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  • 2009
    • September
      • Corkage Fees
        09/18/09
        I am trying to determine the best strategy for restaurants with serious wine programs to approach corkage fees. So first off I will steal part of another (wine) bloggers note -

        cork·age (kôrkj)
        n.
        A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not

    • March
      • Super or Not?
        03/06/09
        One of my pet-peeves is when I hear someone in the wine industry explain the laws or specifics of a wine region, wine or wine style and the information is either out of date or just plain wrong. A great example of this is the explanation of the term “Super-Tuscan”, parentheses represent the fact th

    • January
      • Layer Cake Primitivo a.k.a. Zinfandel
        01/14/09
        For as long as I've been in the wine industry (20+ years) Zinfandel was considered our grape, as in California's or America's because that was the grapes historical home. Then along came the curious types who discovered (through DNA mapping) that Cabernet Sauvignon was the off-spri

  • 2008
    • December
      • Rivadavia, Mendoza, Argentina Winter 2008
        12/02/08
        A Trip To Rivadavia In Argentina Produced A Few Surprises, Not All Of Them About Wine

        By Christopher S. Miller

        Some of today's best wine values are found in South American wine regions. Chile has long been a good source for inexpensive wines, but in the last fifteen years

    • November
      • Originally published Oct 10, 2008 in Dan's Papers
        11/16/08
        Recession (Red, White and) Blues

        Some Market Speculators Awash in First Growths, But What Will the Rest of Us Drink Now?

        By Christopher S. Miller

        So you pulled the corks on a couple of 1982 Lafites because you thought the world was ending. But the next day you woke

      • Published articles
        11/16/08
        After many months of ignoring this blog, it seems long passed time to start actually posting to it on a regular basis. The first way I plan on addressing my blogging weakness is to begin posting wine articles I have written and published in certain magazines. The two main publications I write for

    • January
      • Hedges Family Estate 2004 Three Vineyards
        01/24/08
        ~$21 Retail

        Sweet red currants, cigar box, oak spice. Big & Ripe. A good example of new world Bordeaux. The oak treatment on this wine is substancial, but surprisingly the fruit manages to stand up to it. Decant for an hour or two if you're drinking now. Would benefit from a

      • Freemark Abbey 2002 Bosche Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
        01/24/08
        ~$71 retail

        Very smokey, cedary with mint and dark cherry, dried leaves, plum and some black currants. Palate is gentle and elegant with some oak and ripe notes in a fairly long finish.

        Overall: Very fine Cabernet. Bit pricey, but holds its own against comperable Old School N

      • Freemark Abbey 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
        01/24/08
        ~$35 retail

        Very dark and ripe, oak and smoke along with very ripe fruits especially Merlot notes (plum, blueberry), blackberry, tar, licorice, old Napa Oak notes. Palate is ripe, full and lush, tannins are med + but a combo of grape and wood, softening due to age, med + alcohol, med aci

      • Rays Station 2005 North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon
        01/24/08
        ~$15 retail

        Same color as the Ray's Station 2003 Merlot, cedar and berry seed aromas, some greeness, tighter and more tannic than the Merlot, as it should be, sweet red cherry. Bit thinner than the Merlot and a bit higher alcohol than Merlot. Tannins med+, Alcohol med+, Acidity med,

      • Ray's Station 2003 Sonoma County Merlot
        01/24/08
        ~$15 retail

        Deep and dark, rich aroma of dark cherry, prune, tobacco and later some blueberry and hint of plum. Spice and sweet fruit notes in the palate. Nice balance, alcohol and tannins present, medium + but balanced, medium+ finish.

        Overall: Excellent Value Merlot

      • Preparing for Wine Exams
        01/15/08
        As a wine student (once one - forever one) and wine educator, I am frequently asked how to prepare for wine exams. This is especially true now as I am about two weeks away from testing my current group of Sommelier students at my Sommelier Society of America/Sommelier Wine Academy venue in East Quog

  • 2007
    • December
      • HamptonsWineShoppe Web roll-out
        12/15/07
        Though our HamptonsWineShoppe.com web-site functions well enough, we (Paul and I) are not satisfied with it and hope to have a new version rolled out in time for the Spring/Summer seasons in the Hamptons.

        Some of the features we hope to have on the site will involve fun and serious wine k

    • October
      • Harvest Wine Dinner
        10/30/07
        Harvest Wine Dinner (Stone Creek Inn) redux.

        On Friday October 26th, HamptonsWineShoppe and The Stone Creek Inn conducted their first collaborative wine dinner. About two weeks prior, Christian, Elaine, Paul and I sat down to discuss the menu and consider the wines. Unusual to the Wine

    • September
      • Bedell Merlot
        09/17/07
        Over my many years of tasting with winemakers, I have found a trend, those winemakers that study wine from other regions, and taste many diverse wines make better wines. So this little tasting group of winemakers on Eastern Long Island matches that trend and helps our local industry learn how to co

      • 2005 Artadi Vinas de Gain
        09/17/07


        Paul and I tasted this wine at the Spring Polaner Selections tasting held at the Puck Building. Now anyone familiar with these large trade tastings understands the amount of wines and quality of wines that are available. The Vinas de Gain was one of the most impressive wines of the ta

    • February
      • The World of Pinot Noir
        02/20/07
        I need to write two articles in the next couple of weeks or so and I thought I would put my thoughts down here first, then use parts of this blog posting to weave together for the articles. This is my first attempt at using this spot as an editor for future articles...so let me know - give me feedb

    • January
      • Direct Imported Italian Wines
        01/30/07
        Late last year we had troubles filling some orders for a couple of Italian wines, it seems that the distributor that supplied the wines went out of business and the wines were never picked up by another distributor. Paul and I did some investigation and found the importer who then asked us to help

      • Northern Italy Private Tasting
        01/25/07
        by Chris Miller
        Over the past several years I have given at least 300 wine seminars, but last Saturday was the first one I have given that was more of a party atmosphere. First the seminar was given at someones house, whom I am friends with and of the 13 attendees four were friends. So this wa

      • Purple Mouth Disease
        01/21/07
        by Chris Miller
        Every Saturday, I do a plan a tasting/seminar for the staff at a store I consult for.

        Big reds was the theme this week - yikes. Purple mouth disease is on the run. The tasting included Jax Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga, Chateau Montelena Cabernet Franc, Cha

      • A Tasting of Cali Whites
        01/13/07
        by Chris Miller
        Every Saturday, I do a tasting/seminar for the staff at a store I consult for.

        California Whites was todays seminar theme, and this is one that can cause me to worry if it will come off well. Cause you know the white wines of California can sometimes be high in alcoh