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Wine Reviews

Italian Wines and Mini-Coopers

Have you seen the movie The Italian Job? Do you remember the chase scene with the Mini Cooper’s? That’s pretty much how everybody drives in Rome. It’s great amusement … unless you are a pedestrian attempting to cross an intersection.

Thankfully, the Italians don’t eat or drink like they drive. Food and wine are enjoyed for their simplicity at a relaxed pace. It would make a boring movie, but it creates wonderful memories.

Last month D’Aun and I spent two weeks in Italy. One reason we were there was to experience the Italian olive harvest, which you can read …

Wine Reviews,

Mr. Caymus

Until the 1980’s, I don’t think I had ever gone to Napa Valley. There was no reason to, really. I didn’t drink wine and it was just another farming region as far as I was concerned. Besides, it had only recently become famous for the Judgment of Paris.

But after our life-changing trip to Bordeaux, D’Aun and I knew we had to visit Napa. It was our first day of wine tasting, hopping from winery to winery. We were both enchanted by the beauty and calmness of the Valley (remember, this was before the crowds).

At some point …

Family, Wine Reviews,

A High School Sweetheart, a Foreign Exchange Student, and Bordeaux

How did I get into wine?

In some ways, though not the drinking kind, it all began in High School. That’s when I hooked up with a gorgeous cheerleader and Student Body President. Yes, brains and beauty go together. Or at least they do with D’Aun. High School has various social stratums, and I was way over my head. She was voted Best Personality. I was not. She was high energy, always had a smile on her face, kind to everybody she met, and admired by all. Again, I was not. So it shocked everybody when we started dating. Especially …

Wine Reviews,

Uncorked Thoughts

One of my favorite things to do is enjoy a great bottle of wine with friends and family. It wasn’t always this way: I was raised by parents who frowned on drinking alcohol. But then again, I had a Grandfather who distilled moonshine during Prohibition. Thankfully, other influences have kept me from both extremes!

It was a visit to Bordeaux in the 1980’s when D’Aun and I discovered the joys of great wine. When I got home from that trip I built a simple wine rack in the basement and began collecting Chateau Mouton Rothschild wines. That didn’t last long …