Arturo Ciompi

If one goes back a few decades in bargain California wines, three names stand out for me: McManis, Bogle and, my personal favorite, the wines of Cline Family Cellars. These wineries have always delivered value, and I recommend you get to know them. But for me, Cline is outdoing itself. Their most recent releases, “farmhouse” […]

This is a bit wacky but, then again, what isn’t when it’s from Greece? It isn’t that great wines are not emerging from these ancient vineyards, but it is sometimes hard for the American consumer to know what he or she’s getting. So it is with today’s wine, Feast Red, made from the Agiorgitiko (Ah-yor-YEET-ko)

Decades ago, I drank a 1975 Spring Mountain Reserve red from Cuvaison Winery. It was my very first “ah-ha” memorable experience with mountain-grown Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Skip ahead 38 years (gulp) to find Cuvaison the proud owners of Brandlin Estate, whose Mount Veeder fruit is harvested just a short skip south of Spring Mountain. Brandlin

Regular readers may know I have a soft spot for Vermentino, the Italian white. This grape thrives on Sardinia but also other Italian spots, namely Sicily and the Tuscan coast. That’s where today’s example is from. It’s Calasole Vermentino from the Rocca Di Montemassi estate. Vermentino must be fully ripened to show off its complexity

So, what kind of a rosé drinker are you? Do you like a sweet sipper? Do you want it as a food wine? Do you like it bone-dry as they do in Provence? Or perhaps somewhere in between? The latter represents today’s example; dry enough to refresh, but not so dry as to require food

Regaleali used to be the lone Sicilian voice in the American wine market. Do you remember the Corvo brand, and especially the “Rosso Del Conte,” which was its best wine? Well, Tasca d’Almerita, the formal name of that company, has been making wines for over a century. But things are changing, and high-quality wines using

Ask most people about Côtes Du Rhône wines and they think of red. But vibrant whites are also made, and they represent the same kind of value as their red brethren. Today’s example from Les Dauphins is a blend of numerous grapes that thrive in this warm-weather climate, yet produce wines of mouth-watering refreshment. 2016

Castello d’Abola is one of the most scenic and “elevated” estates in Tuscany. Thirty minutes from Siena, their ancient vineyards are situated between 1,150-2,150 feet above sea level. (That’s high up in these parts.) Today’s wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Sangiovese blend that aims for the fences. It is called “Acciaiolo;” roll that off your tongue!

A lifetime ago, many California estates, large and small, used to bottle what they called “Burgundy.” Today, almost nobody calls their wine that, except for the real thing that comes from the Burgundy region of France. (Even older cookbooks used to ask for “a cup of Burgundy wine.” They didn’t mean the real thing; they

I have been following the wines of Chalk Hill Estate for almost 20 years. Of the numerous wines they produce – and experimentation has been a big part of their success – I don’t think any has pleased me more than their original Estate Chardonnay. It has always been of the generous, overtly creamy and