Author Archives for Melanie Mitzner

VIVA IL PASSIONE


Feast on this! Finally a Chianti I like that fits my artist picks (wines under $10) - Saggio Chianti. Times have changed. The former DOC classification was all about quantity but now it’s all about quality with the Chianti Classico DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) - the Italian wine classification for wines with […]

Water into Wine


My latest artist pick (groovy wines under $10) comes from one of the oldest estates in the Jumilla region of southern Spain- - Finca Luzon — founded by the Gil family in 1916.
LUZON VERDE 2006 at the great price of $ 8.99 is certified organic and made from 100% Monastrell (a varietal also known as […]

Ride That Donkey


Imagine strolling through a field of lavender in Provence then being whisked
off on a high speed train to Languedoc. That’s how I would describe my first impression of Corbières “Fontanilles” Domaine des Deux Anes 2005. At the exceptionally reasonable price of $ 10, this artist pick is a winner. Dark, rich and smoky with […]

Lounging With The Rock


My latest artist pick (wine under $10/bottle) is the 2005 Castle Rock Petite Sirah. Grown in the Russian River Valley of California where well drained soils and a fog cooled climate offer ideal growing conditions, this medium-bodied lush wine with juicy berry, mocha and candy apple on the nose is on the verge of jammy […]

Savor le Sauvignon


The warm days of summer are almost upon us — time to break out the white wine. Versatile as an aperitif and food-friendly, Sauvignon Blanc is as varied in style and complexity as are completely different varietals.
At a recent gathering of starving artists, the 2006 Baron D’Aliénor Bordeaux Sauvignon was a real crowd pleaser. Made […]

Port Not


If you’re not a captain of industry or you don’t have celebrity status, then you might want to check out my Artists Picks, great moderately priced wines under $10. I’ll be reviewing a different wine in each post, describing the terroir, region and providing tasting notes.
The Douro Valley in Portugal is a spectacular landscape of […]

Melanie Mitzner

Melanie Mitzner is a writer and partner of www.thegroovymind.com, a hip eco-friendly online store specializing in green business and personal gifts. She's at work on her novel SEPTEMBER 10TH about a shell-shocked architect who disappears after 9/11. Her novel SLOW REVEAL was a finalist in the Heekin Foundation Fellowships. She received an Edward Albee Fellowship for her screenplay ZERO GRAVITY and was a finalist in the Writers Guild East Foundation Fellowships for her screenplay DODGE AND BURN. Her play PERSONAL EFFECTS received a fellowship from the M.E.T. Theater in New York. Her short fiction has been published in quarterlies, zines and anthologies. As a journalist, she has written articles for WINE SPECTATOR, HAMPTON COUNTRY, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, BROADCAST WEEK and MILLIMETER, among other publications and she lives in wine country on the East End of Long Island. She has partnered in a creative process blog at http://SubmergingArtists.blogspot.com