Bandol Tasting New York City 2025

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Bandol is a wine appellation in the Provence region of southern France. There has been wine making in that region since Roman times and the region was the first to get the AOC (translated to Controlled Designation of Origin) designation in 1941.

On August 13th, Verve Wine Shop located at 24 Hubert Street in lower Manhattan held a tasting of seven Bandol wines from four producers. They poured two whites, three rosé and two reds.

It was a nice tasting of wines that I don’t normally drink. I enjoyed the whites because they were made with an obscure varietal (Clairette) that I don’t drink very often.

2022 Domaine Marie Berenice Bandol Blanc: Made from Clairette and Ugni blanc grapes. Clear medium gold, ripe mango on the nose, juicy and dusty with earth notes on the finish, nice balance.

2023 Chateau Henri Bonnaud Palette Blanc: Made from Clairette, Ugni Blanc and Grenache Blanc grapes. Clear light gold, peaches and earth notes on the nose, juicy ripe fruit with some earth notes on the finish, fairly low acidity, easy drinking.

2023 Chateau Henri Bonnaud Palette Rosé “Vielles Vignes”: Blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault. Light copper in color, light strawberry fragrance on the nose, medium body with good acidity.

2023 Domaine des Trois Filles Bandol Rosé: Blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Cinsault. Light copper in color, cantaloupe on the nose, peppery notes on the fruit, crisp acids.

2024 Domaine de Terrebrune Bandol Rosé: Light red in color, vegetal and black pepper notes on the nose, light berry and toast notes on the fruit, crisp acids.

2021 Domaine Marie Berenice Bandol Rouge: Blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache. Clear medium purple, perfume of tar, crushed stone and cooked vegetable, chewy and tarry fruit, balanced with a nice grip.

2019 Chateau Henri Bonnaud Palette Rouge: Blend of Mourvèdre, Grenache and Vieux Carignan. Clear medium brick, toasty earth and crushed red fruit on the nose, juicy red fruit with tar notes, nice grip.

Pressoir Summer Champagne Apero

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Presssoir is a wine club in New York City founded by Daniel Johnnes that promises “unique wine experiences”.

They host mega tastings such as La Paulée, La Tablée, La Fête du Champagne and Convivio del Vino.

They also host eclectic smaller wine tastings and wine dinners for club members and non-club members.

On July 8, I attended their Summer Champagne Apero tasting. According to Google, Apero, short for apéritif, “is the French tradition that refers to a social gathering before dinner where people unwind over cocktails and snacks”, more or less a French happy hour.

The event was held at Popina restaurant at 127 Columbia Street in Brooklyn.

This was not a Champagne 101 tasting. With the exception of a bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a bottle of Ruinart, none of the big corporate Champagne houses were on hand, instead they poured from small, low production producers and wineries. About half were poured from a magnum with always makes a tasting feel special, and half from well-aged vintage bottles.

What was poured:

NV Delamotte Brut en magnumNV Ruinart Blanc de Blanc Brut en magnum

NV Larmandier Bernier Rose de Saignee Extra Brut en magnum
NV Frederic Savart L’Accomplie Vielles Vignes 1er Cru Extra Brut en magnum
NV Pierre Paillard Les Terres Roses Bouzy Grand Cru BrutNV Philipponnat Royal Reserve Brut
NV Henriot Brut SouverainNV Christophe Mignon Pur Meunier Extra Brut en magnum

NV Larmandier Bernier Rose de Saigmee Extra Brut en magnum
2016 Henriot L’Inattendue Blanc de Blanc Gran Cru
2002 Jacquesson Avize Champ Cain Degorgement Tardiff Blanc de
Blanc Extra Brut en magnum		2012 Pierre Paillard Bouzy Grand Cru La Grande Recolte Brut en magnum
2018 Christophe Baron Les Alouette Brut Nature en magnum2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blanc
2018 Christophe Baron Les Closeaux Extra Brut en magnum2018 Christophe Baron Les Hautes Blanches Vignes Extra Brut en magnum
2015 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame Rose Brut 2014 Robert Moncuit Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru Extra Brut
2013 Henriot Cuvee Hemera Brut2014 Philipponnat Cuvee 1522 Extra Brut

Long Island Rosé 2025

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I think that Rosé has to be the quintessential Summer glass of wine. The North and South fork wine regions are peninsulas surrounded by the sea on an island surrounded with miles of beaches.

