Co-operative Stores has added a photo to the pool: Source : https://www.flickr.com/photos/co-operativestores/54022190649/in/pool-14289677@N00

Steve Jacobson was not about to throw away his shot to win Wine Spectator’s annual video contest for a third time in a row. While the 2024 competition was incredibly close, “I Just Want a Zinfandel” (a parody of the opening number to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s boundary-breaking Broadway musical Hamilton) won the viewers’ votes and cemented Jacobson’s “Hall of Famer” status …

This is the 4th edition of Richard Mayson’s detailed treatise on the Douro, first published in 1999.  It is an extensive reworking of the previous edition with updates on the vintages, the producers and the Douro wine industry.  However, the focus of this book is clearly on Port.  Mayson has written another book, The Wines of Portugal, that puts the …

The post Ready, Willing, and Benable appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. (image: Benable.com) As I prepare for jumping into a longer series of pieces covering my recent trips to Italy’s Asolo Prosecco Superiore region, as well as highlights from another trip to nearby Cortina for the fantastic VinoVIP tasting, today I’m throwing out a quick hit to let you …

Casa Real 2021, from Chilean winery Santa Rita, is set to be released via the prestigious La Place de Bordeaux marketplace from September 2024. Expectations are high: it looks to be a phenomenal year for Chile and for this legendary Cabernet Sauvignon from the Alto Jahuel area of Maipo. Perfect conditions With the ideal combination of cool nights and warm, …

Balkan winemaking at a glanceAlbania Albania is the Balkans’ rough but stunning diamond: a growing winemaking sector blending the modern with the charmingly rustic. Roughly 8,000ha of vineyards are planted here, producing almost 3 million litres of wine, 65% of it bottled. Most Albanian wine is consumed domestically; just 20% currently goes abroad. This is sure to rise, however, with …

Vineyards of Côte-Rôtie. No matter how carefully you study a region, sometimes it’s luck, spontaneity or serendipity that leads you to the most exciting discoveries. I was reminded of this during my last visit to Côte-Rôtie. Les Epicurieux in Ampuis is one of my favourite local places to eat and drink, it’s a wine bar, restaurant and shop all rolled …

Village of Neive in Langhe. Whether you eat at a white tablecloth restaurant or a humble trattoria or osteria, you will find numerous dazzling wine and food combinations in Barbaresco, typically at very reasonable prices. Offering among the finest dining experiences in all of Italy, the quality of the local ingredients is the equivalent of the zone’s most revered wines. …

When cooking with fruit, let simplicity be your guide. Honest cooking begins with fresh, flavourful ingredients. It’s easy to improve almost any dish by tasting the ingredients first. In the case of fruit, this means tasting for ripeness and flavour. In the opinion of a dear friend who’s a sommelier, the best way to learn about wine is to drink …

The core of cherry, pomegranate and raspberry fruit is detailed with Tuscan scrub, iron, vanilla and tobacco notes as this intense red builds in power to the expansive conclusion, where its fruit, mineral and wild herb flavors converge. Shows fine balance and length; this just needs time to absorb the oak. Best from 2027 through 2043. 5,000 cases made, 2,000 …