25 Years of Il Caberlot — A Spectacular Vertical Tasting
I must preface by admitting that I am enchanted by all things Il Carnasciale. For me, the winery, its proprietors, collaborators and the wine itself embody what wine should be – meticulously crafted by passionate, dedicated people in respect of nature and the territory, with a constant eye to innovation and extraordinary quality. I could […]
Saint-Vincent Tournante: A Burgundy Festival Like No Other
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] While burgundy is full of wine celebrations, none of them quite compare to the historical Saint-Vincent Tournante. This festival, whose roots date back to the middle ages, has many traditions. Most importantly and to this day the event marks the occasion to promote the wines of Burgundy, foster solidarity between winemakers and pay […]
Discovering Côte-Rôtie at the Marché aux Vins D’Ampuis
Last weekend I attended an epic tasting in the Northern Rhone town of Ampuis just 30 minutes south of Lyon, where over 60 wineries and their winemakers gathered to share their wines from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Cornas, Hermitage, Saint-Péray and Crozes-Hermitage. The event which is appropriately called the Marche aux vins D’Ampuis (“Ampuis Wine Market”), which […]
VinConnect Customer Trip to Tuscany — November 2013
A few months ago I invited several VinConnect customers to join me on my next set of regional winery visits, which turned out to be Tuscany in November 2013. Three loyal, intrepid VinConnect fans signed up for the task, and so joined me the week before Thanksgiving to tour and taste with VinConnect’s partner wineries, […]
Hospices du Beaune — An Insider’s Guide
Every third Sunday in November the famed Hospices du Beaune charity event and auction takes place under Les Halles (home to the Saturday market). The famed event brings together wine enthusiasts from across the globe to partake in a weekend full of prestigious tastings, Burgundian festivities and delectable cuisine. From Friday onward the town becomes […]
Wine Travel in Spain? Absolutely!
I just returned from doing my first set of wine tasting visits in Spain, and I must say, I was very impressed. While I’ve done several trips to Burgundy, the Rhone, the Piedmont and Tuscany, it’s fair to say I didn’t have much of a picture in my mind of what to expect from Spainish […]
Il Caberlot Vertical Tasting
On February 6th I was honored to attend a 10-vintage vertical tasting of the singular Il Caberlot wines of Podere Il Carnasciale. As you may know, Il Carnasciale is a Tuscan producer of wines made from a variety unique to them — what is believed to be a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Proprietor […]
Visiting Vinitaly — Insider Info and Tips
Vinitaly — the event held each March that (pretty much) everybody in the Italian wine business has visited…at least once. It’s overwhelming, chaotic, impossible to park, and even more impossible to find a clean bathroom, but all in all, worth it. It’s a chance for trade and the common wine lover to visit Italy’s most […]