Marjan Simčič Wines
Marjan Simčič is one of the wildest I've met yet. What was supposed to be a two-hour visit turned into eight. From tank and barrel samples to 2010 gems, I'll never forget the wines nor my time with Marjan.
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Under Pressure
We measure wines with effervescence on a scale of bars. The EU standards say that anything with 1 - 2.5 bars of pressure is a semi-sparkling wine, while 3 bars and above constitutes a fully sparkling wine. But what’s a...
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Milos is a Dream
I get it into my head that I need to go and see something, then allow the rest to fall into place. So Kleftiko led me to Milos. Milos led me to Kostantakis Cave Winery. The only winery on the...
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Pet Nat: The OG of Bubbly
Pet Nat. Pétillant Naturel. Naturally Sparkling. Ancestral Method. A fizzy, often funky wine that finishes fermenting in the bottle. The OG of bubbly. Master of Wine and lovely instructor at the International Wine Center in New York City, Mary Gorman-McAdams...
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Ditch Your Veuves and Get Into Grower Champagnes
Purple Mouthed Tip: For the same price — often less — you’re going to find a much more exciting bottle, one that doesn’t ride on the price of making you a sheep, rather hard work and place. So ditch your...
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WSET D4 – The Sparkling Wine Takeover
Though I'm as bubble-mouthed as I am purpled, this portion of the diploma program has me on edge. I've fizzed well for years now, but never with the focus I've applied to still wines…bubbles are what got us through all...
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Purple Tasting Menu Mouthed in Imerovigli
If you're going to Santorini, stay in Imerovigli and eat at La Maison. The food is fun, the wine pairings spot-on and the view is unforgettable. The somm rocked it that night with native varieties and spot-on pairings. I should...
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My Rhôneissance
So I’m in whole a Rhôneissance thing right now. The Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Gigondas, the big Pape-A…All things considered, at least the #WSETDiploma program has given me that, because prior to, I never knew about these outstanding wines that are so...
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My Kendall Jackson Crisis
As I grapple with having blindly assessed an $11 Kendall Jackson Char as “Very Good” according to WSET standards, so many thoughts...
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Traversa, I love you.
Visiting Traversa was one of those wine-made moments I’ll never forget. The people, the land, Nebbiolo, Barbera…the people! Their wines vibrate, limestone-licked and expressed. The winemakers’ warmth present in every sip.
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