November 2009
Sometimes the pickings are uneven
Posted: Nov 20, 2009 3:05pm ET
On a nine-day vacation in Arizona, the focus was on sightseeing and visiting friends and relatives, not food and wine. Getting good eats and something better than average to drink with dinner was a challenge.
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It's not just about acidity
Posted: Nov 12, 2009 10:21am ET
To choose the wines for the menu featuring the food of chef Michael Mina in Wine Spectator’s Nov. 30 issue, I asked his wine director, Rajat Parr, to select three possible wines for each dish. Parr says Mina’s food find their own balance and work seamlessly with well-balanced wines. This tasting demonstrated why it’s balance, not any specific elements in the wine and food, that make a great match.
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Wine Australia reaches out to U.S. sommeliers
Posted: Nov 6, 2009 12:40pm ET
Wine Spectator senior editor Harvey Steiman says not to be surprised if your favorite local sommelier suggests an Australian Pinot Noir, or maybe a nice glass of down under Sauvignon Blanc. The country’s wines other than Shiraz and Chardonnay apparently are making quite the impression in a series of six intensive immersion programs designed to “explore the less well-known corners of Australia’s viticultural landscape.”
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Distinctive style from Hawkes Bay may be the next big thing
Posted: Nov 3, 2009 1:22pm ET
Hawkes Bay vintners think they have the golden ground for red Bordeaux varieties in New Zealand. Aside from a few fine ones, most taste green to many Americans. However, Syrah produces a distinctive peppery range of flavors and seldom veers into the overripe flavors that have marred the image of that grape variety in some circles. Which should you go for?
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