My parents, like so many of the generation who became parents in the 1940s and 50s, drank spirits—in their case, Seagrams whiskey highballs. They drank a lot of them. Too many in fact. As a result, I grew up wary of alcohol.The following content is accessible for...
I wrote the following poem on the evening of September 21,2022 after attending a “Conversation” at Ashes & Diamonds winery in the Napa Valley. The presentation—by five winemakers—centered around the topic of sustainability. But, as tears in the audience revealed,...
I have been a wine writer for nearly 40 years. And yet, for the first time in my career, I’m worried. Despondent even. Wine writing as a profession, a craft, even sometimes an art, is disappearing. And it’s not clear what, if anything, will replace it. I recently gave...
Spring always makes me want to cook. Maybe it’s the delight of walking into a market and suddenly, there they are–fresh baby peas and the earliest pencil-thin asparagus. Or maybe it’s the intoxicating smell of the air: cool and warm at the same time, signaling a...
Rosé samples are already rolling into our offices, as they do every spring. And so far, all but one have been bottled in clear glass. Rosé producers use clear glass because they believe your decision to buy (or not) will be based largely on the wine’s pretty pink...
While internationally famous among wine aficionados, Barolo is an ultra-premium, low-volume wine that does not rank among the top 3 mass-market Italian sellers. It doesn’t even rank in the top 10. The official top 3 Italian wines sold by volume are Prosecco (13 million gallons sold in 2024), Chianti (4.3 million gallons sold), and Lambrusco (4 million gallons sold). Lambrusco is the leading sparkling red wine in the world, holding an impressive 42.5% revenue share of the global sparkling red market. It is celebrated annually on World Lambrusco Day (June 21st).
“Wine, land, agricultural skills, and entrepreneurship are gifts from God—the CreatorThe following content is accessible for members only, please sign in.