Category: Uncategorized

Charleston Area Wine Events Mark your calendars for two wine-related events over the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday October 13, from 5 to 8 p.m., the Liquor Company will have a special tasting of Joseph Phelps wines at their location in the Patrick Street Plaza. Phelps is one of the most prestigious and historically…

The next time you feel like complaining about the weird laws surrounding alcohol in the Mountain State, be thankful you don’t live in that land of plenty just to the north of us. To say that wine, beer and liquor laws in Pennsylvania are complicated and restrictive would be an epic understatement. In fact, getting…

Since I am able to trace one-half of my ancestry back to southern Italy, I am prone to wax poetically from time to time about the tasteful treats emanating from that remarkable boot-shaped peninsula bisecting the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas. And while it would be a gross oversight to disregard Italy’s contributions to art, culture…

I have always maintained that a good meal can be transformed into a great dining experience when a complimenting wine accompanies it. This is particularly important for restaurants. Those that understand and incorporate this principle into their business model should be recognized. Now it’s one thing for this backwater gourmand to say nice things about…

So which pinot noirs at the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) stood out to yours truly at that lovely weekend event in the Willamette Valley? So many were special, but several exceeded my expectations. As I mentioned last time, there were two evening tastings at IPNC where approximately 100 wineries were featured. The task of…

I have a love affair with pinot noir! Among its many attributes, I am most impressed (and mystified) by the wine’s unique ability to pair incredibly well with an array of edibles, including fish, fowl, lamb, beef and a whole host of vegetables. Pinot noir is a very difficult wine to produce. From vineyard to…

Boy do I love my grill! Not only does it provide me with the consummate summertime cooking tool, it also offers me the perfect excuse to postpone completing other (less enjoyable) chores like cutting the grass and cleaning out the basement. Over the years I have touted the virtues of charcoal over gas grilling, but,…

My short stay in Monterey County was highlighted by several tastings at some of the area’s best wineries. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago (in my first installment), Monterey is a sea of wine with nine distinct American Viticultural Appellations or AVA’s. While the county is probably best known for pinot noir and…

Before I continue with the tasting notes from my recent trip to California, I want to spend this week telling you about a wine-related event worth attending. The fifth annual “Summer Sipping: Wine and Roses” celebration will take place on Thursday July 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Capitol Market. Proceeds will benefit…

When most of us think of California wine country our thoughts naturally track to Napa or Sonoma counties- two of the most famous wine appellations in the entire world. However, if you are unfamiliar with Monterey County, you need to take a trip down the Golden State’s coast (about a 100 miles south of San…