Behind every great bottle is a person who made a thousand small decisions to get it right. Portraits of the winemakers, families, and visionaries who turn grapes into something eloquent.
There are wines you admire. There are wines you collect. And then there are wines you celebrate life with. For Lisa’s birthday the last couple of years, we’ve slipped into a booth at Dallas’ Il Bracco, ordered something beautifully simple—often steak, sometimes pasta—and asked for a bottle of Tignanello. It has become our tradition. And…
Why Texas Wine—and Benjamin Calais—Deserve a Second Look I’ve been fortunate to taste wine in some of the great regions of the world. From the Rhône to Barolo, from Paso Robles to Hunter Valley, I’ve stood in cellars old and new, listened to growers talk about soils and seasons, and learned to appreciate how deeply…
Prologue: The Sun Rises over Alta Langa As dawn painted the sky in hues of rose and gold, we awoke in the embrace of Villa Alta Langa. The promise of a day in Barolo, a realm synonymous with sublime wines and rolling vineyards, lay ahead. The air was thick with anticipation, and the echoes of…
Nestled upon the idyllic hills above the ancient city of Verona, with the first light of dawn playing upon the verdant vineyards, the Agriturismo San Mattia offered more than rest; it promised a day of vinous exploration and serendipitous encounters. It was here, after a decade, that we found ourselves returning to the heart of…
In the realm of the oenophile, there exist moments when the essence of the grape transcends the mere act of tasting, becoming an ethereal experience that intertwines with culture, art, and the sensory tapestry of life itself. Such was the nature of my sojourn into the heart of Valpolicella, where viniculture is less an industry…