Ask any restaurateur about Valentine’s Day bookings, and their eyes roll. The crush of reservations pushes kitchens and servers to the brink. Overlapping bookings can create chaos through the evening. Menu selections typically become depleted. Customers and restaurant staff often find their patience sorely tested. This year, why not defer going out for a romantic ..read more

In trendy wine bars from New York to San Francisco, conservas currently enjoy red-hot popularity. These colorfully packaged tins of conserved fish and other seafood offer tantalizing, savory bites ready to share and pair with flavorful, zesty wines. Meanwhile at home, enjoying several cans of conservas with wines can be a lot of fun, too ..read more

Fruity and fresh reds with low alcohol by volume are perfect for enjoying on sunny Autumn afternoons and evenings. Just chill the bottles and then pop and pour for easy drinking enjoyment. Click here for my article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for my recommendations on “chillable” reds from Jochen Beurer in Germany, Jutta Ambrositsch in … Chill Tantalizing, Refreshing Red Wines For Awesome Easy Drinking Read More ..read more

Even wine nerds (like me!) enjoy chilling with ice cold summertime cocktails. For fun and easy tips, check out my latest article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cheers! The classic “Vesper Martini” delivers maximum refrehment and flavor ..read more

Looking for fun, high-quality wines perfect for Spring (and early summer)? Then check out my latest article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cheers ..read more

Spouses Bénédicte Ruppert-Leroy and Emmanuel Leroy are dedicated biodynamic farmers and winegrowers, first and foremost. But since they live in the village of Essoyes in Champagne’s southernmost region of the Côte des Bar, their delicious wines happen to have tantalizing bubbles. Read Ruppert-Leroy’s full, fascinating story in my recent article in Glass of Bubbly. The … Ruppert-Leroy: Sensational, Vibrant Wines With Beautiful Bubbles! Read More ..read more

It was a pleasure and honor to write this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the late Irv Kotovsky and the auction at Christie’s of Irv’s spectacular wine cellars in both Pittsburgh and Paris. Thanks to Irv’s spouse, Cher Lynn Kotovsky for sharing your terrific memories about enjoying marvelous wines and food with Irv in … The late Irv Kotovsky’s Wines and Spirits Extraordinaire on Auction at Christie’s Read More ..read more

The quiet French village of Essoyes seems an unlikely place to discover some of Champagne’s most intriguing and delicious wines. Afterall Essoyes is over 100 miles from the epicenter of Reims, Champagne’s unofficial capital. And with just over 700 inhabitants, Essoyes is best known as Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s summer home. He painted memorable scenes on … Ruppert-Leroy’s Beautiful Sparkling Wines Spotlight Southern Champagne Read More ..read more

In the village of Vosnse-Romanée, Bourgogne’s most famous vineyards of La Tâche and Romanée-Conti produce red wines with prices in the thousands, if not, tens of thousands of dollars per bottle. Few drinkers can afford to taste these wines. Fortunately, other delicious and affordable options readily exist literally from just nearby. Go west up a … Talented Duo Delivers Delicious, Affordable Red Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Read More ..read more

It was tremendously sad to hear that British wine writer and former wine merchant, Clive Coates, MW, passed away on July 25, 2022 in Lyon, France. But in reading the sad news, I smiled just a little thinking of what Clive himself might have said about his death. Probably something to the effect of, “Yep, … Farewell, Clive Coates, MW, 1941-2022 Read More ..read more