Due to high interest in French wine (and my recent travels in France!), along with the permanent recognition that France produces some of the best and most diverse cheeses in the world, we decided to produce an all France themed wine and cheese cruise. We were honored to have such an enthusiastic audience and highly … Continue reading French wines and cheeses on the river…
Below are two wines that will be featured by the glass at Braddock’s American Brasserie Tuesday Tasting (located at the Renaissance Hotel downtown Pittsburgh). I will review and discuss two wines every Tuesday – should be fun! First up is the white wine feature: Beringer Vineyards Chardonnay Private Reserve 2008 This wine has a rich yellow … Continue reading Two wines for Jack’s Tuesday Oct26 Tasting at Braddock’s
Jean-Paul Autard http://www.paulautard.com is not an old man, but he has a wealth of wine-making experience since taking over the family wine operation at age 17. This domaine produces a range of wines including many award winning, highly sought after wines (Autard’s 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape “Cote Ronde” scored an impressive 97 pts from the … Continue reading Domaine Paul Autard Cotes-du-Rhone 2009
A few days in Lisbon is all it takes to convince anyone that Portugal is indeed a distinct and different country than the rest of Europe. From a wine perspective Portugal is especially blessed with a broad variety of native grape varietals – all of which are able to be pressed into fine and enjoyable … Continue reading Portuguese wine experience…
This wine is not at all small. The 2007 Southern Rhone vintage was a big one across the board and this wine is no exception. The exceptional aspect of this wine is the value to the consumer at this price point. For people with a taste for a truly big wine at an affordable price … Continue reading Domaine de la Solitude Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2007 – Big Wine!
After several wine and cheese cruises along Pittsburgh’s three rivers (for those unfamiliar, the rivers are: Allegheny, Monongahela and the Ohio), there is no waning of interest. To stoke the enthusiasm even more, our cheese expert David Bennett (I refer to him as a ‘cheese-ist’) invited his colleague “Dearheart” the top cheese-monger from one of … Continue reading International Wines and Cheeses
A full river boat on a hot evening turned into a cool event. Local Argentine Caterer “La Mendocina Catering” (http://www.lamendocina.com/) provided flavorful food including grilled vegetables, antipasto and owner Monica Aveni-Ranii’s signature (awesome in my opinion) Argentine Empanadas. The attendees were all passionate about wine and gave great feedback, splitting their favorites evenly between the … Continue reading South American wine and Argentine Food River Cruise
This was good fun with a dynamic crew of nice folk! A private dinner through “Off the Grid” (http://www.off-the-grid.ws/) – a small group of food and wine lovers who, every month or so, get together with a broad-minded chef who is willing to close a restaurant to the public and create a fun evening with … Continue reading Off the Grid Dinner with South American food and wines!
When Pittsburghers think about driving a couple of hours to a wine event, many might be think ‘why bother’, since the State of Pennsylvania is known to have generally similar choices at all the state owned wine shops across the state. But wait – this event looks a little different. For anyone thirsting for wine … Continue reading WPSU Wine Festival & Celebration – State College September 19th
Who doesn’t love a nice Chardonnay??? In this case I am talking about a French White Brugundy, a group which is very close to my heart. White Burgundies have had very good vintages for the past five years, so no one should be afraid of purchasing one (unlike the reds of the past five vintages … Continue reading Joseph Droughin Saint Veran 2008
Jack Brice Wine 