Labor Day Weekend Bubbles

OK. So I found the perfect wine to uncork during your Labor Day celebration. If Mother Nature stays her course, we should have nice sunny weather making outdoor events a must.  This year, I am putting two of my favorite wine styles together; rose and bubbles. The wine, Sergio Mionetto Rose is a well-made, off-dry spumante from the Piave & Trentino regions of Italy. The production process is called Charmat and differs from the Champagne method in that the wine [...]

By |2007-08-27T00:31:00-04:00August 27th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Bubbles on the Rise

It's official. The amount of Champagne being exported is up by 8% over last year. This is good news for the growers, producers and lovers of bubbles around the world. Being of the latter group, I can confidently say that the only thing better than bubbles is well - more bubbles. While I might be stating the obvious here, it is important to know that only sparkling wine from Champagne is allowed to be called Champagne. In Spain, the bubbles are [...]

By |2007-08-23T12:42:02-04:00August 23rd, 2007|Uncategorized|

Weekday Wine Post

In my line of work, I have had the honor of tasting alot of good wine. Trouble is, I don't always have the opportunity to share the news. With that in mind, I have decided to add a "Weekday Wine" post to my blog every week. My "Weekday Wines" are not (and never will be) the block buster labels you read about in collector magazines.  Instead, they are the wines worthy of sipping with dinner - any night of the week. When it [...]

By |2007-08-15T18:05:33-04:00August 15th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Rose Tinted Glasses

Yes, I am still on my rose kick and sampling the pink stuff anywhere I can get my hands on it. This weekend I had a great rose-tinted experience when I visited Bobby Flay’s Bar American in NYC. In addition to an interesting menu, the restaurant features a well-constructed wine list crafted by longtime sommelier Adam Reager. Luckily, this summer he has assembled a wonderful display of rose from around the globe. From where I sat, an elegant silver bowl [...]

By |2007-07-30T12:49:04-04:00July 30th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Side-by-side tastings

While officially not a wine geek, I love turning people who are new to wine on to wine makes me happy  - turning people who already know wine on to a new wine experience is priceless. Take the Pinot Gris vis Pinot Grigio taste test for example. Name games aside, tasting these two wines side-by-side is a great learning experience and sets the stage for understanding the structure of the grape. If you have not tried it, invite some friends [...]

By |2007-07-21T18:25:36-04:00July 21st, 2007|Uncategorized|

Sipping among friends

The wine loving community in Cleveland is small but growing. As a result, wine festivals keep poping up each and every year. In August, Vintage Ohio serves up Ohio-crafted wines to a sell out crowd, last month the second annual Cleveland Wine Festival rallied a few thousand people to share a glass under sunny skies and in November the Fabulous Food Show will return to the IX Center with a moderate spread of wines to sample (yes, the Cleveland Wine School [...]

By |2007-07-08T16:28:51-04:00July 8th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Price Gouging by the Glass

As America's thirst for wine continues to grow, restaurants across the country are taking a close look at their wine programs such as profitable wines-by-the-glass lists. Maybe we should all do the same. In terms of selecting a wine that will give you a good return on your investment, a little knowledge goes a long way. Today I went to Vivo, a trendy restaurant in downtown Cleveland, for a light lunch. As soon as we sat down, a well-trained server asked [...]

By |2007-06-27T18:22:11-04:00June 27th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Ciao Italian Whites

Taveling in Florence and Tucany has taught me many things: you need advance reservations to see the real David, you need to wear a good pair of walking shoes, and you need a cold wine to take the edge off the Tuscan sun. When I think of the areas surrounding Tuscany, I think of yummy regional reds such as Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile, yet the summer temperatures can be high and the days are long....me thinks I would rather [...]

By |2007-06-19T17:54:23-04:00June 19th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Cavalier about wine

OK. So the Cavs are down by two and playing at the Q tonight. Streets are filling up with hopeful fans. From my office in the Caxton Building downtown, I can hear the noise and excitement build as I post this note. So, I just did what any natural wine geek would do - I went to my office cooler and pulled out a half bottle of rose from Domaines Ott. A true example of a rose from the the [...]

By |2007-06-12T19:09:23-04:00June 12th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Fire by the glass

From time to time, I am reminded why ordering wine in a restaurant by the glass is sometimes better than by the bottle. Last night was one of those times.  I met a few friends at Fire (Shaker Square on the eastside) for dinner and  - as usual - we looked at the wine list before the menu. Having decided on a bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon (Joseph Drouhin), we moved on to the menu. Here's where the reminder comes [...]

By |2007-06-07T14:27:09-04:00June 7th, 2007|Uncategorized|

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