasty and silky, but I can't see myself drinking this style too often.

A magnum of Gigondas was on tap- delicious but the 15% (minimum) ABV seriously hits.

Popped this Brit to kick off the feast. It was spectacular and only got better with some air. Bought it in the LHR Duty Free two years ago and glad I sat on it for a while. $55 equivalent pricing.

I got his hotel corkscrew in the early 2000's, the Crowne Plaza in Dubai. I've opened hundreds of bottles in many years of travels. It still works even though it's pretty beat up and the logo has long disappeared. Make of plastic, it never triggers the x-ray machines.

Decided to open an old Ribera for Sunday roast. It started out bitter, with an acerbic bite. With air and time it turned soft and layered with some lovely tertiary development. A somewhat compromised cork was overcome.

The delicious little brother of the Grand Vin from Lebanon. Just yummmmm.

That gorgeous color of Amontillado- can you smell the juxtaposition of Flor and Oxidative aging?

I paid $20 for this $60 Pinot. It was very tasty, but not for the list price. It's my style alright, just a bit one-dimensional.

Sunday morning Bloodies, watching my team get slaughtered in Madrid.

Wine's are generally well made these days, but every so often I taste one that I don't care for. Green, hard tannins take over this Gamay and really dominate the whole affair. It got high scores but for me it's a pass.

Napa Cab with Lamb chops. Oh my. 93 points on sale for $15 at Costco, getting a few more methinks.

It started out with some astringent tannins, but has since softened and is very drinkable. Smooth, with loads of dark fruit, a pleasing mouthfeel and a medium length finish, all for $15. Who doesn't love Malbec?

One of my favorite Oregon Pinot brands- always delicious and the style is right up my alley for New World. Delicious and worthy of 92 points.

Paired a Carménère with Goulash last night. Pretty good together I gotta say. I paid $9 for the bottle at Costco, it was on sale from $13. Might get some more, like a few cases....

Cabernet Franc is Virginia's flagship red grape. King Family Vineyards is where we celebrated my daughter's 21st, so I picked up a few bottles for the cellar. Lovely stuff that runs $30 ex-chateau.

Mencia for a Saturday night dinner. A yummy grape found predominantly in the Iberian Peninsula. This one ran me $25 ish and gets north of 91 points.

Red sky at night- Sailor’s delight. Peaceful time on the Potomac, reflecting on the greatness of the week.

Orders new glasses 'cause my friends keep breaking them.

Potomac River vibes. Out for a stroll with the missus.

Chambourcin based Rosé from Northern Virginia. Crisp acidity makes this a delicious and juicy wine that I paired with Cajun Shrimp. A little steep at $32, but a nice local treat.

Smoked Duck breast and a serviceable Shiraz. That's what's for dinner.

I did not like this wine last year, but it has morphed since. A steal at my local Costco at $10- it gets 90 points. Cali Cab that delivers on structure and ripe fruit.

Saw this magnum of Chianti for sale at my local supermarket. I needed some wine for a beef shin braise so I bought it. It's got age and shows it. Gritty tannins, but really nice red fruit. The sauce was amazing and the wine softened as the night matured. At $9, not bad for a weekday quaffer.

Sunday roast season is upon us. I smoked this Strip on the Egg and paired it with an older Rioja, followed by a delicious Spatlese for dessert.

It's not often, but every once in a blue moon I get a corked bottle. Back in the day, they say 10% of all bottles sold were faulty. It's gotten a lot better, but still.....

Taking an Advanced Navigation Instructor course this weekend. Interesting stuff but my old eyes are having a hella time with the details.

A Saperavi blend from Moldova. $20 gets you a stunner. Decanter went big on the scores, to me it’s a 91 pointer. Well worth searching for.

Pinot Noir- so delicious. This one has an everything I could want. Some funk, yummy red fruit, lithe tannins, firming acidity and a long finish. Glad I have a few more of the cellar. It's going to age nicely.

Here's one for the sailors.... Potomac river with 17 knots of wind. Awesome day for a Hobie Cat ride.

Picked up some different flavored Radlers for the missus to try. She preferred the Stiegl Grapefruit (not pictured), but they were all very refreshing and tasty. Running sub 3% ABV, it's a nice change for an afternoon quencher.

Ran out of regular Gin, so my Negroni has a different hue since I used Butterfly Pea infused Indigo. Still delicious!

I adore Nebbiolo and appreciate the different levels of quality and price points, but this one did not deliver. $25 and all I got was a medium (-) intensity on the nose/palate at best. The tannins were tough, as expected, but there was an astringency I could not get past on the mid.

Been saving this Cab Franc for a while- so when my daughter surprised us with a weekend visit I opened it up. Quite green, good tannins that are just softening, black fruits galore and a long finish. I happened to be making Stroganoff, it was a decent pairing.

I forgot to mention this German Pinot Noir I picked up in Munich at a market. Probably not the best provenance, but it was delicious, earthy, balanced and I really enjoyed drinking it! It cost me €55, worth every penny. No notes taken but this is potentially a 92-93 pointer.

Our last night in Vienna and I drank this Braufränkisch with my roasted Duck dinner. I'll miss the ability to order these native grapes and enjoy them for a pittance compared to big-name, over-priced bottles sold at huge margins in our restaurants back home.