Category: Drink Globally

Back in the late 80s, when I was working in Boston, I had a boss who selected winemaking as his hobby. Gino was the right guy for the hobby because he was blessed with those essential ingredients called patience and lots of extra cash.

Every time that I see or hear the word Chablis, I am reminded of how I almost missed my opportunity to visit this magnificent part of Burgundy. As I was driving I was thinking that I did not have enough time to stop at Chablis, that stopping would interfere with seeing the rest of Burgundy. Wrong! I resorted to plan B, revised my schedule, and spent two very rushed days in Chablis. I am glad I did because I learned something very important; that there is a huge difference between Chablis produced in the Burgundy region and the so-called Chablis produced in the rest of the world.

I’ve had the pleasure of living in South Carolina for ten years. Prior to that I was a New Englander, living in the Boston area. To be a successful New Englander, one was obliged to obey certain sacred laws: be a loyal fan of the local sports teams, always wear a white dinner jacket after Memorial Day, and never drink red wine in the summer months. Can you imagine the shock to my system when I actually saw someone consuming red wine in August at a local restaurant in Beaufort? How could I possibly survive here?

Barbara is my next door neighbor. I saw her yesterday in her garden celebrating her first tomato of the season. It was indeed a beauty; so red, so big and ready for the salad she was making for lunch. Without hesitation, and with the column in mind, I recommended a chilled Sauvignon Blanc to accompany her noontime fare. That’s what I am: a good neighbor always ready with an appropriate wine suggestion, all of which gives me an entrance into the next section of my wine column.

This time of year there is usually no shortage of information on the subject of White Wines – market conditions, production and distribution problems, the quality of this year’s releases, etc. You get the idea. There is one category that never seems to change: how the top five or six wines finish in terms of sales and volume of wine produced. Chardonnay leads the way just ahead of Sauvignon Blanc, followed by Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio, and, finally, Pinot Blanc.

We have been enjoying some of the best weather I’ve ever experienced in South Carolina lately. As a result, my thoughts have turned to backyard grilling, and, of course, summer white wines.

In a previous article, I talked about a friend who was just getting started with a wine collection, recommending various wines that both he and his guests would enjoy. Well, whatever course of action our friend chose, it worked. As a matter of fact, it worked so well that now he has now been bitten by the wine bug, and it is a condition that has no cure.

The New Year has started and you have resolved to become more adventurous with wine. You have always enjoyed Chardonnay as your drink of choice, but now you would like to break away from the same old, same old, and broaden your horizons. You know that there is more out there besides Chardonnay, so what do you do? Well, I am glad that you asked because I am able to suggest several steps you may want to take to make the hobby of wine more enjoyable.

I was at my desk, minding my own business, when off goes the ding telling me that I have an incoming email. To my delight it was my daughter in Paris telling me that she and her husband had just purchased a bottle of Taylor Fladgate Port Wine; not just any Taylor Fladgate, but the special release, both wine and package, that celebrates the 325th anniversary of Taylor Fladgate being in business.

When I was in the sixth grade my history class drew the assignment of “€œWriting the History of (fill in the rest).”€ I decided that since I liked War History, I would write the History of WWII. The good Sister that read my choice of subject must have gone back to the convent that evening and laughed until she was blue in the face. She finished laughing and realized she was going to have to deliver the bad news to me that a subject so big in scope cannot be explored in 900 words. The subject would have to be reduced to maybe one single event. I was crushed, but after listing to her explanation, I realized that Sister Margaret Mary was correct.

When I was in the sixth grade my history class drew the assignment of “Writing the History of...

The first Thanksgiving Dinner was held in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the year 1621. I know because I was there. In attendance were about 120 Pilgrims, and many representatives from the Native Indian Tribe known as the Wampanoag. The food served at the dinner represented native selections that the Wampanoag Indians taught the pilgrims how to grow and replenish. Among the foods were waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. The Native Indians and the Pilgrims combined to set a magnificent table complete with the best linen they could find. There was even a “€œkids’€™ table.”€ There were many and varied conversations going on at the same time because television had not yet been invented; there was no mention of football. The conversations were dominated by religion, politics and giving thanks to the Almighty for survival in the New World.

There must be at least one hundred ways to start this article, but I’€™ll just come right out and say it: The Charity Dinner that I attended on October 4th at Alexander’€™s Restaurant was Simply Awesome.

Since moving to the Lowcountry nine years ago, I have been made abundantly aware of the fact that the retirees here love to travel. As a matter of fact, I am right in there with them. Every once in a while I am overcome with wanderlust and before I know it, I’m on my way to the airport.

Every once in a while I like to recall the story of the Judgment of Wines that took place in Paris...

I sincerely hope that everyone had a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. I had a safe holiday because I stayed at home and experienced a new wine that I discovered from Kenwood Vineyards. It is called Six Ridges and was released to the market about 18 months ago.

Summertime is fast approaching and with it comes the summer barbecue season. Grilling on the patio...

I thought that I had a good plan: to visit some wineries, meet some of the folks, taste the wine, make some notes and move on. The plan would have worked if I had worn blinders, been rude, not listened to the very polite and informative winery personnel, tasted the wine and gone on my way. I realized early on that I had better alter my thinking and do it the Long Island way. I must say that it was a very good decision on my part, as each winery had a unique story to tell.

I recently attended a wine dinner at the Saltus River Grill in downtown Beaufort. The occasion marked the end of the season for the wine club that I belong to. We were hosted at the dinner by the very busy executive chef Brian Waters and assisted by Hayley Pope. Busy or not, they both made time for us and we really appreciated their efforts.

The wines that come from the region of Rioja in Spain carry the DENOMINACION de ORIGEN CALIFICADA Designation of Origin (D.O.Ca., “Qualified Designation of Origin”) Rioja wine is made from grapes grown in the communities of La Rioja and Navarre, and the Basque province of Alava. Rioja is further subdivided into three zones: Rioja Alta, Rioja Baja and Rioja Alavesa. It is common to have wines made from the blended fruit from all of the zones or the winemaker will experiment and maybe choose fruit from only one zone. Here again is the ever-present reminder that it is always the winemakers decision whether to blend or to use a single vineyard selection of fruit.