Greetings from NLWS, If you don’t have great grapes, you can’t make great wine – this simple statement neatly wraps-up nearly my entire fascination with wine. It speaks to the relationship between the farmer and the winemaker – between viticulture and vinification. More importantly than this relationship however is…
Read More...Darrin’s Send-Off Wine Musings – 3/29/18
I’ll start with the big news: This is my last weekend as a full-time retail wine guy. I am going to attempt to make a living at one of my other passions – woodworking. You’re still likely to run into me around the store some time as I will be…
Read More...Wine Musings – Week of 3-22-18
If you were among the lucky few who got in early last Saturday and gobbled up a couple bottles of the Moroder “Elleno” Malvasia from the tasting, we’ve got another one you’re going to want to try. The Benvenuti Malvazija 2016 from Istria, Croatia is dry and crisp with considerable…
Read More...Wine Musings, Week of 3/15/18
I promised value this week, so here you go. Let’s start with a couple of can’t-miss whites: The 2016 Pratsch Gruner Veltliner ($15.99 for a Full Liter) is delightful as it is most every vintage, with citrus, pear and apple fruit. The zippy acidity balances nicely with the mild herbaceousness. This will…
Read More...Wine Musings – Week of 3/8/18
3-7-18 Wow, it’s been a rough week to be a fine wine retailer. It’s only Wednesday and I’ve had to taste/drink Grower Champagne, Premier Cru White Burgundy (Meursault), Cru Barolo and Barbaresco, and a double fist-full of Super Tuscans and Southern Italian Reds including perfectly-aged Library Releases. I’m not going…
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Darrin’s Wine Musings
2/28/18: Two of the items featured in our newsletter this week are very pleasant surprises. They are from producers that we’ve been fond of for years, but they both fall into the “Bin-End” category, that is that they represented the last few cases left in the importer’s warehouse and they’ve…
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