The Other 46

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I love sparkling wines.  I especially love sparklers that hail from the other 46 states.  Wineries in New York, Virginia and New Mexico are quickly earning a reputation for producing excellent value sparkling wines that are competing directly with California and France.  Quality is rising and [...]

After discovering New Mexico’s Gruet Winery more than a year ago in the pages of Wine Spectator, their non-vintage sparkling wines (Brut, Blanc de Noirs, Rose, and Demi-Sec) have become a permanent fixture in my home.  Whether celebrating a special event, enjoying a holiday meal, or relaxing after a long day at work, Gruet Winery [...]

I’m usually traveling for Thanksgiving visiting family and of course, local wineries.  But this year, I decided to avoid the hustle and bustle of airports and enjoy a quiet dinner at home in Central Florida.  Cruising the wine aisles at Whole Foods the day before, I had two requirements for my Thanksgiving wine, 1.) a [...]

I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into when I purchased the Gruet Blanc de Noirs non vintage sparkling wine from Total Wine.  After reading the recent Wine Spectator article (see my earlier post) on wine values around the world, I was excited to learn our local Total Wine carried several of the Gruet [...]