Buy The Wine…Not The Names

All forms of any product for Sale hires Marketing Companies to “BRAND” their products via advertising, social media, hashtags, direct mailings, market presence. I too fall for that with a brand of Ibuprofen I only buy Advil or a brand of Pants I want Dockers only. With Wine, I promise you it is better to […]

Washington Red Blend…”Cat Got My Tongue”?

This Winery AGAIN?? I know it seems odd that I just reviewed a Merlot from Bergevin Lane and showed another picture of Annette Bergevin. Trust me, we are not in collaboration. I love Annette and the Winery but Annette will be the first to tell you that if I don’t like a vintage of their […]

“Chill Out….Wine Down”

Grape-fully yours, Larry

Cru Bourgeois ??= Good Stuff!!

What The Heck is a Cru Bourgeois?? It really is no wonder that most wine consumers stay clear of the French Wine sections on Restaurant Wine Lists or in Wine Retail Stores. I am a Certified Level 2 Sommelier and the French especially, change their classification systems more frequently than I change my socks, and […]

2012 Oregon Pinot Noir Revisited.. From Really Old Soil

2012 My Favorite Vintage Ever In Oregon For those of you who know me, I still stand by my opinion that 2012 was the perfect Oregon Pinot Noir Vintage in my lifetime. The weather conditions were just perfect. To be honest, after tasting so many they all tasted the same . One was as delicious […]

This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Valpolicella!

Meet The Nicolis Family The history of this family has always been intimately bound to the art of wine growing. Here in San Pietro in Cariano, they are in the heart of the VALPOLICELLA (Valley Of The Many Cellars) Classico zone, and caring for their own land here has always been an important part of […]

Buying Wine For Holiday Gifts– Part One “The Thought That Counts”

We will continue right up until the year ends. I hope you all agree with my message and rationale in Part One when purchasing a Wine for a “Gift” it doesn’t matter what you spend, it is the Uniqueness of the Wine that makes it Special rather than buying a Wine that the Receiver can […]

Sorry Somms. Don’t Pair Wine With TURKEY. Pair The Wines With THANKSGIVING Dinner!

Thanksgiving Wines Featured From ABC Fine Wines Giovanna Tantini Chiaretto Rose, Bardolino, Italy $13.99 Domaine Des Carteresses, Tavel, Rose, Rhone Valley France, $12.99 Boedecker Cellars Reflection Pinot Noir Rose, Willamette Valley Oregon, $14.99 Collalto Spumante Rose, Susegana Italy, $16.99 Jean Noel Haton Non Vintage Brut Rose Champagne, France, $33.99 (Amazing) Yes ,they are all […]

Drink..Or Hold? Drink..Or Hold? I SAY DRINK!!

Wine Collectors Will The Wine Outlive Them? Over my career in Wine as a Sommelier I have met so many Wine Collectors on a large or small level and they are on mailing lists and belong to wine clubs and they buy Futures and Auction Wines. In every review of a wine in any of […]

Att: Wine Enthusiasts. The Bottles Don’t Talk!

Many times I see great wines in Retail Shops or on Restaurant Wine Lists or in Portfolios of Importers get deleted. The answer I always hear in response to Why is “That grape or that brand or that country doesn’t SELL HERE”. I don’t believe that for a minute. When I was a wine buyer […]