It’s gloomy, it’s chilly, it’s April in Vermont and it’s rather depressing. It’s not one of our better months; everything has a monotone color of muddy brown. It certainly doesn’t do much to inspire one to run out and get active; on the contrary I personally have felt like living in my fleece pants and [...read more]

Pinotage has a bad reputation. It’s been known to be a bit weird or off tasting. I personally have sampled quite a few, that sadly, did nothing to quell my negativity. So when this Pinotage from Eikeboom was placed before me, I was a skeptic to say the least. Imagine my utter shock at how [...read more]

On March 23rd, Louis J. Foppiano, who managed Sonoma’s oldest family-run winery, Foppiano Vineyards for much of its 116 years, passed away at the age of 101. This month we are featuring a Foppiano wine. We’ve actually had this wine picked out for the club since early January; it captured us immediately and we knew [...read more]

Here is an opportunity to take control of your own happiness. Cap de Faugères, a Bordeaux bottling from the Cotes de Castillion, is the ultimate feel-good wine. It’s a powerhouse – big, rich and exciting. Vintage after vintage the wine is plush, velvety, and loaded with plum, blackberry, black cherry pie, vanilla, and espresso aromatics. [...read more]

Get ready to be seduced by this wine. I know Malbec isn’t necessarily the sexiest of grapes. Stacked up against delicate Pinot Noir or perfumed Grenache, it seems a little pedestrian, but I assure you, this wine will captivate you. La Puerta Alta Malbec is hand harvested to preserve the integrity of the grapes. Then [...read more]

Don’t be fooled by the quirky label, this is a seriously delicious Bordeaux. A blend of 60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 20% Cabernet Franc, this wine gives you dark black fruit and dry earth on the nose. The palate has nicely balanced acidity and tannin and a medium-long finish. Flavors are of black cherry, [...read more]

October can bring the last glorious stretches of summer-like weather, the changing leaves glowing brightly in the sunshine, but it can also bring a sky of pewter gray with gusts of wind and rain shaking those same leaves to the ground. This month we are highlighting wines from Puglia, they promise to bring a richness [...read more]

The Witness Tree Vineyard, so named for an ancient oak that towers over the vineyards of the 100-acre estate and was used as a surveyor’s landmark in 1854, during the Oregon Trail era. Located in the Eola Hills section of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, Witness Tree Vineyard is a small producer of premium-quality wines. [...read more]

The Sobon Estate winery started in 1989 when Leon and Shirley Sobon bought each other a second winery for their 30th wedding anniversary present, their first winery being Shenandoah Vineyards. Sobon Family Wines emphasize high fruit and low tannins, and are made with sustainably-grown grapes. The estates commitment to sustainable practices shows through their solar [...read more]

A few weeks ago our buddy (and rockstar Master Somellier) Richard Betts dropped by for a visit. His visit turned into an epic dinner – there was a rotisserie involved, a huge line-up of his gorgeous Betts & Scholl wines, and a pair of surprise bottlings that totally stunned an entire crew of wine fanatics. [...read more]

Some absolutely depressing friend of mine recently told me, after I gushed to him how much I love Autumn, that people who like Autumn are nuts.  It’s a season that signifies death, he stated stonily. The trees lose there leaves and everything turns brown and it isn’t long before the cold and bitter grip of [...read more]

Patz & Hall embodies old-school California winemaking. Since 1988 they’ve been bottling powerful, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the most esteemed sites in California. This is a very different style of Pinot Noir; a  house style that Patz & Hall has built their cult reputation on. Some people really get into the opulence. They [...read more]