What is it like to be the absolute best? I bet that many of us have speculated about this at least once in our lives. If you are an actor, what is it like to win an Oscar? If you are an athlete, what is it like to win a
Label drinking - the practice of consuming lavishly expensive wines with famous names or brands – is generally felt to be a bit naff amongst true wine connoisseurs. After all, anyone with enough money can walk into a restaurant and exclaim “bring me a bottle of your finest Pétrus”. It
There’s a predictable scenario that takes place on about every foreign press trip I attend. Sometime over dessert during the farewell dinner, the host asks everyone to provide our thoughts on: “What is happening in the American wine (or spirits) market, and what can I do to get a bigger
This is a very pleasant Spanish Garnacha, a table-ready pairing for almost any white meat. The nose offers pome fruit, mostly apple and pear, with hints of ginger. Softer fruits join the apple and pear on the palate, loquat perhaps, with some pineapple-acid zing. White florals come through on the
“Will you come to our booth to taste the new vintage wines?” I’m asked this question many times a day by winemaker friends during Vinitaly, the annual wine trade show in Italy. And now it is asked by Fabio Bottonelli, a wine journalist colleague of mine. Because suddenly Fabio started
While it was not entirely unexpected, the recent death of Bordeaux’s great wine analyst Denis Dubourdieu of brain cancer at the age of 67 is a tragedy. I can only claim to have known him slightly from annual encounters in Bordeaux, but I valued every connection with this passionate and
We loved Papa's Pilar Dark Rum. Now they've taken it up another notch and given that 93-point rum an additional 8 months of aging in Bourbon barrels. There are plenty of adjectives to choose from, but it's hard to get past the very first "Wow!" that erupts out of your
The color is a very pretty pale pink. Sweet fruit aromas, cherry and strawberry, float up from the glass. The palate is more tart than the nose. Raspberries and cranberries take the lead. Some herbs show up on the mid-palate, clearly marking the primary grape as Syrah. There is a