I’ve decided to let my subscription to Wine Spectator lapse once it runs out this year. Those who read this blog know that I often poke fun at the magazine and that I occasionally deride it for its undue influence on wine drinkers. There are many factors that have brought me to this current decision, [...]

I have to wonder if the Michelin Guide is trying to stay relevant by offering some big shake-ups this year. Maybe I’m reading into things too much, but it seems like the 2010 San Francisco guide featured quite a bit of promotions and demotions, especially within Napa wine country. Of course, I’m not taking anything [...]

Clearly, I’ve been out of my jurisdiction by making uninformed predictions about Michael Broadbent’s libel lawsuit against Random House, which the legendary wine critic has recently won. I’ve just received a comment from Bartholomew Broadbent, the founder of Broadbent Selections and the son of the plaintiff, which outlines the press release regarding this recently settled [...]

I attended the Rioja Wine Trade Tasting at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco last Tuesday, sampling about 60 wines from almost 20 different producers. With so many wines to taste, I didn’t linger on any particular wine for too long, allowing my general impressions to be my guide, rather than attempt to dissect each [...]

I tasted through about five dozen Riojas this afternoon at the Palace Hotel, and by the end of this four-hour drinking session, I needed lunch in the worst possible way. Of course, I knew this was going to happen, which is why I had already formulated a plan: blissfully full of moderate-to-good Tempranillo, I took [...]

A visit from an old friend from my Auberge du Soleil days prompted an opportunity to open a few bottles of wine. I pulled of trio of reds from the 2004 vintage, which for me, should all be showing pretty well at this point. Here’s a quick run-down of the wines, before the bottles head [...]