Blog

When Wine Becomes Personal Over the years, I have attended more wine tastings, wine dinners, and educational seminars than I could possibly count. Some have featured extraordinary wines. Others have offered remarkable food pairings. A few have showcased bottles that most wine lovers only dream of tasting. Yet when I look back on the experiences… Read More

Inspired by our recent exploration of Tenuta delle Terre Nere and a continuing fascination with the wines of Mount Etna. Among wine enthusiasts, few descriptors are invoked as frequently—and as imprecisely—as minerality. We speak of crushed stone, wet slate, volcanic ash, flint, and smoke as though we can taste the geology itself. Yet the reality… Read More

Every year around this time, somebody asks me the same question: “Paul, what’s a good summer wine?” My answer is usually disappointing. It depends. I know that’s not the answer people want. Most folks are hoping for a specific bottle recommendation—a magical wine that somehow improves the weather, keeps mosquitoes away, and transforms an average… Read More

One of the most common questions I get in my classes is still the same one I was asked fifteen years ago: “Paul, how do I buy good wine without spending a fortune?” The funny thing is that despite all the changes in the wine world, my answer hasn’t changed very much. Back in 2012,… Read More

Notes from NCE Wine Class — June 14, 2026 Sauvignon Blanc has a reputation for being easy to recognize: bright acidity, citrus, green herbs, maybe a little gooseberry or grapefruit. But this tasting made a stronger point: Sauvignon Blanc is not one wine, but many personalities wearing the same name. Across seven bottles, the class… Read More

Musings on the Vine – June 13, 2026 Tuscany’s vineyards tell a story that stretches back more than two millennia—a story of tradition, adaptation, and ultimately, rebellion. At our recent Musings on the Vine tasting, Super Tuscans Revisited, we explored not only a remarkable lineup of wines, but also the profound evolution of Tuscan winemaking… Read More