John Brown’s grandparents, Saverio and Catarina Iaquinta, are seen at center above in this photo from the couple’s 50th wedding anniversary

A friend recently asked how I came to be such a fanatic about wine. Good question and I get it often, especially now that I have a wine blog and “WineBoy” weekly podcast. As a matter of fact, I did a little self analysis on that question years ago and I think I’ll share it with you right here and now.

When I was growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s, I had the privilege of being raised in a culture distinctly different from most of my contemporaries of that time, and light years away from how kids grow up today. Back in those times, my world almost exclusively revolved around home and family. My mother was Italian and my father was Irish, but since I was raised with my mother’s family, it was the Italian influence and ethnicity into which I was absorbed. My maternal grandparents were both immigrants who spoke heavily accented English and who provided their nine children and 23 grand children with the elements of Italian culture and values that have molded our extended families to this day. (more…)

We’ve reached Episode 4 in the WineBoy webcast series “The Five ‘S’ Words of Wine.’” In this one you finally get to — ‘S’ word! — sip. John Brown also serves up an affordable and classy Chardonay recommendation plus his signature off-the-wall, free association commentary. To view prior episodes:
Episode 3: ‘Sniff’
Episode 2: ‘Swirl’
Episode 1: ‘Sight’

If you haven’t yet seen my alter-ego on the big screen, you need to tune in by clicking on the WineBoy webcast list below. This is the fourth in a series of five shows dealing with the five S’s of wine appreciation. So far, I’ve told you about Sight, Swirl, Sniff and now Sip (my favorite) and next week we’ll feature the last “S” swallow. The webcasts feature about two-thirds wine education and one-third complete and utter foolishness from the depths of my diseased brain.

On this episode four, I’m recommending you try a lovely and inexpensive chardonnay. In the past three episodes, I’ve also recommended specific wine for your drinking pleasure. You’ll have to view the webcasts to find out. Let me know what you think about WineBoy and how we can improve these little vino-vignettes for you.

I am convinced that a great number people who would like to enjoy wine with everyday meals are discouraged from doing so by a concern for both prudence and moderation. Prudence dictates that one should not be profligate and purchase a perishable (and sometimes expensive) product that cannot be consumed before it goes bad, while moderation demands that we drink alcoholic beverages responsibly.

So here’s the paradoxical question: how can you drink wine in a responsible manner everyday without wasting the majority of an oftentimes expensive bottle? In other words, how do we preserve the freshness and drinkability of wine over several days once it has been opened? (more…)

The International Pinot Noir Celebration event I attended a couple weeks ago was a marvelous exploration of Oregon wine, the region’s wonderfully fresh produce and the various meats and seafood harvested from the area’s woods and waters.

The event was held at Linfield College – a small institution located in an idyllic setting in McMinnville, Ore., which was wine central for Oregon pinot noir that weekend and hosted the many alfresco lunches, tastings and dinners. My wife and I stayed at the lovely and romantic Mattey House B&B (503-434-5058) situated on a seven-acre farm and vineyard outside McMinnville. We were hosted by Jack and Denise Seeds, the wonderfully accommodating owners, who demonstrated an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the Willamette Valley’s wines, wineries and people. (more…)

Click here to view the debut of ‘WineBoy, a new weekly 5-minute gazzTV web show hosted by gazz wine blogger John Brown. “WineBoy” is what some friends tagged him as he came to be known as a wine expert. Each five-minute episode features a mix of serious, sometimes silly webcasting on the art of wine along with wine recommendations from local retail outlets. This first episode is part one of a five-part series on “The Five ‘S’ Words of Wine,” beginning with “sight.”