All of the wineries out east bottle a rosé, and they do a pretty good job of it and it’s usually the first wine to sell out. There isn’t one particular style or flavor profile as they use whatever red wine varietals they are growing at the time. There is even one winery, Croteaux, that bottles exclusively rosé.

I drove out one sunny afternoon and stopped at a couple of wineries for a glass of rosé.

One Women Winery

5191 Old North Road, Southold

One Women Winery is one of my favorite winery to visit when I’m out on the north fork for a tasting. A real Mom & Pop operation with Mom as the owner and winemaker making wine from estate grown grapes. For a time, a visit for a tasting was a pretty rustic event, they had a small tasting shack with the port a potty out back. They recently built a proper tasting room.

2023 Rosé: A blend of Dolcetto, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Clear medium copper with melon and earth on the nose, medium body with floral notes, nice acidity.

Lenz Winery

38355 Route 25, Peconic

Another family-owned winery established in 1978, this was one of the handful of wineries that were established the late 1970’s and early 1980’s that were the vanguard of the Long Island wine industry. They are known for their Merlot but they have a diverse portfolio.

2024 Blanc de Noir Rosé: Made from Pinot Noir. Clear medium copper with a floral nose, medium bodied with low acidity.

Wines of Abruzzo 2025

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Abruzzo is one of the 20 regions of Italy and is located in the central, eastern part of the boot with a coastline along the Adriatic Sea.

It’s one of the more rural regions of Italy with more national parks and nature reserves than large cities. It’s definitely not on the typical tourist itinerary.

Of course, since it is in Italy, they do produce wine and have for a long time, with two DOCG in the region.

On June 23rd, I attended a sit down tasting of the “Extraordinary Wines of Abruzzo” which consisted of four white wines and six red wines. The tasting was held in Gattorpardo restaurant located at 15 West 54th Street in midtown Manhattan.

The main red varietals are Montepulciano D’Abruzzo and Cerasuolo with Pecorino and Trebbiano D’Abruzzo for the white varietals.

I thought the reds were a little hard edged at this point and could have used more bottle time, the whites were very drinkable.

Seminar

2024 Fontefico Terre di Chieti Pecorino D’Abruzzo La Canaglia Bio: Clear medium gold, honey and white flowers on the nose, medium body with crisp acidity.

2023 Tenuta I Fauri Abruzzo Pecorino Bio: Clear dark gold, honey and stone notes on the nose, moderate body with moderate to low acidity.

2021 Ciavolich Trebbiano D’Abruzzo Fosso Cancelli: Clear medium gold, sweet spice and petroleum on the nose, moderate fruit and acidity.

2010 Valentini Trebbiano D’Abruzzo: Clear medium gold with ripe earth notes on the nose, chewy and earthy with nice balance.

2024 Cataldi Mandona Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo Malamdrino: Clear light red, crushed raspberry on the nose, medium body with crisp acidity.

2024 Torre dei Beati Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo “Rosa AR-Bio: Clear medium red, melon notes on the nose, tight with firm acidity.

2010 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Organic: Opaque dark red, sweet graphite, tar and barnyard floor on the nose, tight and dusty with mouth filling tannin.

2021 Masciarelli Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Riserva San Martino Rosso Marina Cvetic: Opaque black, purple rim, slate, herbs and cigarette smoke on the nose, chewy with mouth filling and teeth coating tannin.

2021 Fattoria Nicodemi Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Cocciopesto Bio: Opaque black, purple rim, dark chocolate, toast and slate notes on the nose, dusty red fruit with firm tannin.

2019 Illuminati Montepulciano D’Abruzzo Riserva Colline Teramane Zanna: Clear dark red, crushed dark berries, eucalyptus and herbs on the nose, concentrated, chewy with mouth coating tannin.

Suckling’s Great Wine World NYC 2025

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James Suckling is a journalist and wine critic that regularly organizes and hosts wine events in Miami, San Francisco and New York City.

On June 11 & 12 he hosted the Great Wine World New York City wine event, which was held at The Glasshouse, a venue located on the far west side of midtown Manhattan at 660 12th Avenue.

There are mega tastings and there was this. Two days of a 3 hour walk around tasting each day featuring 800 wines of the world rated 90+ points from Suckling from 380 producers from 55 wine producing countries, with different wines on each day.

