The Pour Man
The Pour Man: The Sheep Eat The Grape Skins So You Don’t Have To
Don’t let the price of this wine put you off. It’s a bit expensive for my purse too, but it frequently goes on sale for much less, and it is an excellent and well-balanced New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that won’t drown you with overpowering grapefruit flavors or aromas...
The Pour Man: Columbard, The Grape I Never Knew I Loved
Mont Gravet, a light, refreshing, low-alcohol white wine, is perfect for drinking on warm summer evenings. It also has the added enjoyment of being a wine of discovery, one from an unfamiliar region, made from a grape that gets little attention and that I know little...
The Pour Man: Wine That Took 2,600 Years To Perfect
Vintners have been making dry, pink wine in Provence since 600 B.C., and they have gotten pretty good at it. In fact, the region’s winemakers would say that Cotes de Provence makes the best rosé in the world, and I agree that the crisp, bright wines are awfully good....
The Pour Man: One Wine To Lure Them All
The Original Dark Horse is a gateway wine, according to a recently published article in Forbes magazine. The brand is designed to gradually wean inexperienced millennials from beer, cider and stuff that comes in jugs and hook them into pricier wine offerings. Once...
The Pour Man: Purple Heart Won My Heart
Generally, I’m reluctant to get overly excited about wines with a cause. They often seem like gimmicky marketing ploys to promote less than stellar wines by pulling on your philanthropic heart strings. But every rule has a few exceptions: A couple of years ago I...
The Pour Man: Summer is for Rosé
The rosé season is upon us, and a glass of Laurent Miquel’s Pere et Fils pale-pink wine is an excellent choice for welcoming warmer weather or enjoying while sitting on the porch and watching the sunset. Although Provence is France’s premier region for rosé, this dry,...
The Pour Man: Super Premium Wine With Highfalutin Flavor
Bread & Butter Chardonnay, 2015; Napa, California; $14.99 Bread & Butter Chardonnay is among the top-selling super premium wines in the country — and there’s a good reason for that. It’s a dry, white wine that is flavorful, well-crafted and sells for a...
The Pour Man: La Manarine is French red wine done right
In the world of wine, Domaine La Manarine is a relatively minor player — about 89 acres of vines, 60,000 bottles of wine a year — and that’s a good thing. Good, because the wines made there by owner Gilles Gasq are well-crafted and a great value, and they reflect the...
The Pour Man: Transitional Weather Needs a Transitional Wine
Les Hauts de Lagarde, Rouge Bordeaux, France; 2015. $12.99This is a period of transition on many fronts. There still may be snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens, but the warm spring sun is a clear signal that it’s time to start trimming down, putting...
The Pour Man: Prosecco Has it Over Cava
Lunetta Prosecco is one of the hottest sparkling wine brands on the American market, and there’s a good reasonta why — it’s well-made, inexpensive and widely available, an excellent wine to celebrate. It also is lower than many wines in alcohol, about 11.5 percent, so...
The Pour Man: Blown Away by this Cabernet
Part of the fun of writing this column is that I often need to look for largely undiscovered, good affordable wines.It’s a quest that I enjoy and that can be rewarding when I do find something that’s new and exciting in the sea of wines on the market.I recently tried...
The Pour Man: What a Character, Estancia Chardonnay
Legendary winemaker Agustin Huneeus started Estancia Estates at the old Paul Masson winery near Soledad, California, in 1986 with the idea of producing top quality wines at reasonable prices.And since Huneeus is a pretty smart guy with a sophisticated palate and a...
The Pour Man: Get Into a Dry Cab for Winter
Broadside Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon; $12.99 Although it might be hard to tell from our contradictory weather these days, we’re in the dead of winter, a season that cries out for deep, rich red wines full of dark berry and plum flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon is one...
The Pour Man: Kim Crawford and Nobilo Keep it Real — and Deliciously Dry
For more than three decades, New Zealand winemakers have been known for producing some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world.Until recently, however, the Kiwi producers haven’t been bringing home international accolades for their Pinot Noir. The country’s...
