30 Second Wine Advisor
Jan. 5, 2009
Happy New Year! As we move into the year 2009, here's my annual New Year's year report on the best - and the best values - of the wines I've reviewed during the past 12 months.
As I do at the end of every year at this time, I've sorted all my wine-tasting reports of the year to reveal the specific wines that I've rated best for both quality and value. These are the wines that showed exceptional value at all price points, earning the admiring moniker that online wine "geeks" call "Quality-Price Ratio" or, for short, "QPR."
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Previous article: Recession-busting bubbly
WineLibrary TV
New Year's Resolution: Drink Value!
Jan. 1, 2009
Gary Vaynerchuk is ringing in 2009 with a New Year's resolution to drink more value wines on the show. In today's episode, he tastes a 2006 Petaluma Riesling, a 2006 Catena Chardonnay, a 2006 Kendall Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay, a 2005 Edmunds St John "Rocks & Gravel" and a 2006 La-peira Obriers Terrasses Du Larzac Coteaux Languedoc.
Click to view this episode! |
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BUY WINES ONLINE! Check sources, compare prices and, if you like, order these recently reviewed wines from online merchants through Wine-Searcher.com using the hotlinks below:
- Mionetto Valdobbiadene Prosecco Brut
- d'Arenberg 2007 "The Hermit Crab" Adelaide Viognier Marsanne
- Matteo Correggia 2004 "La Val dei Preti" Nebbiolo d'Alba
- Chateau La Freynelle 2006 Bordeaux
- Emilio Lustau Palo Cortado "Peninsula" Sherry
- Marchesi di Barolo 2006 "Maràia" Barbera Monferrato
- Guido Porro 2005 Vigna S. Caterina Barbera d'Alba
- Domaine Dupeuble Père et Fils 2008 Beaujolais Nouveau
Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf
Hugh Johnson's 2009 Pocket Wine Book
If there's one indispensible reference for the wine lover, it's Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book. Updated annually, this handy guide packs an incredible amount of information into a pocket-size volume. Thousands of wines are rated, described, and listed with coding indicating which vintages are preferred and which are ready to drink. I buy the new edition every year, and highly recommend it. The 2009 edition has just been published, with new and updated information. You can buy it now through WineLoversPage.com for $10.17, a 32 percent discount.
You'll find all the best wine books for beginners and experts - and the top wine magazines too - in our Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf.
Italian Wine Guide
The Simple Pleasures of Italian Wines
Dec. 21, 2008
In a wine world seeminly obsessed with ratings and points, writer Tom Hyland begs to differ: The bottom line, he says, is pleasure. With that in mind, he offers a quick survey of some favorite Italian wines that don't get the attention they deserve.
Read article. | More of Tom Hyland's Italian Wine Guide.
WebWineMan
Dec. 20, 2008
Writer Richard Fadeley and the Columbia, (S.C.) Free Times tasting panel take on their favorite assignment of the year as they help you wade through the huge offerings in the sparkling wine aisles.
Read article. | More of Richard Fadeley's columns.
Randy's Culinary Wine & Food Adventures
Organic wines you can sink your teeth into
Dec. 16, 2008
Today wines produced in organic, biodynamic, as well as vegan and sustainable fashions are moving in from the fringes of commercial taste. Randy Caparoso takes a look at the differences that make these wines worth our attention, and offers a list of good ones.
Read article. | More of Randy's Culinary Wine & Food Adventures.
Rogov's Ramblings
Dec. 14, 2008
As a young man, Daniel Rogov learned that some of the best schools for learning about and enjoying the wines and foods of France were the quaint and cozy bistrots à vin found throughout Paris. He offers us this loving remembrance, with details about a half-dozen favorites.
Read article. | Rogov's Ramblings on WineLoversPage.com.
Bucko's Wine Reports
Dec. 7, 2008
Randy "Bucko" Buckner focuses this month on Beaujolais and Champagne, wines that are extremely versatile on the holiday table and should not be overlooked. Here is his monthly report on 100 new wines.