This year they had 6,000 attendees with consumers and members of the trade about evenly split between them. 100% of the proceeds from the cost of the trade ticket went to the California Fire Foundation.

There was plenty of excellent juice to sample those two days. It was a little hectic and confusing because the wine booths were in alphabetical order instead of bunched up by country, so you basically spent the time wandering around cavernous venue looking for the wines you were interested in sampling. But I suppose that way most of the people in attendance didn’t congregate at the most popular tables.

It was a very nice tasting.

As usual for me at these big tastings, I focused my energies on Bordeaux and Napa Valley.

Some of what I sampled:

Old World

2015 Chateau Pontet Canet (Pauillac): Opaque dark brick, tar, graphite and dark chocolate on the nose, tight red fruit with crushed rock notes on the firm finish.

2015 Chateau Gloria (St. Julien): Opaque dark red, perfume of milk chocolate and barnyard, tight black fruit ending with crisp acids.

2016 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere (Pessac Leognan): Opaque dark purple, crushed sweet red fruit on the nose, juicy black fruit ending with a nice balance.

2017 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (Pauillac): Opaque medium red, sweet tree bark on the nose, tight with barnyard notes and a firm finish.

2018 Chateau Sociando Mallet (Haut Medoc): Opaque dark red, perfume of violets and plums, chewy, minty fruit with firm tannin.

2018 Chateau des Laurets Baron (St. Emillion): Opaque dark red, purple rim, barnyard on the nose, tight and concentrated with oaky tannin on the firm finish.

2019 Chateau Giscours (Margeaux): Opaque dark purple, crushed stone on the nose, tight, dusty fruit with green stem notes, silky tannin.

2020 Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse (Pauillac): Opaque dark red, black fruit and graphite on the nose, chewy, dusty fruit with slate and black olive notes on the finish, good grip.

New World

2019 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque medium purple, black pepper on the nose, concentrated and juicy black fruit with stone and crushed nut notes on the finish, good grip.

2019 St. Supery Cabernet Sauvignon “Dollarhide” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, nose of petroleum and crushed dark berries, juicy and chewy black fruit with mint notes, firm finish.

2021 Cakebread Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Benchland Select” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, black olives and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy with slate notes and graphite on the finish.

2021 Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon “The Gryphon” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed blueberry on the nose, concentrated spicy red fruit, with peppery notes ending with dusty, silky tannin.

2021 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Fay” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, graphite, toast, smoke and crushed strawberry on the nose, tight and concentrated black fruit with gun metal notes on the firm finish.

2021 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed blueberry and roast meat on the nose, chewy, concentrated red fruit with graphite and slate notes on the finish, good grip.

2021 Favia Cabernet Sauvignon Oakville (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed blueberry and fresh rosemary on the nose, concentrated chunky black fruit, crushed stone notes and silky tannin. Firm tannin and acids on the young wine.

2021 Merus Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque black, crushed blueberry and milk chocolate on the nose, chunky and chewy black fruit with slate notes on the firm finish.

2022 Quintessa Red Blend (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, sweet blueberry on the nose, juicy blueberry fruit with dark chocolate notes on the nicely balanced finish.

2022 Amici Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, dark chocolate on the nose, chunky and chewy with dusty, lip-smacking fruit.

2022 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir “MacGregor Estate” (Sonoma): Opaque dark brick, blueberries and forest floor on the nose, silky red fruit with dark chocolate notes.

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York City 2025

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On June 7th, I attended the fourth annual Decanter’s Fine Wine Encounter. Decanter is a British based wine magazine with news focusing on wine regions, wine makers and wine with the requisite wine reviews and buyers guide.

It was a consumer tasting event with several sit-down master classes, a walk around Grand Tasting and a separate room dedicated to wines from this years featured region of Rioja, Spain where over 30 wines from that region were available to sample. The Grand Tasting brought together more than 55 world wine producers to showcase their wines.

This event was a very nice consumer tasting. The event didn’t have the quantity of wines that the mega tastings of the Suckling, Icons or Spectator tastings had but they did have a tight, well curated list of global wines on hand.

I liked the fact that the Bordeaux and California wineries that were there all brought a bottle or two of an older vintage wine to sample along with the current release wine.

There was enough good wine with an amazing view from the 60th floor for an enjoyable afternoon.