The Pour Man: Producers of MD ‘Mad Dog’ 20/20 Make a Surprisingly Good Pinot Noir
At first blush, one wouldn’t think that the producer of one of world’s most popular “brown-bag wines” would be making a well-crafted, reasonably priced Pinot Noir, much less any other drinkable wine. But that’s the case with Chloe, which means “green shoot” in ancient...
The Pour Man: Cheap Chianti for Sophisticated Adults
My first recollection of Chianti, as it is for many people, was the iconic straw-wrapped bottle, not the wine. Occasionally, an unopened bottle would show up at our house, usually a gift from a friend coming to dinner, and by the end of the adult evening, it would be...
The Pour Man: Wines With Turkey
Finding a wine that goes with every course of the Thanksgiving dinner can be a bit dodgy because the meal is a hodgepodge of dishes with distinctive flavors. Viognier, Cava, Pinot Noir and Cotes du Rhone have been my favorites in the past, but this year I’m trying a...
The Pour Man: Edna Valley is Back
A couple of decades ago, back before the brand hit the skids, Edna Valley Vineyard Chardonnay was a treat, a wine I couldn’t afford, but would occasionally enjoy at a South Carolina restaurant owned by friends Louis and Marlene Osteen.The Osteens knew their wines, so...
The Pour Man: Stupid Label, Great Wine
Mionetto Gran Rosé is a very good sparkling wine with lots of rich fruit flavors that reflect the expertise of a master winemaker and the continued quality of one of Italy’s top wine producers. In fact, this widely available wine is an excellent bridge from the...
The Pour Man: ’The Little Cursed One’ Makes a Good Wine
The Spanish native Garnacha is a little grumpy. The grape is thin-skinned and sensitive. It’s hard to cultivate, and its vines are low yielding. At one point in its history, it was even considered a weed, and for the last 30 years or so, many Spanish farmers have...
The Pour Man: California Red, Family Style
Sometimes finding the right name for a child, a pet or even a wine can be difficult.Naming can take long, grueling hours of trotting out candidates only to have them dismissed by others for lacking originality or humor, or being downright dumb. The process can take...
Pour Man: Finally, A Sweet Wine That Delights
When someone suggested that I try MAN Family Wines’ Chenin Blanc, my first reaction was that I don’t like sweet wines. Although Chenin Blanc grapes are often used to make excellent sweet wines in France and elsewhere, I was assured I’d find this South African offering...
The Pour Man: Grand Cru Challenge Accepted; Lucky Us
In the early 1970s when I was first widening my wine experience beyond the California jugs and the Portuguese roses, I discovered a French wine in a 2-liter plastic bottle. It cost about $1.50. It wasn’t very good. It had lots of strange residue in the bottom of the...
The Pour Man: Rock Star Wine From France
The Perrins, who own Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, are the rock stars of southern France’s winemaking world. At least they are to me. Not only does the family make award-winning, top-shelf wines in the $100 to $500 a bottle range, but they also make a...
The Pour Man: Graduate to New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Nobilo, Sauvignon Blanc, 2015; Marlborough, New Zealand; $13.99 During the last couple of decades, some of the world’s top wine critics have declared that the best Sauvignon Blanc comes from New Zealand, and I would agree with them.However, I also realize, as with...
The Pour Man: Champagne Chuck; inexpensive bubbly
Dibon Brut Reserve Cava, of Penedes, Spain; $12.99 I’ve been thinking about sparkling wine lately because it’s well suited for steamy summer nights; just one glass will go a long way to ease the heat. Sparkling wine also came to mind because someone gave me a bottle...
Pour Man: A White Wine for Late Winter
My mother raised me right, schooled in the proper Southern custom of not wearing white from after Labor Day ’til the dogwoods bloomed in March.Until a couple of years ago, I held to the standard and applied its rigorous dictum to wine: white would not cross my lips...
The Pour Man: Bogle Old Vine Zin’
During a recent visit to the North Carolina mountains, my wife and I were lucky enough to be part of a small dinner party with friends who make their living in the food and wine industry. It was one of those evenings, full of laughter and great stories, with a...
