“Wine is wonderfully wholesome for man in sickness and in health, provided it is taken at the right time and in the right quantity to suit individual needs.” –Hippocrates, 500 B.C. With the United States committing 400 troops to help protect the Olympic Games, the first thought on most Americans’ minds is terrorism and safety […]
Arturo Ciompi
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WineBeat
Missouri is not a name that trips off the tongue when asked about favorite wine regions. Back in 1873, it might well have been a different story. That’s when a bottle of Missouri Norton won a gold medal at the Vienna World Exhibition. Henry Vizetelly, a major wine guru of his day, proclaimed that these […]
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Splendor in the glass
I f only more residents of the United States would even consider drinking a glass of German riesling. But the ABR (Anything But Riesling) crowd is a resistant population segment. The problem isn’t riesling’s bouquet or flavor. As Rocky Balboa used to say, “It’s the rep.” Riesling’s reputation is one of sweet, sugary stuff. Much […]
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Merlot, a flash in the glass?
The darling child of the ’90s is becoming a problem adolescent of the new millennium. In 1987 there were 3,577 acres of merlot planted in California. Today it stands at 52,190, and growing! Smooth, silky, velvety wine–almost sweet when very ripe–never astringent or austere, even when young; these are the qualities that California winemakers hoped […]
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Wines to truffle by
Truffles, like caviar, are an acquired taste, but what an acquisition! Both are pungent, heady and aggressively flavored. Not everyone likes them, and for those humans so afflicted, much money can be saved. With prices of up to $2,000 a pound, even minimal consumption makes for a special occasion–a meal requiring time to savor, and […]
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The Indy Bookshelf
Mon Docteur, Le Vin (My Doctor, Wine) By Gaston Derys (translated by Benjamin Ivry) Yale University Press, 64 pp., $19.95 Originally published in 1936, this instant charmer of a “medical book” explains the myriad benefits of wine, while being splashed by the accompanying watercolors of famed artist Raoul Dufy. With a river of quotes from […]
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The Indy Bookshelf
A Guide to North Carolina Wineries by Joseph Mills and Danielle Tarmey John F. Blair, 196 pp., $ 10.95 Driving down Interstate-40, near the Raleigh-Durham Airport, there’s a little green sign featuring a bunch of purple grapes, and the name of Chatham Hill Winery. Wine’s becoming big business: Our State Department of Transportation has gotten […]
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The joy of sweetness
Americans don’t know what to make of dessert wines. Lord knows, it’s not sugar or sweetness that deters them, as tons of cheesecake and black-bottom pie are consumed weekly. One problem could be that sweet beverages load up our table during mealtime itself, from iced tea to hard lemonade to Coke. Plus, there seems to […]
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The Farmers of Dry Creek
“Zinfandel is California’s unique contribution to the world of wine…We decided to treat zinfandel with the same expense and care as cabernet…Dry Creek Valley – vineyard for vineyard – produces more consistently high quality zinfandel than any other single viticultural region.” –Paul Draper, owner and winemaker of Ridge Vineyards It doesn’t matter that zinfandel has […]
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Charleston and the cheap quaff
We got spring break right this year: The kids were out of school, my wife had put in for time off months ago, and I’m always looking for an excuse to get away. So we went to Charleston, five hours away as the van drives, and experienced the history, charm and cuisine of this 300-year-old […]