December is one of my favorite months for enjoying wine. Festivities abound and the cold and snow are still welcome friends. It’s also a time to wax nostalgic as we think about all that’s transpired over the last 12 months – and anticipate a new chapter soon to come. There are ample wines for gussying up and heading out the door in your “Sunday best” to enjoy the company of good friends and family. And there are wines for snuggling up by the fire because it’s just so tempting to stay in! Pop over to Wicked Local to learn more about the Wicked (good) Wines for you and yours to enjoy this December!
What do you think? Did we hit the nail on the head this month?
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Monday Musings
Even though it’s in our job description, sometimes we writers do get tired of our own opinions. And it is always fun to “step outside the bottle”, as Theresa Paopao of Cambridge’s Oleana suggests. So, as you break out the mistletoe or start lighting the fire this holiday season, head over to Wicked Local today to get the what’s what on what to pour this holiday season – Paopao style!
Which wines are ones you are likely to pick up for the Holiday season? For your own enjoyment - or as gifts?
How quickly Thanksgiving has crept up on us this year! It seems like we were just talking about how great Pinot Noir is in the fall, in addition to gracing your Thanksgiving table. And yet, the big day is nearly upon us! Not to worry. For a celebratory holiday where more than one bottle is certain to be opened (and Pinot Noir is the darling dinnertime grape), we have trekked to Italy to find a real steal...
Head on over to Wicked Local today to get the skinny on this week's Pinot pick!
Are you familiar with Italian Pinot? Which one have you tried?
We set the bar high for our Fall ‘09 Under $20 Pinot Noir Series a couple of weeks ago with an exploration of the wow-worthy 2007 Becker Pinot Noir, a German offering (and a lovely, rare treat). This week it seemed prudent to continue our search for solid, under $20 Pinot by continuing to look in places that seem to play hide and seek in the American market.
Head on over to Wicked Local to head down er-yonder, to the Southern Hemisphere's Pinot capitol: New Zealand!
Have you noticed New Zealand Pinot is starting to take off, too? Do you have a favorite?
Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family and celebrate the little things in life. Some folks are inclined to do so by picking out one very special bottle of wine to share with friends; for others it is a time to uncork several celebratory bottles (and keeping the average price a bit lower doesn’t hurt). Pinot Noir and Gamay (Beaujolais Nuveau) are the darlings of Thanksgiving reds, offering a delicious pairing with turkey and cranberry sauce, brussel sprouts and other earthy, root vegetables. But with the Pour Favor mini-series on Pinot Noir about to hit full stride Monday's this month, it seems only fair to give a few whites (and one incredible rosé) a fair shot at gracing your dining room table!
Head over to Wicked Local to find out where the fun begins this Thanksgiving!
Which one of these selections most catches your attention? Will it contribute to your festivities this Thanksgiving?
There’s no time like the fall to start your Pinot engines. And there’s no reason to wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy these wines for their food-friendly attributes and elegance. Today over at Wicked Local we're starting a new mini-series on great Pinot Noir for under $20; and we've started the fun with one of the finest examples on the market today!
Check out today's article to learn more about the wine that absolutely WOWed me - and which country produces this hidden gem....
Have you discovered a secret "trick" to finding delicious, recession-proof Pinot?
Maybe you’ve started to make the official fall Grand Wine Tasting rounds at local shops in/around town this month. Have you had the unique opportunity to taste some high end stuff? Or have these fine wines merely adorned the shelves behind the pouring pros, catching your eye and your curiosity: what makes a wine command a $100+ price tag?
Pop on over to Wicked Local to get my take on the question! Then tell us...
Do you think it is "worth" spending big bucks on a single bottle of wine?
Ever grown particularly attached to a particular vintage of a particular wine? The good (and sometimes sad) news about wine is it is often changing! It is not a genre where you can rest on your laurels; the juice will run out – and the best ones often do sooner than later. Fortunately, this reality is part of what makes wine romantic. Nostalgia is a big part of the wine equation!
Pop on over to Wicked Local today to read about my recent experience tasting two vintages of the same wine. (The outcome might surprise you!)
Which wine changed vintages - and lost your affections as a result? Which wine offers a comforting consistency year to year?
October poses a cliche opportunity to pick truly wicked wines. But rather than picking “scary” (seriously out of the ordinary) wines for this month’s line up, we’ve gone a different route. October's wine picks reflect a greater need for something familiar and comforting in a climate-changing time. Better yet, they serve as an escape from the same-old-same, just in case you’ve gotten too set in your back to school routine or forgot to take a vacation over the summer. October is a month to mix it up! And so we have.
Pop on over to Wicked Local today to see what fabulousness we've stirred up!
Just a couple of weeks ago we were reveling in Luke Wohler’s Labor Day wine picks. But with the craziness of back to school/back to work/back to life, perhaps you’ve inquired at your local shop about the wines he recommended - but not yet made it over to Lower Falls Wine Co. to see what they’re all about for yourself. Who better to tempt you than Wohler’s himself?
Pop on over to Wicked Local today for four great reasons to break out of your autumn routine and get a little taste of something special!
Do you "travel" for great wine shop experiences?