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Le Temps des Gitans – Vin de Pays de l’Herault
The bottle was weird. There, I said it. The glass was clear, the wine was a deep garnet and the cork was synthetic green. The label showed a caricature of two (presumably) French dudes stomping grapes and strumming a Picasso-like guitar. On the back label, the words “Gypsy Melody” were written at the top followed [...]
Continue reading...Pinot Noir, James Millton, Clos de Ste. Anne, Naboth’s Vineyard, Manutuke, Gisborne, New Zealand. 2006. 13%, Biodynamic
By Paul Howard - Jan 3, 2010
James and Annie Millton’s established their vineyards in 1984 and make a delicious range of hand-crafted fine wines. Pioneers, they’ve been biodynamic from the outset, long before many more famous estates around the world converted to the creed. Their estate is at Manutuke, just outside Gisborne in New Zealand, in North Island’s Poverty Bay, the [...]
Continue reading...Chateau Musar White 2001, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
By Paul Howard - Nov 30, 2009
Up in the Lebanese Bekaa valley at around 1,000 metres is an extraordinary property whose wines have become virtually synonymous with Lebanon. Serge Hochar has continued to make French-influenced wines here in spite of the various conflicts that have raged and blighted this beautiful but unstable region. He seeks to make only what nature will [...]
Continue reading...Bonny Doon Goes Biodynamic
By Adam Morganstern - Oct 15, 2009
Randall Graham is embracing biodynamics and Bonny Doon is now on its way to certification with Demeter. Bonny Doon has also started putting ingredient labels on their wines in an effort towards “complete transparency.” So, along with grapes, you may see tartaric acid, untoasted wood chips and copper sulfate printed on your bottle. The OWJ [...]
Continue reading...Domaine Belluard, AC Vin de Savoie, “le Feu, terroir de Montblanc”, Ayze, Savoie, France. 2006
By Paul Howard - Oct 13, 2009
Dominique and Patrick Belluard own this biodynamic estate of just 13 ha at Ayze, in the heart of the Haut Savoie valley of l’Arve. They are the third generation of the family to run it since it was created in 1947. They took charge in 1988 and converted to biodynamics in 2001. The domaine is located [...]
Continue reading...The Pleasure of Peasant Wines
By Greg Wacks - Oct 13, 2009
When it comes to food and wine, “peasant” hardly means low class any more. To me it means small stone farmhouses in the south of France with honest, rustic dishes to match. You know exactly what’s in your glass and what’s on your plate. A good peasant wine will be a truthful representative of its [...]
Continue reading...Vina Simčič, Teodor Belo Reserve white, Kakovostno Vino ZGP, Goriška Brda, Slovenia. 2004. 13.5%
By Paul Howard - Aug 28, 2009
Slovenia is a middle-European country that was once part of the former Yugoslavia, whose western Goriška province borders the Friuli region of NE Italy. The border between them runs through a small wine area with a violent history, known to Italians as the Collio and Brda to the Slovenes. Once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this [...]
Continue reading...Caiarossa, Azienda Vitivinicola Caiarossa, Toscana IGT, 2005
By Paul Howard - Jul 15, 2009
The Val di Cecina is a picturesque and unspoilt region of rolling hills toward the coast of Tuscany just north of the Bolgheri wine region, the new frontier for Tuscan wines over the past couple of decades. It is also known as Il Giardino (the Garden), thick with oak and cork trees. The close proximity to [...]
Continue reading...Real Wine For Hard Times – With Lyle Fass – Episode 104
In this episode, Lyle tries two Grüner Veltliners and becomes the first wine reviewer on record to open a wine bottle with a cigarette lighter.
Continue reading...Biodynamic Alsace: JosMeyer et Fils, Wintzenheim, France
By Paul Howard - May 26, 2009
JosMeyer is easily found in Wintzenheim, it’s on the main street and approached via a lovely cobbled courtyard that features all the usual hallmarks of Alsace. There are half-timbered buildings featuring ancient oak beams, window boxes full of Pelargonium and red Roses climbing around doorways. Birdsong surrounds us and Bees buzz. Looking up, the sky [...]
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By Greg Wacks - Jan 20, 2010
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