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.

Zweigelt, Austria's most widely planted grape is a cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent. It is full bodied with firm tannins and dark cherry notes. Affordable, delicious and capable of medium term cellaring.

Stunning dessert wines in Rust. A great winery tour to boot!

Blaufränkinsch is a beautiful grape found mainly in Austria. Spicy, bold, tannic- it has structure and aging capacity. It's also the father of Zweigelt, another Central European grape that flies under the American radar. Delicious and affordable. Get some...

Lagrein is native to the Alto-Adige. Rich, tannic, spicy... I wish we had more to choose from at home.

Easygoing, delicious and well balanced. Dornfelder needs more respect- it's a very versatile grape that is low in tannins, juicy and tasty. When in Germany....€8 per bottle.

No tasting notes, just delicious wine paired with Beef cheeks. Munich has some great alternatives to beer and pretzels!

My Oktoberfest pose

I know it's a little early in the season, but the Glühwein was calling. Glockenspiel watching in Munich's town square.

I could show you pics of Oktoberfest beers, but will regale you with a very reasonably priced red we enjoyed pre-dinner in the hotel in Munich.

I've had this before, but this time it was slightly more austere. Grenache and Syrah with no oak treatment. It's also a bit astringent on the back end, but decent with a meal. $25

Spent the weekend teaching on the Chesapeake.

A subtle approach to Sauvignon Blanc, from the Finger Lakes that runs $17. I think I enjoyed it more at the winery.

Italian Chardonnay, even as a blend, is really growing on me. Unoaked, without MLF, it’s a delicious representation of the grape. This one ran me $18 and warrants 91 points.

Cambozola cheese- a cross between Camembert and Gorgonzola. What could be better? Adding a drop of Port, that's what.

A good buddy came over for dinner, we started with Manhattans. The rest is history... #bordeaux #port

I've had several vintages of this blend from Lebanon, each one seems to get better. Grenache Noir, Cinsault and Tempranillo- an interesting combo that gives me more dark fruit (some say red), medium (+) tannins that are grippy, along with juicy acidity. $19

Saperavi is a teinturier grape , found mainly in Georgia. Pink flesh and dark skins make for a brooding ruby wine. This one has delightful chalky tannins, black fruit and deft oak. $18 and 91 points

A few bottles we cracked open for Friday night Happy Hour. The host was pretty generous. My Beringer showed nicely but the Giscours was the WOTN.

Had a spectacular meal at Coral in Greenville, SC where we drank this Burgundy from Bichot. Retailing at $55, we paid just shy of a Benji, making it a 'deal' at restaurant pricing. I would give it 90 points and think it will develop over time.

Malbec for our cocktail hour last night. Super smooth, easy to drink yet showing some nice complexity.

Not sure I love this Nebbiolo- kinda thin. My friends enjoyed so there’s that…..

I usually love every Gran Reserva I buy, but this one is lacking depth and complexity. It's just alright, not worth the money I paid.

Well hello there little beauty. I love this winery, and the '19 is opening up nicely. Paired it with Ribeye Cap steaks.

Monastrell, aka Mourvèdre, is usually a gamy and spicy red with high tannins. It's usually blended with Grenache and Syrah to make a GSM, or used in rosè production. This bottle happens to be a consistent overperformer that can be had for under $15. It's not 93 points worth, perhaps 90-91.

Zinfandel is a lovely grape, also known as Primitivo in Italy and Crljenak Kaštelanski in its native Croatia. Silky smooth, with lowish tannins and usually very ripe fruit. Seghesio has been a consistent performer in making Zins affordable and delicious. $18 for this beauty at Costco.

Labor Day was fun. We sailed and ate dinner at a riverside Tapas joint. I cherish my time working as a union leader and hope people understand what this holiday is all about.

I was not a huge fan of this wine when I first bought a case but it has evolved nicely over the years and is finally decent. Not great, just decent.

I bought a few different bottles of Italian Chardonnay after our trip to Tuscany. This one is delicious. The acidity builds, the oak is restrained and I doubt there has been any MLF. It's a balanced beauty- 91 points and $28.

Supervising a group of new sailors.

What a glorious night to be sitting outside, sipping on a Napa Cab.

White wine that has had some skin contact, aka Orange wine, is fast catching on with mainstream wine drinkers. A touch of phenolic bitterness coupled with high acidity and a somewhat waxy mouthfeel makes for a delicious peach-driven wine here. $23 and 91 points from moi.

I've been trading the EURO for the past several months, watching it slide bigly. The circus running this shitshow has really degraded our foreign buying power and the market has agreed. Look at today's massive devaluation in the matter of minutes. Guess who sold at the peak?

No dude, it will always be known as just the Kennedy Center. Take your tacky taste elsewhere.

My ride today…. The Hobie 16. What an awesome catamaran.

Spotted a rainbow over the Capital last night. It was an eerie sight after a pretty rowdy storm blew over D.C.

Another wine from my daughter's birth year- the 2004 Neo is vibrant, packed with layers of fruit, built like a tank and incredibly delicious. Tempranillo at its finest. Served it with Ribeye Cap steak. $130 and worthy of 94 points.

Last night's wine tasting finished with the '98 Musar. A stunner that I have drunk before, still showing off its pedigree. Cotes du Rhone white, a Cab Franc from Argentina, Reserva Rioja all showed well, but overshadowed in the end.

Anchoring at Mt. Vernon with my students.