Jet-lagged as hell, after arriving early evening in LA and then working in the winery until 9 pm, I arrived at Major Dōmo, the talked-about new-ish (summer 2018) opening from…
Nagano Region, Japan (16) a tasting of top Nagano wines
On the last day of my Nagano trip I was in Nagano city for an overview tasting. This invlolved some of the top Nagano wines. Most of the winemakers were…
Two Israeli wines from Itay Lahat
These two excellent Israeli wines are made by winemaker and consultant Itay Lahat. The white is a northern-Rhône-style blend made from high altitude vineyards in the Judean Hills with limestone…
Three whites from Lebanese producer Chateau Ksara
Tried this trio of whites from Lebanese winery Chateau Ksara last night. It’s a twenty-one hectare property located in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, which is at altitude and has a semi-continental…
Tasting some wines from Uruguay
I tasted through a selection of Uruguayan wines with Wines of Uruguay ambassador Gabriela Zimmer. This organization brings together 22 of Uruguay’s 180 wineries who are focused on export. Most…
Tasting appassimento-style wines from Niagara, Canada
This tasting at the Terroir symposium in Toronto was led by Elsa Macdonald, and it focused on the topic of her MW dissertation: appassimento-style wines from Canada’s Niagara peninsula. These…
Interesting wines tasted blind
Did some blind tasting with friends last night, followed by drinking. Some interesting bottles. Angiolino Maule Masieri 2017 Veneto, Italy This is Garganega from volcanic soil, wild fermented. Very low…
Ayunta: lovely wines from Etna, Sicily
Etna, in Sicily, is a special place for wine. And Ayunta is an exciting project in the region. I caught up with the man behind Ayunto, Filippo Mansion, to find…
The wines of François Lurton
It was great to meet and taste with François Lurton. His father, Andre Lurton, is a very important figure in Bordeaux. Lurton senior, who owns Château Bonnet, was active in…