It has been a bit crazy the last few days… the holiday season is in full-swing around the stores, and my wife ended up in the hospital after a tumble down the steps, resulting in a broken foot (her second time breaking the same foot in less than 4 months) and 12 stitches in her [...]
I’ve been going on about the best of what I’ve tried and experienced yet haven’t really said much about the worst end of things. The main reason goes back to the old adage your mother told you when you were a kid. You know the one: “if you can’t say something nice about someone, keep [...]
I was reading last week’s post from Richard Koeppel at Bigger Than Your Head the very day I caught a glimpse of Cristalino Brut Cava NV’s new label, which I showed Shannon (my assistant) and we both had agreed it was hideous. After reading Koeppel’s article about Cristalino, I understood why it was hideous. You [...]
I recently tried three new wines from Alexandria, KY’s Generation Hill Winery, courtesy of owner Bill Buda sending them to me through our local wine distributor Walter Wines. One white wine (a Chardonel), a red (Chambourcin) and the obligatory Concord: Generation Hill Chardonnel Kentucky NV. Grade=Average. A decent white wine with a dry display of [...]
The other day, as the silly season requires I spend less time with my sales reps and more time a slave to the grind (cue the Skid Row song), my sampling takes place in the safety of mi casa loca de gato de suburbian, and this week I partook of 4 of the wines of [...]
Earlier in the week, I managed to get my hands on a bottle of Dogfish Head’s Bitches Brew – a special beer commemorating the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis’ groundbreaking jazz fusion album, Bitches’ Brew. Being a pretty big jazz fan, as well as a closet craft-beer freak, I was excited to get a hold [...]
Once again, the post-holiday has me clamoring for an extra make-up day. Sitting here in the Lightning Closet, I am contending with a bunch of signs to piece together for the shelves (my adult equivalent of arts-n-crafts hour), listening to a combination of my old friend Dave Doughman’s band, swearing at motorists, and the horrible [...]
I had hesitated to talk about Thanksgiving wine selections because quite frankly everyone else in the business does it. Man, if you want to drink a big ass Cab with your turkey dinner, or a big, buttery, oaky Chardonnay, I say go for it. I can argue that you’ll be mucking up your palate for [...]
In getting ready for the holidays, I find myself wanting to pull a Rip Van Winkle on everyone and wake up 20 years from now, though my wife would have a lot to say about that one, as would my 8 cats. This year, travelling to my mom’s in the Dayton, Ohio suburb of Kettering, [...]
As if 50 weren’t enough, there were 10 others that I wish I could have added into the list, but alas, I had to cut it off somewhere. Yet some of my “honorable mentions” I have to, uh, mention to you because they too were kick-ass, “amazing” wines: Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Tomahawk Vineyard 2006. [...]