March 2010
An Australian exporter-importer says the semantics are wrong
Posted: Mar 29, 2010 11:56am ET
I recently had dinner with exporter-importer John Larchet, who said “The problem is we’re talking about Australian Chardonnay instead of Chardonnay from Australia.” That may seem like mere semantics, but I get his point. If you want Chardonnay for dinner, you probably don’t go wandering into the Australian section first. And that’s too bad. I taste more good Chardonnays from Australia today than ever before.
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An alternate view from Thomas Keller
Posted: Mar 24, 2010 11:06am ET
Renowned chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry and Per Se stocks his restaurants with great, deep wine cellars, but tells me that true wine luxury is having no choice at all.
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Why should opening older wines pose such a challenge?
Posted: Mar 19, 2010 2:23pm ET
In a recent blog I mentioned opening up some 30-year-old late-harvest California dessert wines, but I didn't mention how difficult extracting the 30-year-old corks was. Crumbling corks on older wines are way too common, and it's time we say good-bye to these outdated closures.
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California late-harvest wines going on 30 years
Posted: Mar 17, 2010 1:48pm ET
Editor at Large Harvey Steiman tastes four late-harvest wines, mostly Riesling. They were probably best in their first 10 years, but they can still can show outstanding character and give pleasure after three decades.
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David Myers moving Sona, expanding to Tokyo
Posted: Mar 12, 2010 12:00pm ET
I talked with chef David Myers about Sona, one of the most highly-regarded restaurants in Los Angeles. It will close its current location before the lease expires in July, and reopen next year in bigger quarters. Plans are to replenish the Grand Award-winning wine cellar. He is also opening a luxury restaurant and a bakery in Tokyo’s upscale Ginza District later this year.
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Aussie researchers focus on bottle variation
Posted: Mar 9, 2010 10:39am ET
I've long been a fan of screw caps over corks, and a recently concluded 10-year study of 14 different wine bottle closures is bearing out that they are indeed the superior option. The pictures featured here speak for themselves.
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The Thelonious Monk approach to wine
Posted: Mar 1, 2010 1:51pm ET
I just finished Robin D.G. Kelly's biography of jazz musician and composer Thelonious Monk, and Monk's transformation from weird outsider to elder statesman got me thinking about how that mirrors today's war over wine styles.
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