By Molly Rubinstein MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -2012 Lucien Le Moine – Mazis Chambertin -1999 Elio Altare – Langhe Vigna Larigi -2012 Pietradolce – Etna Rosso Archineri -2008 Williams Selyem – Pinot Noir Weir Vineyard -2013 Aubert – Pinot Noir UV Vineyard It is a balmy summer’s night. The cicadas are chirping and dinner has just…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: Blandy’s Malmsey Madeira Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Bouchard Pere et Fils Domaine de la Romanee Conti Chateau Angelus Years ago, I brought my favorite bottle of Blandy’s Madeira to my family’s annual Christmas dinner party. I asked my sister to get our mom’s Port glasses out of the bar cabinet, but…
MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -Tenuta Marchesi Antinori -Sine Qua Non -Domaine de la Romanee Conti The first time I opened a stunning bottle of 30-year-old Antinori Solaia the cork crumbled inside. Fortunately, I was able to salvage the wine, but it was a terrifying few moments. No one told me that older wines often…
A few months ago, I had a hankering for blackened salmon, so I found the perfect recipe and ended up with a beautiful dinner that just needed a good wine to go with it. The only problem was that my white wine collection wasn’t up to the task. As I looked through my wine fridge,…
White wines aren’t the easiest to pair with food; their light, delicate flavors can get overwhelmed by even a simple beef stew. However, in my experience, nothing beats a great pairing of white wine and food. When you get the balance of flavors right, your food appears more complex–you’ll taste every pinch of paprika and…
When you have vintage Krug, Screaming Eagle Cabernet, and Angelus Grand Cru on the menu, you need to give these special wines plenty of space to impress your guests (and yourself). If you serve the Screaming Eagle first, the wine’s robust, juicy flavors will overpower your palate, eclipsing the lighter flavors found in the Krug.…
The summer after I graduated from high school, I stayed at my grandmother’s house for a few weeks to help her with a gardening project. After a long day of digging in the dirt, she’d usually relax on the couch with her knitting and a chilled glass of Robert Mondavi Chardonnay. One evening, her foot…
My grandmother always told me that I should never keep open Champagne overnight. When I got older, I decided to test this theory. Early one evening, I got more than halfway through a bottle of Moet & Chandon (don’t ask me why I opened it knowing I wouldn’t finish it) and since I didn’t want…
Knowing which wines should be decanted is an essential skill, whether you’re a casual wine drinker or a serious collector. Nearly all fine wines, especially young ones, benefit from some decanting, as the process releases subtle aromas and flavors in the wine. However, while most wines—young or old, valuable or inexpensive—can be decanted, that doesn’t mean you must, or should, decant every bottle. To find out which wines should be decanted and for how long, follow your eyes and nose, consider the bottle’s age, and make an estimate based on the wine variety and style. This guide will walk you through this decision process so you can enjoy your wine at its best.
Over the holidays, I found a couple bottles of Argentinian Torrontes that I decided to store in my wine fridge. At an ideal serving temperature of 40 degrees, the Torrontes was peachy and absolutely delectable–the vintage was so good that I decided to bring one of the bottles to a dinner party so I could…
Earlier this year, I accidentally “decanted” a small serving of Champagne. I had poured some of it into a standard white glass, but because I was getting my house ready for dinner guests to arrive, I forgot where I set the glass down. I was eager to taste the wine, so I poured myself another…