Who doesn’t like cheese ?!?!? – Certainly we love cheese, especially when paired with wine! (there’s an idea!) – so when Owner of Marty’s Market (http://martysmarket.com/) asked my good friend and co-conspiritor David “Cheese-Guy” Bennet and me to do a series of Cheese and Wine tastings – our answer was an enthusiastic YES! So we … Continue reading French Cheese and Wine at Marty’s Market
Three years running we have celebrated Australia Day with our favorite Portuguese Chef Toni Pais – while he isn’t Australian, he HAS cooked for the Australian Prime Minister, so we feel perfectly comfortable trusting his culinary skills to our humble Oz Day Celebration. The wines were well received and all in attendance virtually beamed after … Continue reading Australia Day Dinner with Aussie Wines at Cafe Zinho!
Join Grapenuts and our guests the “Clever Wine Group” December 5, 6pm at Braddock’s in the Grand Lobby of the Renaissance Hotel downtown Pittsburgh for our THIRD ANNUAL Grapenuts Holiday Big Bubbly Blowout!! Here are our simple – but effective – party ingredients: Bubbly in glasses (carefully selected, you won’t find this list that these … Continue reading Holiday Big Bubbly Blowout!! Third Annual – Yay!
A good deal is always welcome – and a good deal on a quality offering is especially welcome! This is an instance in which the PLCB (Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, purchaser/retailer of all wine in Pennsylvania) and the occasionally maligned Chairman’s Selection program hit ‘pay dirt’ for bubbly lovers across the fine Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. … Continue reading Screaming Good Deal !! Anna de Codorniu Chardonnay Brut Cava VAP NV
We are excited for the Grapenuts Five n Dime Happy Hour next week at Bridge Ten Brasserie (18Nov12 6-8PM, http://www.bridgeten.com) – below are the wines we chose for the tasting. These are fantastic values that all display the character of their origin. (By the way – ALL of these wines are on the Bridge 10 … Continue reading Happy Hour at Bridge Ten Brasserie – Featured Wines
Every now and then, I get the urge to do something a little crazy – fortunately I am generally risk-averse, so my occasional craziness rarely ends in fisticuffs or embarrassment for my family. Recently, I have run across a number of instances in which a hotel or restaurant or event boasted a “Champagne Reception”, or … Continue reading Five Champagne Dinner: NICOLAS FEUILLATTE, NATALIE FALMET, MICHEL LORIOT, BRICE
So far as I am aware, there has been no other tasting in the world that combined the film “Bottleshock”, an actor guest (Hal B. Klein who played “Shenky” in the film), a history lesson (guest Elizabeth Downer was a member of the Academie du Vin in Paris, and knows Steve Spurrier, played by Alan … Continue reading The “Judgment of Pittsburgh” – one of a kind tasting event!!
This is my favorite Chardonnay of the summer (so far…). The Louis Latour Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc 2006 (PLCB code: 32299 $29.99) is a fantastically well balanced wine at an attractive price. Often I sound the alert for the ‘screaming good deals’ that occasionally pop up showing consumers what interesting and characterful wines … Continue reading Favorite Chardonnay of the Summer – Louis Latour Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Blanc 2006
Cordier’s Chateau Andron 2009 has a lot going for it. It is from the highly respected Medoc region within Bordeaux AND this vintage is considered by many to be one of the best in memory! Bordeaux wines are some of the most famous in the world, and pricing can be very high – indeed some … Continue reading Cordier Chateau Andron Medoc 2009 Bordeaux
The Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Margaret River 2011 (PLCB Code: 38935 $16.99) is comprised of 73% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Semillon, which is similar to the traditional Bordeaux Blanc blend. And the Siblings is a tasty example of how well these two varietals work together. Many American wine fans have little experience with … Continue reading Leeuwin Estate Siblings Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Margaret River 2011
Jack Brice Wine 