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Wondering what wines to pair with your party snacks? Check out my pairing guide on the Food & Wine website. From charcuterie to caviar, pigs in a blanket to baby lamb chops, my list features classic hors d'oeuvres matched with 21 different wines. Cheers! Image courtesy of Food & Wine PHOTO: JENNIFER CAUSEY / FOOD STYLING BY VICTORIA GRANOF / PROP STYLING BY KARIN OLSEN "‘Tis the season for tiny bites at holiday soirees. But don’t let their petite size fool you; the best hors d’oeuvres pack plenty of flavor and sometimes even outshine the entrees. Pairing hors d’oeuvres with... Continue reading

For more information, visit the Beaulieu Vineyard website. Click here to read my 2019 article, Time Traveling Through Wine: A Journey Through the Decades with Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. Continue reading

Let's meet for a drink! Join me on November 2 for a complimentary tasting of Tr3smano wines from Ribera del Duero, Spain. Click here to register. Take your palate on a journey to Ribera del Duero, Spain with the wines of Tr3smano! Join Wine With Wanda on Thursday, November 2, from 6-8pm for a complimentary in-store tasting at the sensational new wine shop Community Wine & Spirits in Chelsea (140 Tenth Avenue). This is a casual tasting. Arrive any time during the event to taste and learn more about Tr3smano. But I do encourage you to arrive early! Esteemed wine... Continue reading

From now on, whenever I see a bottle of La Rioja Alta "Viña Ardanza” Reserva Rioja, I'll be reminded of a laughter-filled wine tasting on a Monday morning in Manhattan. Magic happens and memories are created when you share a beautiful bottle of wine. Tasting Viña Ardanza 2016 with winemaker Julio Saenz (l) and Guillermo de Aranzabal (r), president and 5th generation member of the family that owns La Rioja Alta, transported me back to Spain. Our conversation covered wine, my love of Spanish pop music from the 1980s and 1990s, and the benefits of retiring in Spain. Good times!La... Continue reading

Devis Romanelli's family has been making wine in the hills of Montefalco for three generations. Like many Montefalco wine estates, Romanelli also produces olive oil. Now is the perfect time to start planning your wine-centric adventures for 2023. If you’re looking for authentic wines, warm people, and a stunning natural landscape, Montefalco delivers all that and more. Montefalco is in Umbria, known as the “Green Heart of Italy” because of its verdant green landscape. And the tiny hilltop town of Montefalco, with a population of around 6,000 people, could very well be considered the wine heart of Umbria: It’s a... Continue reading

Michel Rolland - the original flying winemaker and founder of Clos de Los Siete. image courtesy of Clos de Los Siete Few people can take credit for creating an entirely new career category, but Michel Rolland is the original flying winemaker. Crisscrossing continents and oceans, this Bordeaux-born enologist has worked with more than 150 wineries around the globe. This year marks Rolland's 50th harvest. Rolland was instantly captivated when he traveled to Argentina for the first time in 1988. Recognizing it as "a beautiful place to make wine," he searched for the perfect spot to launch his own wine project.... Continue reading

Winemakers Daniele Vuerich (Attems, left) and Alessandro Marini (Tenuta Luce, right). My meeting with winemakers Alessandro Marina (Tenuta Luce) and Daniele Vuerich (Attems) was one of my most memorable appointments this year. I was so inspired by their passion and commitment to the art and science of winemaking. These young winemakers have already achieved great success; I look forward to following their careers for many years to come. Attems and Tenuta Luce are both owned by the venerable Frescobaldi winemaking family. Attems is located in Friuli, in the northeast of Italy, a region celebrated for white wines with texture and... Continue reading

Eduardo Chadwick, and his daughter Magui, presented the 2019 Seña and past vintages that showcased the impressive elegance and aging capacity of this iconic Chilean wine. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, please indulge me as I repeat one of my favorite refrains: So many wines, so little time. I often feel exhilaration and exasperation as I navigate my way through the sheer volume of wines available today. But some wines stand out from the captivating chaos of fermented grapes, and Seña is such a wine. Eduardo Chadwick and Robert Mondavi at Seña's vineyard. image courtesy of... Continue reading

