Arturo Ciompi

Italy isn’t the only country to make Vin Santo, although Tuscan Vin Santi do sometimes approach a heavenly status. On the Greek island of Santorini, another traditional version of this wine, called Vinsanto (one word), is made. These wines are seemingly from another slower, more thoughtful, world. White grapes are sun-dried on racks for two […]

Davis Bynum has been making single-vineyard Pinot Noir since 1973 – the first winery to do so in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. There is always something special about a wine sourced from a continuous plot – something Burgundy winemakers have known for centuries! Today’s wine, a graceful offering from a very dry

Today’s wine is a first for me, but it won’t be the last! In the Amyndeon Appellation of northwestern Greece, Kir-Yianni Winery produces a rosé from the Xinomavro grape. If any of you are familiar with the wines of the Boutari estate, especially their Grande Reserve Naoussa, then you know how very good this grape

Grechetto is a grape of ancient Greek origin that today is a mainstay in the white wines of Italy’s Umbria region. Best known as part of the blend in the wines of Orvieto, it is sometimes bottled as a standalone varietal. If it tastes the way Arnaldo Caprai makes it, that should be happening way

Malbec is pretty well known in America. Many people know it was once a favored grape in the wine blends of Bordeaux, but Malbec really needs more sun and heat than Bordeaux can consistently offer. Its success in the southwestern French region of Cahors (once – in a sexist fashion – called “the manliest wine

Trebbiano gets little respect. In France, it’s called Ugni Blanc and is mostly used to make Cognac and Armagnac. (It can also make a sprightly wine when yields are restricted.) But Trebbiano D’Abruzzo is another animal along Italy’s Adriatic coast. Here, the grape can be the powerful expression of its clay and limestone terrain. The

The rediscovery of old-vine plantings throughout Spain, and the effort to modernize their production, has produced a bumper crop of deeply flavored wines that bring satisfaction to both palate and pocketbook. Today’s wine, from the district known as Cariñena is made from 100% Cariñena (Carignan) grapes! Located within the larger north-central region of Aragón, Bodegas San

Wherever you turn today, there’s yet another rosé wine. I love rosé and am glad to see it selling better than ever. But what about Provence, an area in southeastern France where rosé has been arguably made for 26 centuries? It makes rosé wine because that’s what works best. Today’s wine appears in the “Torch

I have been extolling the wines from Washington state’s “Horse Heaven Hills” viticultural area for years. In 2003 I wrote, “Someday people will talk about Horse Heaven Hills in the same manor as they discuss the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.” Those days are here, and the changes occurring in Washington viticulture are remarkable for their

If you’re like me, summer doesn’t mean giving up big reds on the right occasion. The other night we had prune-encrusted, grilled pork loin, and today’s wine was a stunning accompaniment. From Umbria, in central Italy, Montefalco Sagrantino is a bold red from a grape variety that combines power with a rich, unashamedly dense texture. Tenute