Read article | More of Bucko's wine reports
Vino e Cucina d'Italia
Umbria - A Wine and Food Jewel
Nov. 29, 2008
Most wine and food lovers who visit Italy seem to focus on Piedmont and Tuscany. ... However, there is much more to Italian wine and food than these most appealing destinations. One such area, located just east of Tuscany, is Umbria.
Umbria has long been associated with wine and olive growing. In addition, its sausages and cheeses, particularly those found in the hill town of Norcia, are a taste of heaven.
Read article. | Neil Duarte's Vino e Cucina d'Italia page.
Dibbern on Wine
Flying Blind on the Flight to Value
Nov. 23, 2008
As dour daily headlines pound us with dismal economic news, it is challenging to write sensibly about wine, which is after all hardly a necessity of life. Still, says columnist Donald A. Dibbern Jr., even while we cut back on luxuries, it makes sense to sharpen our focus on the search for value in wine.
Wines compared by score and price
Nov. 16, 2008
This month's issue of WineBlueBook covers many West Coast Pinot Noir, White Burgundy and Piedmont Red wines that were scored last month by the wine critics. A total of 1,284 wines are profiled in the November 2008 issue. Click here for a taste, or the following link for direct information on WineBlueBook.
Oxford Town Wines
Man's best friends: Wine and dog
Oct. 30, 2008
There are some very strong parallels between the way dogs and wine both bring pleasure and meaning to our lives, writes John Juergens. Here's his list. Read article. | More of Oxford Town Wines.
Vino 101
Oct. 12, 2008
Too often restaurant wine is presented and served with shocking carelessness. In his monthly column, "A Server's Perspective," Jorge Eduardo Castillo points out some common wine service faux pas and proposes ways to correct these errors.
Read article | More of Jorge Eduardo Castillo's columns
Schaefer on Wine
Chile's organic and biodynamic wine leader
The wine world is "going green," and that includes naturally produced and minimally processed wine. Organically grown grapes are seen as a "best practice" in sustainable agriculture, reports correspondent Dennis Schaefer files this report from the largest organic grape grower in Chile, Emiliana Organico in the Colchagua Valley. Pictured: Portable chicken coop used in the vineyards for natural insect control.
Wine Advisor FoodLetter
May 1, 2008
It seems that I've been on a nostalgia kick lately ... following up on last week's Carbonnades a la Flamande, we turn again to another Belgian dish from another favorite 1970s cookbook, Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet.
This hearty dinner ... features thick, juicy pork chops topped with a blend of Gruyère cheese and Dijon mustard.
Read more! | Archives | Subscribe (free!)
Previous FoodLetter: Carbonnades a la Flamande
Amazon.com Wine Bookshelf
The 30 Second Wine Advisor: The book
It has been almost nine years since I sent out the first edition of The 30 Second Wine Advisor, and since that day early in 1999, almost 2,000 columns have gone out to a growing Email list that now numbers some 40,000 wine lovers in more than 100 countries around the world.
Over those years, quite a few of you have asked a frequent question: "Why don't you assemble a bunch of these articles into a handy learn-about-wine book?"
Makes sense to me! Have a look at our new book, "The 30 Second Wine Advisor: Learn about wine in 30-second tastes - quick, easy & fun."
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Wine Grape Varietal Table  The most innovative wine-enthusiast publication of the year, Steve and Deborah De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table mimics the familiar periodic table of the elements to categorize a world of wine grape varieties. It's a great gift for a wine-loving friend ... or yourself. Click the image or link above to buy it today! |
For The Love of Port
"The times they are a'changing" in Portugal's Douro Valley, as the increasing appearance of Single Quinta Vintage Port (SQVP) starts to blur the distinction between "classic" vintages and the more frequently released "second labels." This trend is here to stay and it looks to be a positive, for both the Port trade and consumers, says Port expert Roy Hersh, who offers this extensive report on the Vintage Ports of 2004.
Burghound.com
Burghound.com Selection of the Week
Each week we feature a different Burgundy rated as a top value by Burghound. While there will be a mix of vintages, most wines featured will be those that can normally be found at a variety of fine wine retailers. Each wine will be described and rated with a suggested window of peak drinkability indicated after the numerical score. Click to view this week's selection.