Some of what I sampled:

New World

2022 La Jota W.S. Keyes Vineyard Chardonnay Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Medium gold with greenish tints, sweet white flowers on the nose, juicy peach and melon fruit, good structure.

2022 Cobb Doc’s Ranch JoAnn’s Block Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast): Medium gold, toasty white flowers on the nose, tight with good acidity.

1999 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, brick rim, pretty perfume of black olives, mint and dark chocolate, chewy fruit with chocolate and stone notes.

2013 Ponzi Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir Chehalem Mts. (Oregon): Clear light brick, tree bark on the nose, dusty and minty fruit with firm structure.

2014 Quintessa Rutherford (Napa Valley): Magnum. Opaque black, brick rim, green olives and milk chocolate on the nose, chunky and chewy with black olive and dark chocolate notes, great structure.

2015 Cornerstone Oakville Station Merlot (Napa Valley): Opaque medium purple, warm crushed red fruit on the nose, chewy with licorice notes, good grip, long finish.

2015 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Opaque black, dark purple rim, mint, tobacco and roast meat on the nose, chewy and concentrated with black licorice notes, firm structure, long finish.

2015 Delille Cellars Harrison Hills (Columbia Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed black fruit on the nose, tight with earth and tree bark notes, firm finish.

2015 Black Stallion Estate Transcendent (Napa Valley): 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Opaque dark red, purple rim, toasty barnyard on the nose, tight, silky red fruit with mint notes, firm, long finish.

2016 Outpost Wines True Vineyard Immigrant Howell Mtn. (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed red fruit, bacon and dark chocolate on the nose, tight with slate notes, crisp acids.

2021 Clos du Val Yettalil Stags Leap District (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red to black, roast meat and crushed black fruit on the nose, concentrated and firm with slate notes and a long finish.

2021 Outpost Wines Howell Mtn. Grenache (Napa Valley): Clear medium red, crushed strawberry and tree bark on the nose, tight with ripe and chewy fruit, firm finish.

2022 Quintessa Rutherford (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, crushed stone and red berries on the nose, chewy with bitter cherry and smoke notes, nice structure.

Old World

2010 Chateau Lascombes (Margaux): Opaque medium brick, mint and black olives on the nose, smoky and chewy with tobacco and slate notes, great balance.

2012 Chateau Clerc Milon (Pauillac): Magnum. Opaque medium red, mint, tar and black olives on the nose, chewy and smoky with slate notes, great balance, long finish.

2015 Domaine de Chevalier (Pessac Leognan): Opaque dark brick, closed nose of forest floor and dark plums, smoky and chewy with mint notes on the firm tannins.

2018 Jean Claude Boisset Chambolle Musigny (Burgundy): Clear medium brick, barnyard on the nose, silky red fruit with bitter cherry notes on the finish, good balance.

2019 Pasqua Amarone Famiglia Pasqua (Veneto): Clear light red, bacon fat on the nose, chewy red fruit with leather and crushed berry notes, balanced with a good grip.

Vino Nobile di Montepuliano Tasting NYC 2025

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Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is a red wine produced in the Tuscan region of Italy as are its more well-known and more famous cousins of Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino.

As with Chianti and Brunello, they are Sangiovese based wines with their own particular Sangiovese clone called Prugnolo Gentile.

Vino Nobile is a D.O.C.G. designated wine with the rules dictates the use of 70%-85% Sangiovese depending on the designation of entry level, Riserva or Pieve.

Pieve is a new designation approved in 2025 and is the level above Riserva. Pieve is broken down into 12 sub districts (Pievi) and the grapes must be from vineyards at least 15 years old and managed by the producer/bottler.

A walk around tasting of the wines of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as a sit-down, guided wine seminar was held on May 21st for members of the trade. At the guided wine seminar, they poured 12 wines from the 2021 vintage from various producers

Since these wines aren’t as well known as the other wines from Tuscany, the winemakers had to step up their game and focus on quality to win over consumers and I tasted that in the wines I sampled.

Guided Wine Tasting

2021 Carpineto Pieve Sant’Albino Vigneto Poggio Sant’Enrico Grande: Clear medium red, stone and black cherry on the nose, concentrated dusty red fruit, dusty tannin, nice grip.

