Welcome! About this BLOG…

This blog focuses on real, honest wine made from crushed grapes, with an occasional nod to craft beers and other alcohols—the “ardent spirits” as Thomas Jefferson referred to them. But mostly wine, in its myriad incarnations and variety of styles. My interest in wine, over more than three decades now, has never flagged because wine is not static; it constantly changes. New vintages every year, new wines from emerging regions. The wines themselves change over time, especially reds, revealing ever-evolving layers of flavor and nuance of taste and aroma. I’m frequently astonished at the vivid fruit and lush texture of reds from the 1980s and 1990s in my collection.

Wine has often been described in musical terms. Indeed, wine is a song of the earth, warmed by the sun. It will sing in your glass if you let it—whether a simple, fresh lyrical quaff like Pinot Grigio, a dry rosé or Beaujolais-Villages—or something deeper, richer, more profound, as in well-aged Cabernet or Bordeaux, red Burgundy, Barolo. More probably, something in between: a wine to sip and relax with, one to complement an everyday supper, weekend brunch or dinner. Wine is meant to give pleasure, enhance food, lift the heart, promote conviviality and good conversation. That is its sole reason for being. It is a life brightener.