The Pour Man: Wine that Celebrates ‘Crime’ and Springfield’s John Boyle O’Reilly
A wine with a good back story is one thing, but when you find a good wine with a great back story, it makes the drinking all the better. The South Eastern Australian line of wines 19 Crimes — a red blend and a Cabernet Sauvignon — are well crafted and honor the...
The Pour Man: Good Bubbly for $12?!
Finding a well-crafted, dry sparkling wine in the $10 range can be difficult. There are plenty of good Italian Prosecco and Lambrusco wines in the range, and I tried a number of them this year in an effort to discover an inexpensive sparkler for the holidays, one that...
A Red Wine From a Noble Spanish Grape
In recent weeks, I’ve tried a couple of excellent Spanish wines made from 100 percent Garnacha, a grape with a long, colorful history. The wines are full- bodied, inky red and have a lot of fruit flavor, and they’re affordable. Each comes from a different region of...
The Pour Man: Wine for Holiday Meals
Picking a wine for a holiday feast can be a bit tricky, and many wine experts are reluctant to select one universal wine to go with the meal. The problem is winter celebrations offer a cornucopia overflowing with tastes, flavors and smells that can overwhelm many...
The Pour Man: An All-Night Wine
There’s a theory about pairing food and wine that’s pretty simple — just drink wine with food from the region where it is produced. That sort of terroir approach is fine for wines from some other parts of the world, but not so much the United States, where our food is...
The Pour Man: Dave Matthews’ Wine
In addition to wine and news, I try to keep up with what’s going on in the music world. As with wine, I have an eclectic taste in music. I pretty much like anything with a tune. Well, there are a few genres — sea shanties and ISIS campfire songs come to mind — that...
Jaboulet is Back
Like white shoes, white pants and hats, white wines can go back on the shelf until the days lengthen and warm up. Sure, there will be occasions for a crisp Chardonnay, perhaps with a course or two of a holiday meal, and there are many other whites that are perfect...
The Pour Man: Crystal Clear, Green Highlights, Picpoul de Pinet
Lately, I have been receiving some recommendations of wines to have with freshly caught seafood, so during a recent trip to Maine, my wife and I decided to try a few of them out. I had a couple of wines in mind, but I had not taken notice of Picpoul de Pinet, a white...
The Pour Man: Getting Lucky With McWilliam
Back in the beginning of the summer, someone suggested that I check out a “very nice” petite sirah and because I favor whites and roses during the hotter months, I filed the recommendation to memory without writing it down. However, my mental filing system is a bit of...
The Pour Man: Rip van Drinkle — Discovering Albarino 20 Years After the Craze
I think it’s safe to say that many wine drinkers tend to seek out comfort zones — wine brands, varietals, regions — that they return to time and time again. After all, there are so many wines on the market that it can be confusing, and once you know a wine that you...
The Pour Man: Oyster Bay Saves the Day
In general, I think it’s safe to say that to like New Zealand sauvignon blanc, it doesn’t hurt to have a taste for grapefruit juice. I don’t mean the sweet, pink stuff, but real grapefruit juice, squeezed from tangy, sour white fruit, grown on ancient trees like the...
The Pour Man: Scale Can’t Guarantee Good Wine Unless It’s Concha y Toro
I don’t often write about what some would derisively call “industrial wine,” but Frontera, the big-batch line from Concha y Toro, is an exception. However, I’m not going to extol the fine qualities of this very drinkable Sauvignon Blanc, but rather suggest that it is...
The Pour Man: The Mystery of Cotes du Rhone
During a sunny early June gathering, I ran into a friend, who suggested that I try a Cotes du Rhone that I hadn’t come across before. He said the wine, which he buys by the case, is his go-to wine for dinner parties and gatherings. I tried to dissuade him, suggesting...