2021 Podere Casanova Pieve Sant’Ilaro DOCG: Clear medium red, purple rim, red cherry tar on the nose, juicy red fruit with white pepper notes, firm tannin.

2021 Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano Pieve Sant’Ilario DOCG: Clear dark red, purple rim, sweet tarry red cherry on the nose, bright red fruit with leather notes, crisp acids and bitter cherry on the finish.

2021 Tiberini Pieve Caggiole DOCG: Clear medium purple, black fruit and varnish on the nose, juicy red fruit, dusty tannin with moderate acidity.

2021 Poleziano Pieve Caggiole DOCG: Clear dark red, purple rim, black cherry and petroleum on the nose, juicy and chewy black fruit, dusty tannin, nice grip.

2021 Fattoria Svetoni Pieve Cervognano DOCG: Clear medium red, tar and cigarette smoke on the nose, juicy, a little bland, firm grip.

2021 Le Berne Pieve Cervognano Alto: Clear medium red, sweet red fruit, black pepper and some earth on the nose, juicy red fruit, tight with firm tannin.

2021 Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano Pieve Cervognano DOCG: Opaque dark red, ripe fruit and tobacco on the nose, juicy red fruit, firm, dusty tannin.

2021 Marchese Frescobaldi Pieve Cervognano Tenuta Calimaia Viacroce DOCG: Opaque dark black, tar and ripe dark cherry on the nose, chewy black fruit ending with mouth coating tannin.

2021 Talosa Pieve Le Grazie Vigna Chiusino DOCG: Opaque black, purple rim, perfume of violets, thyme and black leather, concentrated and tight with tongue coating tannin.

2021 La Ciarliana Pieve Cerliana DOCG: Opaque dark red, purple rim, tar and crushed black fruit on the nose, chewy black fruit with mint notes, tongue coating tannin, moderate acidity.

2021 Gracciano Della Seta Pieve Gracciano DOCG: Clear medium red, sweet tree bark on the nose, juicy red fruit, firm tannin and crisp acids.

Vinous Icons Italy New York City 2025

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Vinous is an internet wine magazine founded by wine critic Antonio Galloni that hosts numerous wine events throughout the year. They held their first annual Vinous Icons wine tasting event in New York City last year which featured iconic wines of the world.

On May 16 & 17 of this year, they hosted the first annual Vinous Icons Italy in which consumers and members of the trade had the opportunity to sample iconic wines of Italy.

Most of the twenty wine regions of Italy were represented with many wineries pouring different vintages on each day. I attended on Friday, May 17th.

The event was held at Hall des Lumieres located at 49 Chambers Street in Manhattan. The venue is down the block from the old City Hall building and the Manhattan entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Some of what I sampled:

2016 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Mazzano Cantina Privata Boscaini: Cloudy medium red, Asian spices on the nose, juicy with silky tannins.

2016 Rocca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Riserva: Clear medium brick, tar, dirt and dark chocolate on the nose, concentrated black fruit ending with mouthwatering acidity.

2016 Livio Sassetti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: Clear light brick, toasty tar on the nose, juicy, dusty red fruit with a balanced finish.

2018 Brigaldara Amarone della Valpolicella Casa Vecie: Opaque medium brick, tar and dirt on the nose, silky dusty fruit with silky tannin and a crisp grip.

2018 Tenuta Sant’Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli: Clear medium brick, red cherry chocolate on the nose, tight with dark chocolate notes ending with crisp acids.

2018 Michele Satta Bolgheri Superiore Marianova: Clear medium brick, dirty tar on the nose, juicy fruit with tar and bitter cherry notes ending with nice acidity.

2018 Dei Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva Bossona: Clear medium brick, cherry tar on the nose, juicy and toasty with firm tannin.

2019 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Sant ‘Urbano: Opaque medium red, brick rim, dark chocolate and green herbs on the nose, juicy red leather fruit, silky tannin and good acidity.

2019 L’Orcio a Ca di Pesa Chianti Classico Gran Selezione: Clear medium red, classic nose of tar and leather juicy with stone and bitter almond notes, firm and balanced

2019 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino Riserva: Clear medium red, tobacco on the nose, juicy ending with silky tannins.

2020 Argentiera Ventaglio: Cabernet Franc. Clear medium brick, tree bark and white pepper on the nose, tight with bitter bark notes, crisp acids.

