A Rhone-style blend from South Australia: Marsanne , Roussanne and a dash of Viognier. Aromas of fresh pear, ginger and almond, followed by mineral and melon on the palate. Medium bodied with a zesty acidity makes this a fun and easy bottle. It...

Here is one for the Pinot geeks of the world.    Located in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, Five Mountain is one of the original Willamette Valley vineyards, dating back to 1978 and planted to early Pommard clones. Dark cherry, cola, and tar...

The winemaker, Paul Hobbs, is one of the great masters of Cabernet Sauvignon, and his eponymously named wine is consistently one of the finest, vintage in and vintage out. It’s also one of the most sought-after Napa Valley wines, with a...

Crimson and dense, this Carmenere is one of the best examples of the varietal on the market. It offers up plenty of oak-influenced flavors, including chocolate, coffee, and liquorice.  Toasted spices and cracked black pepper add great interest to...

Andrew Will Winery offers up a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and  Malbec from this estate vineyard in Washington’s Yakima Valley. A remarkably complex offering, this wine offers a myriad of...

Rising from twin pads of blackberry and oak, this is a drunken philanthropist of a wine. It holds nothing back, offering up a wealth of jam, coconut, sweet cream, and vanilla.  There is nothing subtle or classic or intellectual about this...

An attack of citrus and floral, with a malt and earth undertone. The beer offers a lovely midpalate of cream and hay, followed by a balance of caramel and sweet pine. A round body with a creamy finish dipping into a pleasantly hopped bitterness. H

Pink was the color of  both fallen samurai in ancient Japan and American gangsters of the 1920′s .  Now, Pink is “My Lil’ Pony” and Kindergarten birthday parties.  That is a crying shame; too many people...

Cabernet Franc doesn’t get much play on the American wine market. Wines from the Loire Valley in France are also not very popular, either. Combine them together and you get… Chinon. It’s a shame that no-one in America drinks the...

Dogfish Head is known for it’s complex and over-the-top brews. It’s love of the exotic and elaborate has earned the brewery equal degrees of  love and contempt over the years. With that pedigree, the brilliance of this brew is in its...

A brilliantly crafted Barbaresco. Bric Mentina is an estate bottling from this excellent producer, and pushes me to be a bit more poetic than I can usually muster. This Barbaresco has a Buddha-like simplicity, yet it also holds a rich earthen...

A deeply and profoundly delicious wine. It manages to have the luxurious depth of a feather bed and an operatic expanse of fruit under a canopy of rust and granite. As rich as fresh cream, this wine offers a finish of dark chocolate, cedar, and whi

A singularly modern style of Rueda that is taking it’s cues from it’s brethren up in Rioja.   Reductive winemaking combined with barrel fermentation is doing wonders for Spanish whites, in particular Verdejo. Creamy peach and...

All the hallmarks of a great Rhone wine: opulent kirsh, lavender, burnt toast, and a deep and haunting minerality. A finish of burnt vanilla and sweet cinnamon ties it up with a bow.

Olive and clove peek out of this lush glass staining Cabernet blend. A true super Tuscan, this has zero pretensions to terroir but a brilliant aptitude for deliciousness. A luxury bottling worth twice the price, if not three times. Epikur Magazine

At it’s best, Japan’s Hitachino brewery takes the American love of  Belgian beer and recreates it. The beers are sublimely approachable, but retain the excitement of  fresh discovery.  They straddle a line that could easily fall...

While it may be sacrilege to grow Merlot in the very heart of Tuscany, this wine may be worth damnation. A deft but decadent Merlot-Cabernet blend that spans a framework of lush chocolate and cassis, along with an elegant and tailored earth...