Adam Sobsey

Wine With Soul My brother-in-law, an unerring trawler of troves (and a crack builder of new ones), sagely gave me a box of dusty old wine pulled from the corner of somebody’s purged basement. Most of the bottles haven’t been drinkable since the ’80s (if they ever were at all), just mantel decor at this […]

Wine With Soul Asked what they’d suggest to a customer who really wanted to explore dry wine, both Sartain and Schlanger went to Italy. “The first thing I think of,” Sartain says, “is Sangiovese”—the great grape of Chianti, in Tuscany. Felsina, year in and year out, makes a satisfying, reasonably priced Chianti Classico, and their […]

Wine with Soul Let me put in a good word for Ojai Vineyard’s delicious Sauvignon Blanc, which apparently isn’t available in the Triangle, before moving on to one that usually is. In March, I met Jay Somers, the man behind the Oregon winery J. Christopher, during his visit to Durham for a trade tasting. Somers […]

Wine with Soul At Six Plates in Durham, the frites washed down with Carussin Barbera Lia Vi 2011 reminded me that summertime wine drinking is basically about pairing with ketchup. That’s what barbecue sauce is, too, at its base: sweet and tangy meat dressing. These ordinary, repro-quality fries are swanked up with grated parmesan and […]

Wine with Soul Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2000 Try not to laugh at the silly “luxury” website, and wonder yet again how the French manage to make extravagance so authentic. This is a fairly recent and pricey release (the fading vintage notwithstanding). The nose has Champagne’s pleasant, characteristic, rich funk, and a […]

Wine With Soul A recent tasting at Cave Taureau drove home the stark difference between the good and the great. There was nothing wrong with the first three German Rieslings in the lineup, which ranged from soft and giggly to dry and direct (prices range from $13-$20). But the fourth, Fritz Haag’s Brauneberger Kabinett 2009 […]

Wine with soul Even more variety: The Loire also makes good sparkling wines, and they’re cheaper than champagne. From Montlouis-sur-Loire, La Taille aux Loups Triple Zéro is so named because the winemaker, who has the wonderful name of Jacky Blot (as in, “will Jacky Blot bubbles?”), doesn’t add sugar at any of the three points in […]

Wines With Soul Sancerre Rouge tends to be expensive, perhaps because pinot noir is relatively scarce in the region. Each of the following three wines cost $30 and up in Triangle stores: VACHERON 2008 was delicious, supple, with notable but integrated oak, yet seemed more Burgundian than Sancerrois. Just east of Sancerre is the cheaper […]