The Spirit World

It is well known that New Zealand produces the very best Sauvignon Blanc’s (although producers in the Loire and Bordeaux might well disagree!). Along with Pinot Noir, the countries other strength, over 73% of New Zealands exports to the UK are from these two vines.  
A quick scout through my tasitng notes has highlighted just how many […]

For classic cocktail fans like me, Crème Yvette is one of the many ingredients we wish we could find. It’s been defunct in the U.S. since the late 1960’s or so, when Charles Jacquin et Cie stopped production. Thankfully, we have other violette liqueur options to use now, but almost no one has tasted the […]

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 […]

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 […]

Each year, and with fairly little fanfare, there is a fairly exhaustive spirits judging that takes place in San Francisco. Anthony Dias Blue is the founder of the competition, which saw its eighth year in operation when it held its 2008 judging in mid March.
There were 847 products submitted, across 439 different brand classifications. Judging […]

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 […]

An Organic and Biodynamic Wine Cellar Created by Scott Pactor of West Chelsea’s Appellation Wine & Spirits
Bright, Modern, and white, it’s exterior wall of glass, Appellation Wine & Spirits – in eco chic, delightfully designed West Chelsea, is the first Biodynamic Wine Boutique in New York City.
Opened in September 2005, Appellation has established itself as […]

One of my friends is Swedish, and she often brings interesting things for me to try have made their way to the U.S. with her friends and family from Sweden. Her latest gift was a bottle of Carlshamn’s Swedish Flaggpunsch.
Finding Swedish Punsch
Some bloggers have written about Swedish Punsch because it is an essential ingredient in […]

I’ve had the good fortune to visit the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, featured in this month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday, several times on business. I went to Trieste which is about as far round you can go in Italy in a north east direction before you hit Slovenia. It’s a very pleasant place, obviously Italian but with a […]

I spent a few days on the Alabama coast recently, and stumbled upon a whiskey that was new to me – Clyde May’s Conecuh Ridge Alabama Style Whiskey. Being the curious sort, I tried some and asked my friendly bartender about it.This was a whiskey with an interesting story. The bartender told me that it […]