Articles
Vote 1: Pinot Grigio
The world is abuzz with elections at the moment, so I am sure many a glass of wine is being consumed on both the winning and losing sides. When it comes to wine and politics, Pinot Grigio is the consummate politician. Politically savvy, it reinvents itself to win over its geographic constituency. By turns neutral [...]
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The Nose Knows
Don’t be cowed by experienced wine tasters who seem to discern every scent on the planet in a glass of wine. While you can let your imagination run wild with such descriptions as “sweaty gym socks” or “Angelina in a Jacuzzi,” most wine aromas fall into a modest number of categories. When fumbling to comment [...]
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Vino Chameleon
If Captain & Tenille had only eliminated the letter ‘’r’’ from their 1972 hit single, muscat might have had more love. Like the bubbly muskrats featured in the pop song Muskrat Love, the muscat grape variety whirls, twirls and tangoes. In fact muscat is one of the few varieties that can be served throughout a [...]
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Ships Ahoy
As Goddess of the sea, Tin Hau is venerated for the protection she offers to fishermen and sailors. Boats have long had a love-hate relationship with the gentle sex. Women are either the source of all bad luck or they bring seafarers the best of fortune. There is a time-honoured tradition for ladies to launch [...]
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Black Bubbles
Anyone nurtured on the 1960s sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies will remember the deeply intoned lyrics in the show’s jingle, “black gold, Texas tea.” Though not as lucrative as Jed Clampett’s black gold (slang for oil, for those of you who missed the show), when it comes to sparkling red wines one could intone, “black bubbles, [...]
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Oh My Godfather
For some the name Sicily evokes images of James Gandolfini-like figures conducting mafiosa affairs worthy of a Sopranos episode (although yes, Sopranos geeks, T. Soprano is actually from Campania). If Sicily has developed a reputation for survivalist business techniques, it’s no wonder. One of the Mediterranean’s largest islands – and certainly one of its most [...]
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