Wine can make us reflective . . . thoughtful. It can help us celebrate, facilitate good conversation, and enhance our appreciation of food, music, and art. It even aids in the interpretation of poetry and literature. Can it teach us anything about life? I’m sure you won’t be surprised that I will argue that it …
Read more ““But time makes you bolder, children get older, I’m getting older too . . . “”
If you’ve seen the movie “Sideways” you know that Miles (one of the main characters) has a deep and profanity laced aversion to Merlot. After the movie was released, winemakers swore to what they called “the Sideways effect” – a steep lowering of demand for Merlot and a significant uptick in Pinot Noir sales (which …
Read more ““If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving.” – Miles (Sideways)”
Blogger’s Note: I want to preface this post with the old adage, ‘All things in moderation.’ You might get the impression when reading this particular post that I spend all my days drinking wine. Not true. In fact, I probably don’t get the medical benefit that derives from one or two glasses of red wine …
You don’t have to go to France or Italy to find decent wine. You don’t even have to go to California or Oregon. There are about 3,000 commercial vineyards in the United States and there’s at least one winery in every state (even Hawaii). Many of the wineries obtain their berries (grapes) from across state …
A few years ago I was in the home of a friend who was a member of my church (remember, I’m Southern Baptist) and noticed a box of Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon on their kitchen cabinet. Knowing that I was a “progressive” Southern Baptist (at least when it comes to alcohol consumption), they insisted that …
Some bottles sit down at my table and offer up a serendipitous story of stumbled upon food and fun. For example, last night Lisa and I stopped by one of our favorite little spots on Dallas’ lower Greenville Avenue, The Grape. I picked a Helen Turley (a California winemaker whose name on a bottle nearly …
I suppose it’s no surprise that the bottle that comes to mind first when I’m “musing” is my 1997 Brunello di Montalcino. Brunello is certainly the king of Tuscan wines and is among the most well-known and best wines of all of Italy. It derives from the Sangiovese varietal native to Tuscany. Sangiovese (Latin for …
Read more “Sorry . . . I was out walking the parapet. What the heck is a parapet?”
It was in my fortieth year that I discovered (seemingly from nowhere) my passion for wine. Perhaps it would be more correct to say that I discovered my passion for the culture of wine. Lisa and I had carried on both of our families’ traditions of zero alcohol for our twenty years of marriage (a …