A center City Philadelphia townhouse from a lawyer who accumulated $100,000 books. Watch the video, it's pretty cool. Gift link, should be accessible https://share.inquirer.com/8YU94N

Sad to announce that Francisco Olazabal, Sr., Douro icon, head of the family that owns Vale Meão and Founding Mestre and Chancellor Emeritus of the Confraria do Vinho do Porto, passed this week. He left a mark on the region. #wine #douro #portugal #port

If anything, this 1997 has fleshed out with age, showing a touch overripe (no surprise for the category), rich and a little jammy. (It's Amarone!) Perhaps it has less relative finesse today than in its younger years. It's showing some age, but it also drinks […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This Assyrtiko from Pavlidis in Northern Greece is another of the nice examples OFF of Santorini. This 2022 is obviously young and fruity. Drunk next to a mature Santorini, it was an interesting contrast in both structure and style. This had its own merits […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This 2017 Falling Man is in a great place. The only flaw was mine--it was served too cold. Once it warmed, this Dry Riesling blossomed, still showing the good structure, elegance and depth I expected,plus fresher fruit. Clean and beautifully balanced, it's […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Well, I expected to be here. Hoping for more elbow room. Should be a good thing. Anybody notice some people missing?

Summer is waning, but I still have some time for Vinho Verde! I'm burning through a stash of these 2015s, an iconic brand in Vinho Verde. Let's have another! Holding beautifully, it's barely middle-aged, even at age 10. The vibrant acidity supports maturing […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

1/2 Finally ready; hadn't had one in awhile. Another fine '01 performance, no surprise, this Riesling is holding great, still seems young.More aging might help it! If not immortal, seems close. Fresh & showing its sweet finish, it has enough structure to […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This '99 Clos de la Roche operates with a subtle touch and freshness. It's all about finesse, plus some power, with dried black cherries in the background. Leaning a little to austerity, it's not trying to be a fruit bomb, but the good acidity refreshes the […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This 2012 was just singing. I can sometimes excuse a little oxidation for development and complexity, but there was none at age 13. Fresh and focused, this evolved well and held perfectly. Ripe, but textured and showing fine depth, it's super. The price of […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This 2008, bottled 2012, is perfect for drinking now--the Vinsanto category holds well, with those sundried grapes (Assyrtiko + 10% Aidani). There's fine tension, a mouthwatering finish with plenty of sugar and there is a fair hit of alcohol this year (14 […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Someone who I always felt never got enough attention, an archaeologist who was very much into the history of wine, beer and food. This is a gift link, it should work. https://share.inquirer.com/Px4iCg #wine

The 2015 (a blend of Códega do Larinho, Rabigato, Viosinho and Gouveio) is a vigorous 10-year-old from esteemed Wine & Soul winery. This is a nice time to try a bottle, although it is still young and has much life left (could be a decade more). Elegant, but […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

We often hear wine was considered safer than the water in the old days. Here's a deep dive from the World of Fine Wine mag. It's complicated. #wine https://worldoffinewine.com/uncategorized/wine-was-safer-than-water

AI ---Many have commented about how eager TechBros are to push it, yet there's a "mismatch between phone makers' bullish approach to AI and consumers' general apprehension...." --AI factored into upgrade decisions 11% of time, drop of 7% --30% don't think it's helpful, don't want more […]

Someone brought this familiar friend, Alpha Estate's Xinomavro Reserve VV (2020 vintage) from Northern Greece. Sometimes a bit powerful in its youth, this had (so I'm told) a nice, but gentle slow-ox decant and it was drinking beautifully, fresh and fruity […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

1/2 Assyrtiko, Assyrtiko, yeah, great. Went Greeking last night, so I will get around to that. But with some summer left, can I say two of my fave Greek fresh-and-aromatic summer whites are Moschofilero and Malagouzia, and this is a nice Mala example from […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

You know you have to store wine well, but I am an evangelist for giving it the best chance it has. That includes good provenance. Here's what I mean. #wine

Labor Day was fruitful. :) This wasn't hard work at all. A sexy vintage for Seavey, this 2001 is fruit forward now, concentrated and a little unctuous, relatively, not quite as powerful as some, but maybe richer. Still, it's Seavey and that means it opens […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Up, working on coffee. Calendar says it's September 1 and Labor Day. Aieeeeeeeeeeeeee. How did that happen? Where did the summer go? More coffee, I think. ☕

I want a jubbe of 1990 Romanée-Conti. A boy can dream.

The 2016 Liatiko, a Cretan value from Douloufakis, is holding well, but this is a good time to dive in. Darker red fruits dominate. There is still some tannic pop, but it's more approachable these days. It still needed some air. Tight, focused & a bit earthy […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Always right on the money, Mike Lukovich, captures the vibe perfectly.

