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Is this fun or what? The holiday season, I mean. It’s not often you get a pass to cast prudence and caution to the wind and plunk down some serious green for a little red or white. I‘ve already been perusing the shelves of my favorite wine shops (and online too) in search of that…

At dinner the other evening at a local restaurant, I asked the waiter if he could decant the rather full-bodied red wine that I had selected to accompany our meal. One of my tablemates looked quizzically at me and inquired why I felt the wine needed to be decanted. To air or not to air.…

I’ve proclaimed this many times before, but it bears repeating: Thanksgiving is truly a wine lover’s holiday! Why? Simply put, it’s the culinary versatility of the Thanksgiving dinner and the way turkey and all the “fixins” can be successfully paired with just about any type of wine. The turkey by itself possesses meat that has…

One of the state’s premier food and wine events will once again be held in beautiful Tucker County at Canaan Valley Resort. The “Wild, Wonderful Wine Weekend,” which has become an annual gourmet extravaganza, will be held this year from November 9th thru 11th. Once again, I will have the privilege of selecting the wines…

When it comes to finding that special wine you’ve been looking for, we’ve come a long way baby! I am old enough to remember a time when searching for a good bottle of wine in West -By -Golly was an exercise in futility and frustration. That was back when the only place to purchase wine…

My affection for wine is rekindled each time I visit a working winery and observe not only the amazing process of transforming sweet grape juice into wine, but also the passion of the people who grow the grapes and make the finished product. At St. Supery Estate Vineyards and Winery in the Napa Valley, that…

While rooting around for something to pair with the spicy baby back ribs we were going to enjoy for Sunday dinner, I grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine. And not just any sparkler, but a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne. But doesn’t true Champagne deserve to be paired with foie gras or caviar –…

I am flawed human being. I know this because I am married to a brutally candid woman who reminds me daily of my myriad imperfections. Hey, I’m not complaining. If she were not critical of some of my more my aberrant idiosyncrasies, I would probably be living in a cave, wearing an animal skin and…

I oftentimes refer to bottles of that elixir we all love as either Saturday night specials or everyday sippers. Saturday night specials can also morph into holiday or celebratory wines when the occasion dictates. So, doing the math, you will have significantly more opportunities to experience the everyday sippers. I know. I am the master…

I am a locavore. I love to eat locally grown produce and meat that has been raised on nearby farms. I also love wines produced in our state and I am constantly on the prowl for good Mountain State sippers. And there are a number of them being produced among the 20 state wineries scattered…