Many of you have been wondering the same thing we have: where is the Costco wine advent calendar for 2024? For the past three years, we found it in stores in September. There were a few rumblings online about it for 2024, but not a lot of solid information or spottings in the wild. We […]

This article reviews some of the most popular one-size-fits-all, or universal, wine glasses. Some top producers (e.g., Zalto, Reidel) of wine glasses produce a large range of styles, each best suited to a particular type of wine.  These glasses are typically hand-blown crystal costing $75+ each.  Someone wanting separate glasses for different wines

A quick-hit today (while I’m traveling) to let you know about a new gig: I’ve contributed a profile piece on Napa Valley cult classic Realm Cellars (yes, that Realm, the one who makes reds going for about $1,300 a bottle) for BestWineries.com, an outlet local to the SF Bay-area wine scene. And I will freely […]

This one caught us off guard. We were expecting a run of the mill Sangiovese, but couldn’t be more impressed with what’s delivered here and for only $13.89. Morellino di Scansano is a wine region in Tuscany that’s not often talked about, but should be. These wines are predominantly (85%) Sangiovese (Morellino is the local […]

One Thousand Vines is the price of a good bottle of California Pinot Noir, but it’s worth an entire case.  Master Sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier has written an original book  that explores everything you ever wanted to know about wine from growing the vine, to the influence of terroir, and making and drinking wine. This is […]

In wrapping up my features coverage of my 2024 press jaunt to Italy’s Asolo Prosecco region, I’m going to focus on what many of us would consider the more recognizable incarnations of Prosecco: namely, those coming from two big production houses. Giusti Wine First up is Giusti Wine, located in Nervesa della Battaglia in a […]

Just a few weeks ago we reviewed the Cune Albarino and mentioned in that post how much we enjoyed the red wines from Cune. And then our latest trip to Costco, we found this one, and as a bonus it’s a Gran Reserva. Can’t beat that, and for $20, which is a fantastic price for […]

In a lot of ways, Ida Agnoletti represents the antithesis of everything that we in the States think that we know about Prosecco. In a region known for large production houses, she farms only 8 hectares of vines, much of them nearing 70 years of age, making about 50,000 bottles a year, and farming without […]

[originally published 5/2020; last update 10/2024] Costco’s Kirkland branded products are synonymous with high quality at super low prices, and the wine aisle is no exception. In some cases, Kirkland wines can be the shining example of the ridiculous quality to price ratio you can find under these private branded products. We’ve been tasting and [&

In 1994 Jess Stonestreet Jackson and Barbara Banke purchased a one-thousand-hectare (ha) estate in Castelnuovo Berardenga near the southern tip of the Chianti Classico region.  It was not a particularly auspicious moment for Chianti Classico. Some of region’s top producers were flaunting the Consorzio’s rules and producing Sangiovese based wines wi

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read […]

The Russian River Pinot Noir from Kirkland is a bottle we look forward to tasting every year, and we’ve seen varied quality since its introduction all the way back to the 2014 vintage. An important part that is consistent is the price, once again staying at $11.99, which is just crazy for fruit from this […]

Located near Castellina in Chianti, the 220 ha Bibbiano estate dates back to the 11th century, although the Marzi family began its ownership in the mid 19th century.  After WWII, Pier Tomaso Marzi and his son-in-law Alfredo Marrocchesi renovated the estate with the assistance of famed enologist Giulio Gambelli who made the wines until the […

[ This is Part 3 of a series detailing my media jaunt to Italy’s Asolo Prosecco Superiore. Check out Part 1 and Part 2). ] The Asolo Prosecco Superiore region offers some interesting contrasts, perhaps none so obvious as that between the two producers featured here today: Villa Sandi, and Bele Casel. One, of course, […]

Here’s a new Albarino at Costco and boy are we glad we scooped this one up. This is perhaps the best Albarino we’ve ever bought at Costco (and a top pick even elsewhere). Costco’s price is only $11.99, which is fantastic for these Rias Baixas whites that seem to just keep going up in price. […]

Ever since Mionetto imported Prosecco to the US at the turn of the century, wine journalists have been writing about this inexpensive, charming sparkling beverage. Indeed, there has been much to write about beginning with the spectacular rise worldwide in Prosecco sales. Then there was the radical change in legislation in 2009 that greatly enlarged