Carmenere is to Chile what Malbec is to Argentina. Dark fruit driven, easygoing structure, affordable and the flagship variety of the country. This one runs $13 and gets 90 points. Need to get more.

These Cape Gooseberries remind me of the time I was studying for my wine certifications. I would buy any and all fruit to taste and calibrate.

An Argie Cab Franc for Sunday Roast-spectacular. A touch of capsicum, silky tannins, balanced and showing cellar-worthy structure.

Smoked Duck breast with fig reduction paired with Napa Cabernet. Stunning how well they went together.

Alsace Gewurztraminer- not many regions do it this well. I had a long think about this pairing- Gumbo. This off-dry wine will do wonders to the dark roux, chicken, Andouille and shrimp methinks. It ran me $27 and is the first of several that I bought to try out. I had a Gewurz hankering per se.

$30 gets you a delicious Napa Cab blend that shows off Cali sunshine, deft oak, great primary flavors and decent cellaring capacity. Brought over to the SB party by a friend. I'll get it again for sure.

Further to my earlier post on Grifone and their "1967" cuvee- I present the Primitivo (aka Zinfandel). Priced at the same level ($7 at Trader Joes), it delivers an unfettered, lowish alcohol quaffer that I really enjoyed with our Beef dinner. Not jammy or heady- easygoing and smooth.

Had a delicious dinner at a new restaurant in Aldie, Virginia. The owner treated us to a taste of this beauty- still fresh but developed with gorgeous marmalade, honey and wild flower notes. A special bottle for sure.

The missus asked me to get this $7 Sangiovese blend from Trader Joes. I gotta say, it's very serviceable and may be added to the weekday pounder rota. What it lacks in structure and depth, it makes up for in smoothness and personality.

Braised Pork cheeks and a Margaux my buddy brought over. Sunday cooking....

I don't get it with this wine. Second try , different vintage, same conclusion. There's not much there. No intensity, lacking concentration and certainly not true to form structure-wise. It's easy to drink, true. Is it me?

Finally- a decent Saperavi for $15. I like that it runs at 12.5% ABV yet delivers a medium bodied, red fruit driven wine with decent tannins and a nice finish. Paired it with peppers and Andouille.

On sale for $7, down from $10 at my local Costco- this Kiwi Sav Blanc rocks. The acidity was en pointe, the aromas/flavors were delicious and the finish was decently long. What more could you want?

Taught my Wine Tasting 101 class last night, it's been a while since I did the last one. Tons of fun, great students and delicious wines.

My last bottle of the 2000 vintage- this Shiraz is stunning. I recently drank a 2014 which was one of my favorites of the year but this one is next level. Baby brother to The Armagh.

Petite Sirah before the big storm. What are you popping this weekend?

A Right Bank blend from Virginia. Delicious, structured, age-worthy and available for $37. It should cellar nicely for a decade or so.

This guy is a lunatic.

Loved this rosé at the winery and brought some home back in the summer. I opened it to pair with Vietnamese rolls and it was just meh, lacking concentration, acidity and direction. Interestingly- there is no ABV statement on the bottle, I searched for a while.

An interesting story about the McBride sisters. They make a very good Kiwi Sav Blanc that is consistent and well priced at $14. Lovely and juicy!

An exceptional Cru Bojo- "concentrated" is what the missus and I both thought. Ripe fruit, great structure with powdery tannins, gobs of flavor and priced in the 30's. Only 88 points on release, this one is getting another look at when I find more.

Tasty but lacking concentration and complexity. Too bad, I sat on it for a few years.

I tasted this Saperavi before, but from a funky amphora bottle. It doesn't improve past the 87 points I thought it was worthy of the first go around. Thin and lacking much structure, it still tastes decent and has some interesting notes but for $25, my cash goes elsewhere.

Drank some Moonshine last night, and I liked it. Super smooth, apple driven and only 70 Proof. Might get a proper bottle now.

There's something about Cali Pinot- you can spend a ton or get in the door under $15. This one really impressed me for its QPR. Some cellaring in my buddies basement helped, no doubt.

Can you guess what the flavor profile is on this Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon? I must say, the tannins were very grippy, even a touch green after 5 years of age. It runs $13, perhaps a decent weekday quaffer.

I bought this bottle of Samso (Carignan) sight unseen. I should have known better, but $35 for a Priorat sounds enticing. It was obviously not well cared. It's at peak, if not a touch over the hill, yet still delivered amazing tertiary notes on the palate. The nose was a bit too 'old, and tired'.

Malbec- so smooth, so tasty. I should focus more on this grape in 2026. Paired it with a Tri-tip I roasted in the oven after a quick broil.

Over the hill- such a shame. It had a beautiful, mature nose but alas... the wine was so sour it was hard to enjoy the tertiary development. Oh well, you win some and you lose some in the game of cellaring wines.

Good morning and Happy New Year. We stayed home, ate fondue and opened this stunning Shiraz. I must say- it's one of my favorite 2025 wines. Got a few left for 2026!

A friend brought this Barolo over so I opened it last night. It's not great, but it's not bad, especially for $16 from Trader Joes. It's certainly too young for many, but you can tame the tannins with some decanting/aerating. The flavors are true to form and it gives ample satisfaction.

Another Moldovan wine, this one being 100% Rarǎ Neagrǎ. Slightly green tannins eventually mellowed out, the combo red and black fruit with a touch of oak was quite enjoyable. $17 gets you in.

Ten bucks gets you this Kiwi Sav Blanc. Consistent, tasty, certainly zesty and widely available. They make a nice Chardonnay as well as a delicious Pinot.

Musar Blanc and Lobster for Christmas dinner. What a treat!

It was a Christmas miracle. A 1998 Vin de Pays that my buddy found in his attic. Tertiary development for sure, yet still offering hints fruit with a silky mouthfeel. I was shocked.

I realize the bottle is empty- but we have unanimously agreed that white Glüewein is our favorite flavor. Thoughts?

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.