by Monte Belmonte | Jun 28, 2024 | Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, Monte Belmonte Wines, Uncategorized
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate As a self-proclaimed wine snob, I admit that it is shameful that I have never been to any “wine country,” in any country, anywhere. Since grapes can grow in virtually every country, meaning wine could be made in virtually...
by Monte Belmonte | Apr 30, 2024 | Columns, Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, Monte Belmonte Wines, Uncategorized
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate The Bridge of Flowers may be closed to tourists this year but I can think of another great reason to visit Shelburne Falls — bowling! But this is a wine column. So, I’ll start again. The Bridge of Flowers may be closed to...
by Monte Belmonte | Mar 7, 2024 | Columns, Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, Monte Belmonte Wines, Uncategorized
By Monte Belmonte For the Valley Advocate Aging wine is a lost art. It’s lost on me and I’m a self-described wine snob. I have exactly two bottles of wine in my “wine cellar.” It’s actually not a cellar at all. It’s a room off of my living room where I keep my tools...
by Monte Belmonte | Jan 8, 2024 | Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, Monte Belmonte Wines, Uncategorized
By MONTE BELMONTE For the Advocate Dom Pérignon, the Benedictine monk, did not invent Champagne. But if you’ve seen his commercials with Lady Gaga, he will be happy to charge you $250 or more a bottle for it. Champagne is, first, a place. A place which our monk...
by Monte Belmonte | Oct 27, 2023 | Columns, Featured, Food + Booze, Food Booze and Beyond, Monte Belmonte Wines, Uncategorized
By MONTE BELMONTE For the Advocate The 50 year anniversary edition of the Valley Advocate? Wow. I’m honored to be in it! My first recollection of picking up the Advocate was back in 2002, when this future wine columnist was only three years into his (legal) drinking...