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Vino, Viva, Voce: Antinori Five Ways
The Wine Encounter lined up 5 remarkable wines from Antinori, the celebrated Tuscan producer with a tradition of winemaking that goes back 26 generations. This tasting was interesting because a...
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San Diego Wines: Bernardo Winery 2009 Primativo
Bernardo Winery, San Diego’s oldest operating winery, anchors a charming village of shops, cafes, and galleries. But their 2009 Primativo wins the charm competition. DNA tests have shown that the...
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San Diego Wine Society Blind Tasting
Last Saturday, San Diego Wine Society held its monthly blind tasting and dinner, and once again the wines were extraordinary and the company engaging. San Diego Wine Society meets once a month over...
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Lighea 2011 A Dry Moscato from Donnafugata
The muscat grape is the new “hot varietal” with sales increasing 78% last year, although the grape has been around for centuries and may be one of the oldest known wine-producing grapes. These wines...
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Ceretto Blange’ (Arneis) Langhe 2010
Short, bald, wan, unsophisticated—all handicaps in the games of attraction that perpetuate culture. But these traits can be overcome by some fire in the belly. A catalog of the portraits of...
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Bolla Della Valpolicella Amarone 2008
Is someone who achieves virtue effortlessly a better person that someone who must struggle to achieve it but eventually succeeds? Aristotle thought so. He thought the person who is naturally...
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Marchetti Verdecchio Dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2011
Some wines are easy to fall in love with; others require a little getting used to. This Verdecchio from Marches on the Eastern coast of Italy took its time showing its virtues but it finally came...
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Budget Wines: Bowtie Barbera D’Asti 2011
Would it be great if all wines were 100-point blockbusters? I don’t think so, even if we could afford them. Powerful, complex wines demand attention. Their star power overwhelms everything else in...
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Wine Review: Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut NV
Italy is not known for its quality sparkling wines. Prosecco and the sparkling wines of Asti are pleasant enough, but both are produced using the inexpensive Charmat method, in which secondary...
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Budget Wine: Epicuro Salice Salentino and Aglianico 2011
A Trader Joe’s exclusive, the Salice Salentino is one of my go-to, everyday wines and has been for years. A simple but pleasing nose of ripe cherries encased in subtle loam and a hint of smoke. The...
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Wine Review: Montalbera Laccento Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, Piedmont, Italy
There are thousands of grape varieties from which wine is made. But only a relative handful find their way to the international wine markets. Robert Parker and others have argued that there is a good...
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Aging Report: Fontana Candida “Luna Mater” Frascati Superiore 2009
Italian white wines have a mixed reputation. Some people love them; others think they lack aromatic intensity and are innocuous. I’ve had a few that stand out, but too often they lack distinction. I...
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Wine Review: Sommavite Brunello di Montalcino 2009
When Brunello is good it is very, very good. Made from the “Grosso” clone of the Sangiovese grape, it produces fuller, richer flavor than other variants of the grape. The grapes are sourced from an...
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Budget Wine: Fantini Farnese Trebbiano D’Abruzzo 2013
Among wine experts and connoisseurs, Italian white wines don’t have a great reputation. Their flavors and aromas tend to be muted and the acidity is high, so many dismiss them as thin and tart. This is...
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Wine Review: Piandaccoli Cosmus Chianti Riserva 2012
Italians are famous for liking wines with high acidity. But many Italian wines also have tantalizing bitter flavors that give them dimension and personality. This one gets its distinctive personality...
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Bolla Della Valpolicella Amarone 2008
Is someone who achieves virtue effortlessly a better person that someone who must struggle to achieve it but eventually succeeds? Aristotle thought so. He thought the person who is naturally...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Marchetti Verdecchio Dei Castelli di Jesi Classico 2011
Some wines are easy to fall in love with; others require a little getting used to. This Verdecchio from Marches on the Eastern coast of Italy took its time showing its virtues but it finally came...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Budget Wines: Bowtie Barbera D’Asti 2011
Would it be great if all wines were 100-point blockbusters? I don’t think so, even if we could afford them. Powerful, complex wines demand attention. Their star power overwhelms everything else in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wine Review: Contadi Castaldi Franciacorta Brut NV
Italy is not known for its quality sparkling wines. Prosecco and the sparkling wines of Asti are pleasant enough, but both are produced using the inexpensive Charmat method, in which secondary...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Aging Report: Fontana Candida “Luna Mater” Frascati Superiore 2009
Italian white wines have a mixed reputation. Some people love them; others think they lack aromatic intensity and are innocuous. I’ve had a few that stand out, but too often they lack distinction. I...
View Article