2020 Argiolas Turriga: Opaque dark red, slate and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit, silky tannin and a crisp finish.

2021 La Spinetta Barbaresco Vigneto Valeirano: Clear light brick, crushed strawberries on the nose, juicy berry fruit with good structure.

2021 Avignonesi Desiderio: Opaque dark red, smoky dark chocolate on the nose, tight, crunchy fruit with crisp acids.

2021 Fattoria Le Pupille Syrah Le Pupille: Clear medium red, purple rim, dirty tar on the nose, chunky dark fruit with thyme notes, nice balance.

Sherry Tasting In Spain

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Cruising out from Rome, we passed Gibraltar and headed north, stopping in the city of Cadiz in the Andalusia region of southwestern Spain.

From the port in Cadiz I took a half hour ferry ride across the harbor to the town of El Puerto de Santa Maria. The town is part of the Sherry triangle and I visited a couple of sherry bodegas that were within walking distance of the ferry terminal.

I visited two, Bodegas Guttierrez Colosia at Calle Bajamar, 40 and Osborne at Calle Los Moros, 7. One is a low key, mom and pop, no frills operation and the other is one of the most famous Sherry houses in Spain.

If you’ve ever done a wine trip to Sonoma and Napa wine country, in general there is a different vibe between both appellations. In Sonoma you can drive up to the winery and there’s a good chance you might see the owner driving a dusty tractor after a day in the fields, in Napa, you walk into a multi-million dollar tasting room that looks like an art museum.

Bodegas Colosia looked like what you would expect a no nonsense, working warehouse to look like while it’s obvious Osborne spent a lot more resources on their tasting room. They have a restaurant on premise as well.

Sherry is an underrated wine with a niche market. They range from the bone dry Fino to the thick and sweet Pedro Xemenez.

Problem is that in most liquor stores they will stock the inexpensive, mass-produced sherries. These wines really come into their own when you drink one from an artisanal producer.

The Fino I sample here were much more rounder and easy drinking than the mass-produced ones I’ve tried in the past. What surprised me were the Olorosos, I had always though they were sweet but the couple that I sampled at the two bodegas were more off dry than sweet and much more drinkable than my experience with them in the past. The Cream sherries were created for the British market.

What I sampled:

Osborne

Fino Quinta Fino

La Honda Amontillado

10RF Medium

Bailen Oloroso

Santa Maria Cream

Osborne Vermouth

Bodegas Gutierrez Colosia

Fino

Amontillado

Oloroso

Cream Sherry

Moscatel Soleado

Pedro Ximenez

Frascati, Italy

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There was a time when Italian wines in this country were mass produced, inexpensive wines sent over by the boatload. Every Italian restaurant would have a sweet, fizzy Lambrusco, a Bardolino, a Valpolicella and a Chianti in the straw flask for the reds and Soave, Verdicchio and Frascati for the whites. I especially remember bottles of Fontana Candida brand Frascati.

The Italian wine industry went through a big change when the old school winemakers were replaced by a younger crowd with more modern ideas. Those regions began to focus more on quality than quantity, probably to break into the international market.

This month I spent a couple of weeks in Europe and my first stop was the city of Rome. In Italy you can name the wine after the varietal or the town around where wine was grown, or a fantasy name. Frascati is a medieval town in the Alban hills about a half hour train ride from Rome.

It’s where back in the day, the Pope’s would travel to when the weather became too hot and the diseases too rampant back in Rome.

It’s a pretty hilltop town with winding and narrow cobblestone streets and a nice view of the surrounding countryside.

Frascati is a blended white wine and under D.O.C rules having a minimum 70% Malvasia Bianca di Candia with the rest local white varietals.

While wandering around town, I stopped in Santé Wine & Food restaurant located at Corso Italia 14 and chatted with the owner who poured a couple of local wines for me to sample.

2024 Colle Arnaldo Mamilio Frascati

Light gold, rosemary and damp earth on the nose, dry and crisp with a slight spritz and green herb notes.

2023 Cantina le Macchie Scarpe Toste Gewürztraminer : When the owner suggested I try this wine I thought the last place I would drink a Gewurztraminer was in the hills of Lazio, but the owner explained that the cooler climate in the hillside vineyards made for a good wine.

Dark gold in color, roast hazelnuts on the nose, chewy, medium bodied fruit with vanilla notes and good acidity.