This is the second edition of “Wines From My Cellar & Others.” Each month I will report on some of the wines I have tasted in this column. My cellar is relatively young with vintages starting in the early 2000s and is made up of predominantly California Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Today’s wine is the 2007 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon…
Wine Clubs: Cork Wars is Unique (Part 2)

In part two of this series on wine clubs we’re going to explore a new type of wine club started by my Napa Valley friend Didier Loustau. The club is called Cork Wars and was launched in March of this year. Cork Wars is unique in that it combines the talents of Napa Valley sommeliers […]
Bardessono Hotel, Didier Loustau, food and wine, Napa Valley, sommelier, wine clubsWow I Am A Lucky Guy: Review of the 2002 Hundred Acre Cabernet from Napa Valley

This is the first edition of “Wines From My Cellar & Others.” Each month I will report on some of the wines I have tasted in this column. My cellar is relatively young with vintages starting in the early 2000s and is made up of predominantly California Cabernet Sauvignon wines. So I will be reporting on a lot of these wines. Today’s wine is the 2002 Hundred Acre Cabernet Sauvignon…
2002 Hundred Acre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Kayli Morgan Vineyard, Napa Valley, wine review, Wines From My Cellar & OthersWine Clubs: What’s the Difference? (Part 1)

Wine clubs are a very popular item these days and I believe rightfully so. It seems that lots of organizations have a club or are starting one. For example, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times each have one. Forbes magazines, Williams-Sonoma, Amazon, American Airlines and eBay all have wine […]
Chalet Party Shoppe, wine clubs, wine discounts, wine discoveries, wine tastingsUptown Kitchen Delights With Wine Dinner

About a year ago I had the good fortune of meeting Jonathan Lutz, owner of the Uptown Kitchen and The Mark Dine & Tap restaurants in Granger and South Bend, Indiana. In the past year not only have his restaurants become wine customers of ours, but more importantly Jonathan and Jenny Lutz have become family […]
Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard, Jonathan Lutz, Pago Cimera Torrontes, Uptown KitchenOrdering Wine: Sending the Bottle Back

Should you return wine at a restaurant? What are some of the causes of getting faulty wine? And how should you properly send wine back if you need to? Let’s discuss these topics in today’s blog on sending a bottle of wine back…
cork taint, maderization, oxidization, refermentation, returning wine, sending wine back