WINE OF THE WEEK

I was at a Wine Swap last night with the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. All attendees brought a wrapped bottle of wine that was put on a large table. Everyone pulled a cork with a number on it. When it was time, the numbers were called off and people chose one bottle from among the copious selection. When all were picked, everyone was given the ok to unwrap their bottle. People could then go around the room and, if they had a request card, […]

This week’s wine news is taken from an announcement I got from the New York Wine & Grape Foundation about a “Top Wines for Thanksgiving” list that was published on oprah.com. It’s about New York State’s own Wagner Vineyards Riesling. I’m going to try to rustle up this one right away. But I’m glad to know that dry Riesling is also available from other more local wineries in the area, so I won’t despair if this particular one doesn’t find its way to our Thanksgiving […]

This is a motto I’ve come to live by. Yes, I like a lovely dry red or a minerally refreshing white. And there are wines that definitely make some foods taste better (and worse). A wine that’s almost universally wonderful, though, is sparkling wine. In France, Champagne. In Spain, Cava. In Italy, Prosecco. In the US, Blanc de Blanc. We get introduced to sparkling wine at especially celebratory occasions like weddings and graduations or holidays like Christmas and, of course, New Year’s. Sparkling wine has […]

I’ve been a fan of the Cune wines from Rioja since my days in Manhattan trolling wine stores for bargain bottles. I had a favorite shop that had lots of Spanish and Portuguese reds, and that’s where I first discovered their wines. I learned then what I know now: There isn’t a bad one coming from that winery in the northern part of Spain. I picked up a bottle of the Crianza 2016 (under $15), which the label told me, “…was produced by the fifth […]