Author Archive

One day, perhaps, I’ll figure out how the multi-national wine companies make brand decisions. For example, why would the company that owns Chateau Ste. Michelle also own two grocery store brands, Columbia-Crest and 14 Hands, that make the same kind of Washington state wine that sell for about the same … more

Total Wine, a large regional chain, is supposed to open in Dallas shortly. Throw in Trader Joe’s, which is supposed to open this fall, and Spec’s, Texas’ largest chain, which opened at the end of last year (as well as all of the current retailers), and we have an abundance … more

During a #winechat discussion last week about local wine, one of the questions I got was how regional wine producers could make it easier for Americans to drink wine that wasn’t called chardonnay, cabernet, and merlot. Many regional wines are made with grapes most consumers aren’t familiar with, like blanc du bois, … more

There are a couple of importers whose wines are so trustworthy that I will buy them regardless of what’s in the bottle. Kermit Lynch, of course, for French wine, and Ole Imports and Patrick Mata for Spanish wine.

Mata’s passion for Spanish wine is famous, and his palate is exceptional. … more

It’s not easy finding cheap cabernet sauvignon that tastes like cabernet sauvignon. Too many of them are fruity and sticky, without the heft and tannins that cabernet is supposed to have — call them cabernet lite. Or, if they taste like cabernet, they cost at least $20, and that’s not … more

Where do I begin to praise the Trocard ($10, purchased, available at Spec’s)? Cheap wine does not get much better than this:

• It’s a previous vintage, and it’s still yummy.

• Classic white Bordeaux, made with sauvignon blanc. That means not much fruit and certainly none of that New … more

One of the few remaining obstacles facing Texas wine is that too many consumers think it’s not any good — even though they’ve never tasted it.

I have finally figured out why Americans don’t drink more rose, and it’s not what I thought — that we confuse rose with sweet pink wines like white zinfandel. The real reason? It doesn’t taste like red wine.

How else to account for the odd reviews for the Le Cirque … more

So much for wondering about the quality of California wine. Or thinking that wine prices were going to increase this year.

Which says pretty much everything that needs to be said about the Maxwell Creek ($10, purchased, available at World Market), which is apparently a second label from St. Supery, … more

Yet another Australian wine featured on the blog? Hey, I call them as I see them, and if it means changing my mind and admitting that he doesn’t know everything that he thinks he knows, that’s what makes me the wine writer I am.

Or, to quote a wine drinker … more