With the creative design of my partner Jose, this blog has a new look. Jose wanted my life to be easier for inputting of info, so he created a whole new Web design. (Thanks) Also connected to this new blog design is my new best friend, Noel Yates, of Korbel ...

I'm not even going to look at my notes or previous postings for this one. I want the residual impressions of the many wines I've had here to come through, to assert themselves or not. First a couple of general...

This IGT Toscana was produced by Paolo Caciorgna and his small family azienda not far from Siena. Tony Sasa told me that Paolo and his family make this wine for themselves and their friends. If so, what a gift. On...

I was down in Richmond, Virginia, over the weekend. The occasion was, sadly, the funeral of my wonderful mother-in-law. But there is a happier side to such occasions, and that is the reunion of relatives from all over the country....

Hugh Johnson and Michael Broadbent like Virginia wines. So do I. At least the relatively few I've had a chance to taste; even in Richmond, they are a little hard to find. When I was in Richmond a couple of...

Have I written about this wonderful wine before on mondosapore? If not, I should have. After all, it is a product of the renowned Jean Thevenet's industry, know-how and genius. I put a link on the site a long time...

La prima sera che siamo ritornati non volevo una pizza. Dopo Napoli? Scherzi? ho riposto a Ken. E allora giovedì ho mangiato per cena un hamburger (sorry, cuoco fatuo!) e un'insalata di patate. Mi sentivo proprio a casa. Però il...

Last night I decided to break out of my Italian wine routine. I opened a bottle I'd bought some months ago, on the sale rack of First Avenue Vintners, across the street. (The store is small but has fairly well-chosen...

Some friends were coming to dinner last night and volunteered to bring the wine. I shuddered; they usually buy a 1.5 litre bottle of Yellowtail. I usually find an excuse to drink a decent house white (our house's white). Much...

Awaiting the big splurge of Tuscan wine to arrive, I've been buying mostly low-cost vino lately. One pleasant discovery is the Corvina/Corvinone/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend produced by the Veronese house of Zeni. It is called Costalago. It cost $10.99 at the...