NV Jean Vesselle Oeil de Perdrix Blanc de Noirs Brut (Champagne): A minor textural marvel that will have acid-heads spinning with delight. $60 A- 2018 Domaine du Bagnol Cassis Rose (Provence): A pink that looks even more gorgeous with age-appropriate wrinkles. $34 A- 2020 I Vigneri I Custodi delle Vigne dell’Etna ‘Aedes’ Etna Bianco (Sicily):…
Pix’s Troubles Are Yet Another Warning to the U.S. Wine Industry
It’s been big news within the (admittedly internecine) world of the U.S. wine business that Napa Valley startup Pix recently had to lay off most of its staff. This has been an especially bitter pill for me to swallow, because 1) I truly believe that Pix (still in Beta) represents the future of how wine…
Wine in the Time of Coronavirus, Part 62: ‘Round & ‘Round (Tasting Librandi Calabria Recent Releases)
Italy’s Calabria has been a bit of a victim of its own success. The ancient Greeks dubbed Enotria Tellus—”Land of Wine.” Sporting a diverse terroir that features plenty of ocean influence and even more sunshine, wine grapes have thrived there for eons. Which led to the modern Calabrian wine market becoming co-op heavy, focused on…
Wine Product Reviews: Friends Will Be Friends (New Books by Randy Caparoso & Brian Freedman)
Writing books is difficult work, often with limited payoff—by the time one factors in the research, writing, seemingly endless editing, and pretty much actually endless promotion, the hourly rate for the slog can often be depressingly low. I know this because I’ve done it, and while both the process and payoff were more enjoyable than…