Tired of sipping the same old white wines? Break out of your rut with Lugana wines! Located in the north of Italy, on the beautiful southern shores of Lake Garda, Lugana produces some of Italy’s most delicious and charming white wines. The wines are made from the ancient indigenous grape Turbiana, which thrives in the unique microclimate of Lugana. Lake Garda’s breezes regulate the temperature and keep the grapes healthy. Plenty of sunshine and rich white clay soils also contribute to Lugana's fresh, approachable, mineral, and food-friendly personality. To learn more about Lugana, watch the recording of my Instagram Live... Continue reading

Hervé Birnie-Scott aka El Loco Francés (The Crazy Frenchman) Founder & Estate Director, Terrazas de los Andes My mellow mood, fueled by a rainy day in Manhattan, called for an elegant yet approachable wine that would wrap around me like a cashmere scarf. So I reached for three intriguing bottles of Malbec from Terrazas de los Andes that had patiently waited for me to taste them. Yes, Malbec. Some folks don't consider Malbec cool because it's ubiquitous. But a wine's cool factor isn't its most important attribute. I want well-made, authentic, balanced wines with a compelling story, and Terrazas de... Continue reading

When I first met Sergio Zingarelli, President of Rocca delle Macìe winery, in November 2019, there was no crystal ball around to warn us that we were living in the good old days: life before the Covid-19 pandemic. Sitting around a table at a Manhattan restaurant, our group of wine professionals didn’t know that global turmoil was just around the corner. Still, we instinctively laughed and savored each sip of his family’s wines because it was clearly a moment to treasure. Thank goodness for those memories. They were a sustaining force during the endless days of social distancing when it... Continue reading

I'm so thoroughly immersed in the world of wine that there's rarely time to dive deeply into spirits. But where there's flavor, I'll follow. Recently my thirst and curiosity led me to a tasting with Angostura Rum master distiller Jean Georges. Hosted 101 stories above Manhattan at Peak Restaurant, the scenic and dramatic location was the perfect setting for the reveal of Angostura Zenith, a rare, limited-edition ultra-premium rum. How rare? Only 195 bottles were produced. And expect to pay a pretty penny for this rare rum. A bottle of Zenith will set you back $3,000! What makes Angostura Zenith... Continue reading

Following in the footsteps of a legend might rattle some people, but Champagne Piper-Heidsieck's "newish" chief winemaker, Émilien Boutillat, is already laying the foundation for his own icon status. Émilien's predecessor, Régis Camus, looms large over the Piper-Heidsieck legacy; he held the position for nearly three decades and was named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year a record eight times at the International Wine Challenge. Émilien was appointed chief winemaker in 2018 and is already poised to have a similar winning streak in the future; in 2021, he was honored as Sparkling Winemaker of the Year. At 35 years old, Émilien... Continue reading

Wanda Mann Writer. Wine Lover. Traveler. Wine fills my life with flavor, joy, and adventure! Travel is also my passion and I love learning about the history and culture of a place through its wine traditions. I have been writing about wine for more than a decade. I am the East Coast Editor at The SOMM Journal and Tasting Panel. I have contributed articles to Food & Wine, Decanter, VinePair,and NAPA Magazine. In June 2022 and 2023, I led wine pairing seminars at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. In 2023, I also moderated wine seminars at the Charleston... Continue reading

I'm usually the one asking the questions, but Jason Haas, partner & general manager of Tablas Creek Vineyard, did a beautiful job interviewing me on Instagram Live. I had the pleasure of visiting Tablas Creek on my 2021 visit to Paso Robles, CA, and featured Jason and the winery in my article about the region for Food & Wine magazine. And talk about a small world -- Jason and I went to high school together and shared many friends in common, but we didn't know each other until our 2021 meeting. I'm thrilled that wine has been the catalyst for... Continue reading

The Class of 1972 is still going strong! Fifty years ago, some of California’s most important wineries were founded. Recently, six of these Napa & Sonoma trailblazers gathered for a surreal tasting, organized by Jordan winery, at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California. Chateau Montelena, Jordan, Burgess, Diamond Creek, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, and Dry Creek Vineyard each shared a selection of three wines, including some impressive library vintages. Stag’s Leap took the assignment to heart and dazzled the group of professional wine tasters with a 1972 S.L.V Cabernet Sauvignon that displayed impressive vitality and... Continue reading

