Next Thursday from 4-7 come and sip and chat with me at the Dedalus Wine Shop 180 Battery Street, Burlington, Vermont Hope to see you. Continue reading

Once upon a time there was a sommelier who worked in Hollywood. I was scouting stories for The Hollywood Reporter, for a deep throat-like column, dishing on what people drank, but all anonymous. The column never materialized, but I loved this one young wine geek's particular story and so here you go. There are all sorts of people who come in here and it’s hard to sell a wine under 14% alcohol. The people who are creative, the true talent, not the producers, they are incredibly fun to talk to. Like even though Bruce Willis wanted a cabernet, we talked... Continue reading

Catch me speaking with the fabulous Melissa Clark on Splendid Table about --guess what. And in case you were wondering it's Fire-ing. But I'll totally forgive the wonderful Rosetta.) http://www.splendidtable.org/story/yes-natural-wines-pack-surprises-but-would-you-prefer-sawdust Continue reading

I snuck out of my cave on this brilliant day to taste some old Willamette Valley Eyrie Vineyards. It is always such a treat to see Jason Lett hold forth on his family's estate. For one, he is an excellent speaker, natural and unguarded, has a lovely expressive use of language. Also, the love he has for his legacy is inspiring. I'm always touched to hear a winery stops at their max, 8000 cases. They did that in 1983 and stayed at that volume. The need not to grow? How refreshing to see someone do what they do and do... Continue reading

When I first smelled the Clos Roche Blanche Cot, I was overwhelmed by its violet juice sucked through a chalk straw magnetism. It was the violet that stung me.. every time. Yes, even though I could never actually wear the scent, I'm obsessed by it. So you see, on a morning in Barolo just a few weeks back, I was thinking about violets. It was just after Maria-Teresa Mascarello and just before Beppe Rinaldi. We were steps away at Giovanni Canonica, and sitting in his white clothed study, tasting his concentrated 2008 and I wrote a note that said: thick,... Continue reading

This morning I heard the news of Pedro López de Heredia's passing. He was 85 and hadn't been well for a few years. I met him only once but know him mostly through his daughter Maria José, and as a way of sending my condolences to her, as I know this is a huge loss, I offer an excerpt from my first book, chapter 4 entitled, Rioja Loses Its Spanish Accent. To all of us who love Spanish wine and the new wave of them coming up, we can thank the hold outs, especially López de Heredia, who kept the... Continue reading

Because of bitchiness between Italian natural wine factions-- ViniVeri and VinNatur-- many unhappy winemakers defected to the corporate side. This meant that they actually crossed the threshold and showed their wines at ViVit. This was the Vin Italy's (the huge Italian trade show's) attempt at relevance. They aimed to give some space to wines that are natural and organic. Wine politics. It happens. The verdict from those who went? Thumbs up. Drama followed. Sunday, when the likes of Arianna Occhipinti and Alesandra Bera were pouring for tasters, suits walked in and tried to catch a thief. These guys were the... Continue reading

So, now that the Wine Advocate (that would be Robert Parker's famed publication) has replaced their main critic (Antonio Galloni) and put the critique of Loire wines on a 2-3 year rotation (a move I highly applaud because really, what do blue chip drinkers really need Loire reviews for?) Mr. P. decided to educated his readers with a video a little reminiscent of the 1987 fried egg campaign, "Your brain on drugs." As the video is copyrighted and Mr. P. is in a litigious mood (he is sueing that former critic) I decided I decided not to risk court, so... Continue reading

You have to watch it. Even better than the first time around, which you must also see. The powers at Red to Brown Wine Review have the touch. Even before I heard my name mentioned with Jamie Goodes, I was rolling on the floor. Continue reading

I wrote this piece for Wine and Spirits magazine and investigated the funky bits . When invited to a Comté tasting at the Wine & Spirits office on a winter Wednesday morning, I expected some terrific cheese. I expected to examine spring versus summer milk, to hear about the cows grazing and how it was a terroir-driven cheese. I didn’t expect to geek out on the effect that microflora has on cow teats and how that might affect the relationship of terroir and cheese. Continue reading

Yes! Continue reading

Attending last year's Kosher Fest, I didn't expect to see the usual tattoos and hipsters. But I was surprised to see the room packed with patrons sporting pais, yalmukes and sheitles, seeking the latest hot bottle. I joined in. Tulip? (Pass--way too fat and sloppy for me). A new cava? (Too industrial. Pass). Minutes later I was tasting the wines of Netofa (below). A friend who sells for Royal Wine Company said to me, "I love them. Why can't I get anyone else to?" He then proceded to tell me that any wine that wasn't back sweetened, rich and oaky... Continue reading

Either foreswear fucking others or the affair is over. This was the ultimatum, the maddeningly improbable, wholly unforeseen ultimatum, that the mistress of fifty-two delivered in tears to her lover of sixty-four on the anniversary of an attachment that had persisted with an amazing licentiousness—and that, no less amazingly, had stayed their secret—for thirteen years. But now with hormonal infusions ebbing, with the prostate enlarging, with probably no more than another few years of semi-dependable potency still his—with perhaps not that much more life remaining—here at the approach of the end of everything, he was being charged, on pain of... Continue reading

Happy to be part of this great festival, Tucson Festival of Books. My seminar is on sunday in the 'culinary' tent and I will be very happy to see you! 3 hrs Univ. of Arizona ‏@UofA Would you love to know more about wine? Meet @alicefeiring during#UA's Google+ Hangout at @TFOB: http://bit.ly/HangoutWithAuthors …. Expand Continue reading

Catching up on the stack of magazines that's preventing me from reading fiction, I bolted right up and took notice. Ray Isle had a piece on how Robert Parker's predictions have come (or not) true. The first one caught my eye for a few reasons: Ray Isle In 1987, you worried that “the continuing obsession with technically perfect wines is stripping wines of their identifiable and distinctive character. It seems to be the tragedy of modern winemaking that it is increasingly difficult to tell an Italian Chardonnay from one made in France or California or Australia.” You added, “Winemakers and... Continue reading

In case you missed the piece I had in the New York Times on the new crop of odd and great vermouths coming out of America, give a click on the above link and check it out. The back story was when I walked into a part in December in Stuy Town. In fact the original story started like this: Bianca Miraglia was squished into the rear of a cramped kitchen, draining a glass of old barbaresco with her friends. The 29-year old with the open, heart-shape face was talking natural wines when she switched gears. “Want to taste vermouths?”... Continue reading