Time marches on, but the 2001 RvK Riesling Spätlese laughs and ignores it. Bright and sunny, this shows tasty fruit with hints of peach & grapefruit. This isn't missing anything and it improves with air. Arguably, it's better the next day. It's acquired a […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Took an HOUR to get from Broad and Spruce to Broad and Mifflin. This is on a major road, middle of the day, major bus route. Thanks @SEPTA. Imagine this: the draconian cutbacks being planned start Sunday.🤦🤷😱 #philadelphia #publictransport #septa

2012 Baga "Clássico" (V. Puro) is from very old Baga vines in Bairrada (80-100 years). Wood-aged for 24 months (much of it used, though)? Doesn't show.Bright with a juicy finish, acidity makes the Baga jump off the palate. Has another decade or so left, maybe […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Nykteri Reserve '18 (85% Assyrtiko) is in a great place today--developed but young, ripe and fresh. It can hold a lot longer, but it's proving irresistible now. Santo Wines has a restrained Nykteri style--no oxidation here!--but deep & delicious with a firm […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

A lazy Sunday, and I think I'll just hang around doing nothing. My inspiration: this Koala I met and photographed a couple of decades back in Australia. (Cairns, as I recall.) Really, let someone else vacuum. Leave me alone. #koala #australia #silentsunday

1/2 In good shape at 35 years, it's fully mature and well developed, but it has the stuff to still be more beautiful the next day. Good depth remains, nuanced with some predictable forest floor and touch of tobacco. Yet this last bottle is beautifully […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Wiemer in Finger Lakes has several fabled single-vineyards, but this just "Dry Riesling" is a good value point in the lineup. It ages well and provides bang for the buck. It's a gentle, somewhat rounder style--hardly bone dry (9 grams of sugar), but it sure […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

This War of the Worlds 2025 review is hilarious. "I promised myself that I wouldn't pause on every other frame to make fun of it...I'm not paid enough for that." You wonder what goes through the minds of producers to spend the money on a movie and release THIS. #movies […]

A fave Portuguese white, Primus from Pellada: mostly Encruzado and Bical. The price is daunting ($80-ish), but the wine is pretty fine. This 2015 met expectations! Bright and crisp, it's pulled in the modest wood (6 months, used) and seems pure with good […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

An iconic label, this year is mature, but still lively and bright, with a nicely aged Bordeaux feel to it in its medley of aromas and flavors. A touch of cassis up front is countered by more mature nuances and complexity. The whole comes together beautifully […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

People like Moschofilero (different spellings!) young--but this is holding well;no reason it can't hold more.It maybe even drank better 2 days later. This Salto brand is a bit different: stony, not as fruity. From high-elevation & based on the Mavrofilero […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

I was excited to see that Netflix's Lidia Poët--billed as a limited series--is back for S.2. Great show based on a true story, which I hadn't realized--Lidia becomes the first modern female Italian lawyer and winds up disbarred as a woman. In the meanwhile […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

1/2 Quinta Nova (from Luisa Amorim) has a series of Grande Reservas with a different emphasis.This is mostly Touriga Nacional (with 25% old vines blended in). It throws off the bottle slumber with air and what emerges is a wonderfully fresh and elegant wine […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Incredibly fresh, even more so than the fine 01 Christoffel Spatlese I posted on recently. (Awesome, I have a lot left.) If tasted blind and someone said "5 years old," I might not have disagreed. This was just gorgeous, ripe and rich, yet with an underlying […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

1/2 This NV Pinot Blanc (+16% Pinot Gris) reduces alcohol just to 7%. Searching for the Goldilocks “just right” level (0% is hard)? It’s from Rheinhessen, Germany at Wasem Winery plus Wölffer's winemaker Roman Roth, but under Wölffer's new Long Island label […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The way to go out,age 31: Held well from a vintage with some issues, but this sturdy, old-school red provided value ($28 then) in a leaner, less ripe style. Mature now, there is some forest floor and the like, but it blossoms with air, & drinks as well or […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Even in 2004, they had Trump pegged.😈 From "Dead Like Me, " Season 2, EP. 4 #politics

The 2016 MQ Vinhos Vale dos Ares Limited Edition (meaning 6 mos. in used wood, small production) is Alvarinho, still fresh and lively, with focus and flavor. Wood, of course, changes the equation, but acidity has a say here and there is tension on the finish […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Saw a wine shop ad: "Why French Wines Are Perfect for Bastille Day Celebrations." Doh. 🙄 '95 V-R. Suchots from Arlot held well for long journey to last bottle status,but it sure changed.At least from this bottle, it's lean, earthy and old-school, with dried […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

Considering how long I've been into wine, many people say, "What's your best tip?" Here it is. I mean, who doesn't hate Zoom meetings and need a pick-me-up? #wine #zoom

Great stuff, kinda brilliant now. From Northern Greece, this brand is one of my favorite Assyrtikos off of Santorini (Biblia Chora also makes a red Areti). Ripe but crisp, with a good backbone of acidity and some tension on the finish, it's deep and clean, a […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

"This French astronaut’s food in space? Foie gras and lobster bisque." From a Michelin chef. The French, showing us how it's done yet again. (They aren't perfect. Could she bring wine? 🍷) Gift link, should open! https://share.inquirer.com/Ft9jHg #food #france #space #astronauts

1/2 This '03 Escolha is a Loureiro aged in used wood for six months. Alvarinho is more famous, but it's not the only great grape in Vinho Verde. (Vinhão lovers, you know who you are, step back. 🤫 ) This acquitted itself well for a Vinho Verde aging curve […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

"I'd start a sentence, then remember I needed to answer that...email.Mid-thought, I'd open a new tab to look up a quote, then find myself watching a YouTube video...phone would buzz...a quick check-before losing the thread entirely." An inspired article.I'm not sure about all the solutions, but […]

https://slate.com/life/2025/07/west-coast-wildfires-wine-vineyards-oregon-climate-change.html Why are winemakers embracing smoke flavors in wine? I suspect the answer is...they have no choice. But do you want smoke in wines? #wine

Finally got around to this, and boy was it worth it. It's hard to put down and creates something that's a little new. All it needs now is the sequel. 🤭 @garethlpowell […]

The inscription in shadows: "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness." In Washington Square, Phila., at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the Revolutionary War. In this place there are thousands of unknown, unmarked graves in a mass burial […] [Original post on mastodon.social]