How far will you travel for a delicious glass of wine? I just returned from a whirlwind 36-hour trip out west to Sonoma and Napa – almost 3,000 miles from my home in NYC. And visiting Jordan winery in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, was worth the jetlag and flight delays. I’ve enjoyed Jordan’s wines for years; photos of their estate have always sparked daydreams of sipping their wine in the Sonoma sunshine. Well, darlings, dreams do come true! Thursday morning, we drove up Jordan’s dramatic one-mile-long driveway to reach their beautiful château, which houses the winery and tasting room. Founded... Continue reading

People are often surprised when I tell them that I've been writing for more than a decade. What a journey it's been, and I continue to learn more every day. Since I was a little girl, I've loved writing and never imagined that wine would be a source of endless inspiration. In addition to the sheer beauty of wine, the people and places move me. Getting to share those stories with others is a blessing. I'm thrilled that my story Wine's Wild West appears in the April 2022 issue of Food & Wine magazine (page 65). It explores the wine... Continue reading

I recently had the honor of moderating the keynote discussion for the tenth annual Women in Wine Leadership Symposium (WWLS). The conversation featured Annette Alvarez-Peters, Jirka Jireh, and Mandy Oser, and covered a wide range of topics, including diversity, mentorship, work-life balance, and working relationships. Several years ago, I received my first invitation to attend WWLS and it has always been one of favorite industry events. Few wine industry gatherings can rival WWLS's combination of camaraderie, education, and networking. Having a seat at the table as a moderator, was truly a career highlight. The keynote discussion also inspired an article... Continue reading

image: Doug Young Photography A native New Yorker with Southern roots and the daughter of a professional chef, food & wine are an integral part of my life. Travel is also my passion and I love learning about the history and culture of a place through its wine traditions. I am the East Coast Editor at The SOMM Journal and the New York City Editor for Tasting Panel. I have contributed articles to Food & Wine and NAPA Magazine. In 2022, I served as an associate judge at Wine Without Walls in Verona, Italy. In 2015, I earned my Certified... Continue reading

Tis the season to sparkle, in your spirit and in your glass! Get into the festive mood of the holiday season with a bottle of Champagne Piper-Heidsieck. It’s impossible to be a Grinch when Piper-Heidsieck’s petite bubbles are dancing in your glass! I’m happy to say that I’ve lost count of how many glasses of Piper-Heidsieck I’ve sipped over the years. Consistently elegant and always intriguing, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck always makes me smile. Founded in 1785, Piper-Heidsieck elicits smiles around the globe; it is poured in over 100 countries! Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut ($60) is the House’s signature cuvée. Festive and full... Continue reading

Add some ooh la la to the holidays with the wines of M.Chapoutier! I’m a big fan of Chapoutier’s elegant, terroir-driven, and authentic wines; they always add a bit of magic to meals and time together with friends and family. I took this photo of Michel Chapoutier when we met in 2018. The Chapoutier family has been making wine in the Rhône Valley since 1808, but 1990 was a turning point in their history. With the bold visionary Michel Chapoutier at the helm, the family winery became a trailblazing powerhouse. Under Michel’s leadership, Chapoutier introduced Single Vineyard Selection wines that... Continue reading

Miguel Torres Maczassek, President, Familia Torres If you’ve been reading my wine musings for a fair amount of time, it’s no secret that I love Spain and I have great affection and respect for family-owned wineries with a long history. So, it was an absolute joy and honor to chat on Instagram Live with Miguel Torres Maczassek, fifth-generation vintner and president of Familia Torres. In 2020, Familia Torres Winery celebrated their 150th anniversary, but their winemaking roots in Spain can be traced back to 1557! Familia Torres produces quality wine from 9 DOs across Spain, and in Chile too, but... Continue reading

Greg Lambrecht, Inventor and Founder, Coravin Coravin wine preservation systems have become treasured tools for wine consumers and professionals by eliminating the worry of wasting unfinished wine. Until recently, that protection was limited to still wines, but the new Coravin Sparkling™ makes the dream of a reliable preservation system for bubbly a reality. The Coravin Sparkling™ Sparkling Preservation System ($399) preserves the crisp flavor and effervescence of sparkling wines for up to 4 weeks. To learn more about the Coravin Sparkling™, watch my Instagram Live with Coravin inventor Greg Lambrecht. During our chat, Greg demonstrated how to use the system.... Continue reading