olive tree

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Treat it like wine

Fabian Jauregui
Features
3 min read
It hit me in one of those ubiquitous olive oil shops. This oil reeks of tomato leaf. Just like one I tasted a minute ago. Turns out they were made from the same olive variety. As with grapes and wine, single ­varietal olive oils showcase the distinct aromas & flavors

Hardy Noces d’Albâtre

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The color is gorgeous, a rich dark golden hue. The nose is even prettier. Aromas of vanilla cream and honeyed almond are joined by hints of distant magnolia blossoms. On the palate honeyed tropical fruits, mango and sweet tangerine, lead, through brilliant crescendo, to beautiful florals, from fresh honeysuckle to

2009 Judd’s Hill Estate Pinot Noir

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
This is well balanced, with bright dancing red fruits.  Dusty cherries and strawberries show on the nose. Good sharp red fruit, rhubarb and cranberry, fly above Michigan cherries. Hints of leafy herbs and vanilla highlight, rather than overpower, the fruit. Tannins are slightly dusty. Drink with lamb burgers and duck

2010 Cornerstone Pinot Noir

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The nose is earthy and rich, showing black cherry and loam. Rich and Burgundian, this has so much going for it. Flavors fly from fruit to umami, earth to high-flying freshness, all with a cola background, underlying hints of smoke, and a smooth, silky mouth-feel. It's a terrific food wine,

Can America Save the Wine World?

W. Blake Gray
Features
4 min read
Picture a public tasting, an important one, held in Montpellier, France. People are tasting American wines. And grimacing. The wines are too sweet. Too primitive. And too funky. People want to like them, really they do, but these American wines just don't seem good enough to save the wine world,

2010 William Hill “Bench Blend” Cabernet Franc

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
Aromas of red currants, Bing cherries, and tobacco leaf flow upward from the glass. Rich and full-bodied, the fruits turn into Black cherry and raspberry pie filling, kept grounded by tobacco leaf, vanilla, and spice box flavors. Tannins are dusty. This is a big wine married with big wood. Drink

Hardy VSOP Cognac

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
Hardy ages its V.S.O.P. (Very Special Old Pale) Cognac for 8 years, twice the minimum permitted under French law. The eaux-de-vie comes from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, the Cognac region's two finest crus. Packaging is very fine for the VSOP level, and pricing very reasonable.  The rich nose shows butter,

Hardy Noces D’Or Cognac

David Honig
Wine Reviews
1 min read
The youngest Cognac in this blend of 40 different Grande Champagne Cognacs is at least 50 years old. Butter, honey, and dried fruit waft up from the glass. The nearly bite-free palate has complex flavors including dried fruit, honey, coffee, citrus, spices, caramel and toasted oak. The finish lingers, revisiting