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Vinous Table: L’Auberge de l’Ill, Illhaeusern, France
France, France: Alsace, Vinous Table
, Jan 2019
It’s 150 years and counting at l’Auberge de l’Ill, one of the world’s best restaurants, and also a world-class spa and hotel. My latest visit shows l’Auberge de l’Ill hasn’t missed a step – an epicurean temple that continues to regale food and wine lovers from all over the world.
Trentino: New Releases
featured, Italy: North, Italy
, Jan 2019
While it is common to refer to Trentino and Alto Adige as one region, Trentino and Alto Adige, are in fact, quite different from historical, geographic, and social perspectives. But the differences in terms of grape varieties and wines are just as big.
Through the Wine Looking Glass: 2018 in Review
featured
, Jan 2019
Two thousand and eighteen is running out. Waiting for the new year allows me to finally sit back and take stock of a year’s worth of great wines and friendships, beautiful scenery and endless travel. Here is a summary of my 2018 diary.
Asti & Moscato d'Asti: The Delightful Lightness of Being
featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Dec 2018
Asti and Moscato d’Asti are two of Italy’s best-known and most delicious sparkling wines. Light in alcohol and strong on flavor, Asti and Moscato d’Asti are the ultimate party wines, but they can be remarkably nuanced and terroir-specific, too.
Franciacorta: Bring In The Holidays With Italian Bubbles
featured, Italy: North
, Dec 2018
Franciacorta makes arguably Italy’s best sparkling wines. Riper and rounder than Champagne, and made from blends of Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco (not Pinot Meunier), Franciacorta offers a lovely alternative to the world’s best-known bubbly.
Cellar Favorite: 1999 Carl Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abstberg Riesling Eiswein
Germany: Ruwer
, Dec 2018
We all have favorite wine estates. Von Schubert is one of mine. I don’t know exactly how many bottles I have amassed from Carl Von Schubert over the last 30 years, but frankly, I never get tired of anything I taste from the Von Schubert family.
Ceretto Barbaresco Asili: 1974-2014
Verticals & Retrospectives, featured, Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont
, Dec 2018
Asili is arguably one of Italy’s greatest vineyards, and Ceretto owns probably its best section, the bricco at the top of the hill. Ceretto’s Barbaresco Asili ages splendidly and can rightly claim its place among Italy’s most distinctive red wines.
Vinous Table: La Ciau del Tornavento, Treiso, Italy
Piedmont, Italy: Piedmont, Italy, Vinous Table
, Dec 2018
One of Italy’s best and most beautiful restaurants, La Ciau del Tornavento offers memorable views of the vineyards and one of the country’s “top ten” wine cellars, making it a must-visit, especially in the off-season.
The Wines of Alto Adige
featured, Italy: North, Italy
, Dec 2018
Alto Adige arguably makes Italy’s best white wines. Climate change and more judicious use of oak have also improved the red wines, especially the delicious one-two punch delivered by the Schiava varieties and Lagrein. The odd bottle of outstanding Pinot Nero and Cabernet Sauvignon rounds out a truly noteworthy offering of world-class wines.
Vinous Table: JY’s, Colmar, France
France, France: Alsace, Vinous Table
, Nov 2018
JY’s is without a doubt one of Alsace’s three best restaurants, offering a combination of precise, complex dishes, a good wine list, professional service and a romantic, refined location along the river Lauch in Colmar’s pretty Little Venice district.