Arturo Ciompi

One could say that Charles Heidsieck is that “other” French Champagne. Piper-Heidsieck is better known in the U.S., but the Charles Heidsieck brand, affectionately known as “Champagne Charlie,” makes splendid Champagne in the ancient city of Reims. I’ve been fortunate enough to sell and write about this house for decades, but unless my gray matter […]

When my oldest daughter married last year, many friends expected me to serve Champagne. But the taste of 125 varied people can present “issues.” I knew of a solution — a wine from the region that claims to have first produced sparkling wine! That region is Limoux, in the southern French region of Languedoc. Since

Petite Sirah has had a recent popularity resurgence. It never truly went out of style, but its midnight dark color, viscous texture and strong tannins made it less of an everyday dinner choice. And although “drinkability” seems to be a prime buzzword today, at least one estate has never allowed its version to go out

Conn Creek is known to wine cognoscenti as a sky rocket that took off in the 1970s (with assistance from Bordeaux’ La Mission Haut Brion!) only to come back to earth in the ’80s and see its aspirations dwindle and its property sold. Today, as in the restructured 1990s, the wine that grabs the most

I’ve written before about Bisol, a family-run Prosecco estate dating back to 1542. The 7½-acre Cartizze Hill, in the region of Valdobbiadene, produces a most distinctive bubbly that will not remind you of any garden variety Prosecco. With a Champagne price tag of $50, this wine delivers a special product. It’s not trying to be

I used to hate today. Everybody coming into the wine shop asking for the perfect wine for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner — one bottle at a time — ad infinitum … These days my own preference is for a lighter red, not too dry, fruity, and a good foil for the stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry

Petite Sirah is a grape that mostly goes unloved. It has the reputation of adding color and body to generic blends, but some wineries have stuck with it as a unique varietal through thick and thin. (One thinks of the massive beauties produced at Stags’ Leap Winery.) But there has been a renaissance, with winemakers

I have a very soft spot for the red wines of Dão, this north-central wine region of Portugal. I used to sell inexpensive Dãos in the ’80s and ’90s to an adoring public — once they had tried them! They can still represent remarkable wines of subtlety and profound bouquet. Lovers of Pinot Noir should

So many smaller wine regions in Spain are trying to lift themselves into the consciousness of consumers — it isn’t easy. Today’s wine comes from the region known as Cariñena in the Aragon district of northeastern Spain. Confusingly, today’s wine is also made from the Cariñena (Carignane) grape, along with equal parts of Garnacha (Grenache).

In 2003, I sat down to lunch at Beringer Vineyards one-on-one with Chief Winemaker Laurie Hook. She had taken over the reigns from Ed Sbragia in 2000, and the thrill of crafting the extensive Napa portfolio was still fresh in her words and actions. Laurie arrived at Beringer in 1986, becoming assistant winemaker in 1994.