Benvenuto! Stories from Small Vineyards in Italy

My recent trip to Italy was largely restricted to Roma, which is located in the region of Lazio. The professor shepherding my small group of students suggested we taste mostly Lazio wines, preaching that the difference between a tourist and a traveler is an interest in what their immediate surroundings offer. Tourists would insist on only trying wines from the regions their guide book declared to be the best, while true travelers would immerse themselves in the wines from Lazio, suppressing the urge to drink strictly those from Toscana and Piemonte. Tourist is a detestable name anywhere, and so to avoid being labeled one I stuck with Lazio. They tasted fantastic to my young palate, but nothing like the portfolio Small Vineyards presented yesterday. Read more

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It’s hard to be a Merlot these days

For years, many wine connoisseurs dismissed Merlots from California as bland and characterless–so much so that it was probably the most memorable line from the movie Sideways: “…if anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving.”

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Gems Aplenty with Dierberg Wines at Topaz

Everyone likes being part of a secret. And maybe that’s why the dinner that we held about a week ago at Topaz featuring an assortment of Jim and Mary Dierberg’s wines was such a hit. Sure, our event was publicized, and the restaurant is known to be one of the best in our area, but the wines—these were well-reviewed wines that have surprisingly not gotten a lot of press. So, it was a real treat to not only taste the wines, but to do so with the winery owners and their winemaker, Nick de Luca. Read more

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