As the verdant slopes of Mt. Meliton stretch down to mingle with the crystal clear waters of Toroneo Bay, 475 hectares of the largest Greek vineyards lie in amphitheatre-like formation. The “Slopes of Mt. Meliton” vineyards are some of the largest in Europe and a model of organic viniculture…Domaine Porto Carras. The vineyards of Domaine…
Living in Europe, I am often inundated with questions concerning the California wine scene. After all, we do have the reputation of abounding with new and innovative ideas for wines. In fact, when my stateside friends come for a visit, they are expected to pay tribute to this self-proclaimed Caesar. My friends are quick to…
I woke up one morning to a message from friend and fellow Eve’s Wine 101 contributor Gregory Alonzo: “Hi Michael … Recently I have had several emails from European acquaintances who want to know more about our Zinfandel, especially those of higher alcohol content. As you probably know, California Zin is tough to find in…
Inhale for a minute. Now do it again, but this time imagine that you have traveled to Chile and an expert chef has made you a 5-course meal with no less than shrimp empanadas, corn and coconut soup, basil-scented mashed corn tamale, sea bass, pheasant breast stuffed with Porcini mushrooms, chorizo laced risotto in a…
A wise man once said that before one can understand anything properly, one has to learn how to love it. For me, this holds true with both wine and women. It seems that the bulk of my time is spent with the pleasurable task of trying to understand the qualities and complexities of wine and…
Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, my first experience with wine was in the Rancho Cucamonga Valley. This region is proud of their award-winning wines. Excelling in finely crafted Zinandel and Spainsh Sherry, such wineries as Galleano and J. Filippi became my frequent haunts. Growing up, I often enjoyed just a bit of…
The tradition of wine and viticulture is very old in Switzerland. Dating back to the Roman era, highly prized wines were being produced throughout the country. On a recent archaeological dig, a Celtic tomb dating back to the 2nd century BC was unearthed in Valais. The tomb belonged to woman and among her contents was…
Red wines from Germany? Isn’t it too cool there, even for Pinot Noir? Not at all. In fact German red wines and not only thriving, they are becoming very popular throughout the world. Back in the 1980’s, red grapes accounted for only 12 per cent of Germany’s vineyards. Today, that number exceeds 36 per cent….
Our founding father’s certainly appreciated quality liquor. Most did not follow the colonial custom of drinking rum. Benjamin Franklin brewed beer. Thomas Jefferson was also a brewer and set up large vineyards at Monticello. George Washington had his own recipe for porter, a dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt that has been partly charred….
A few years ago, I was enjoying some vodka with my best friend John Sherer. I was going on and on about the virtues of Polish rye vodka, when John shocked me with a question. “Dude, have you ever tried single malt vodka?” he queried. John’s question was enough to stagger a billy goat. “Single…