The Pour Man: Consider the roses
One of my favorite wines for a warm summer evening is a crisp, dry rose. Rose is a happy bridge wine between the reds of winter and the brighter whites of summer. It’s excellent with a light meal, such as a salad with grilled shrimp or chicken, or just sipping with...
The Pour Man: Acrobats that aren’t too sweet
The Pour Man: Clever label masks a fine wine, Chateau La Paws
I’m generally turned off by cute wine labels. If I come across a bottle with say, a smiling, cartoon version of Ebenezer Scrooge and a name that borders on the scatological, I immediately assume the taste must resemble the appellation, and a clever label is required...
The Pour Man: The Wine of the Summer Is Gavi
Last year, during a visit to Beaufort, S.C., a friend introduced me to his new favorite warm weather wine, Gavi, an Italian white wine from the Piedmont region. There’s nothing new about this crisp, dry wine — it’s been around since at least 1659 — but, it was unknown...
Raise Your Glass: Zin Is In
Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Amador County, Calif. $9.99 to $15.99 In the early 1970s in Atlanta, you could be considered knowledgeable about wine if you knew that the rose from Lancers and Mateus came from Portugal. And there were ego-boosting bonus points given if you...
Raise Your Glass: Bargain Wine From South Africa
The Wolftrap Red Blend, 2013 Western Cape of Good Hope, South Africa $7.98 to $9.99 Last week, I heard a wine expert say that the best way for a regular wine drinker to become knowledgeable is to try something different every time. According to his plan, if you are...
Raise Your Glass: I’ll Have a Glass of Ernest and Julio Gallo Wine — No, Seriously
When I was in elementary school, we were considered cool if we could say a few lines from television commercials. We memorized a lot of them. One ad I still remember is “What’s the word? Thunderbird,” an ad for cheap, fruit-flavored, fortified wine named for the Ford...
Raise Your Glass: Portuguese Red Lives Up to Its Reputation
Periquita, 2012, red wine, Portugal, $7.99-$9.99 For the last decade, the national wine gurus have been raving about wines from the Iberian Peninsula as the best value on the market. They’ve all said things like: You’ve got to try them — they’re unbelievable, just...
Raise Your Glass: Organic Wines That Are Well Worth a Try
Natura Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Chile, $9.99-11.99 Natura Chardonnay 2013, Chile, $9.99-11.99 About a decade ago, I tried an organic wine. It was expensive and bad. I didn’t spit it out or even pour it down the drain, probably because of my Scots heritage, but I...
Hot or Cold, This Wine is Bold
In the last couple of years, I may have had wines made from the white wine grape Verdejo, but I didn’t give them much thought until recently when I had a glass at an area restaurant. It didn’t hurt that my first remarkable Verdejo was a hand-picked, estate-grown,...
Raise Your Glass: Thanks! Tip Yields Excellent Spanish Red
Evodia, Spain Old Vine Garnacha, 2013 $7.89 to $11.99 Over the last year or so, I had been noticing Evodia, a Spanish red wine with a distinctive bluish-purple label, on the shelves of the area’s wine stores, but I hadn’t tried it. For some reason, I hadn’t even given...
Raise Your Glass: Chewy, Hardy Wine From Sicily
Villa Pozzi Nero D’Avola, Sicily 2013; $8.99 – $11.99 A few years ago, when Sicilian wines were relatively new to New England, I tried a bottle. It was an inexpensive dark red wine made from a grape that I had never heard of, which is not unusual; after all,...
Raise Your Glass: ‘We’ve Got to Get Our Image Back’
Spellbound Cabernet Sauvignon California, 2013 $11.99 – $15.99 When the weather turns not quite so delightful and temperatures start to drop, a hearty red wine seems an appropriate answer to the sleet-smattered cold and the right choice to accompany winter fare...
Raise Your Glass: Sparkling Wine Redemption
Mionetto Prosecco Brut Treviso, Italy, $10.95-15.99 Jaume Serra Cristalino, Brut, Cava Penedes, Spain. $6.95-11.99 Before classes began my freshman year of college, an older friend took me out one night to celebrate, and we bought a couple of bottles each of...E-Edition
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