WINE GIRL
by Victoria James
BOOK REVIEW For several years in the 1980s, I was the wine buyer for a hip New York restaurant. Back then in the city, there weren’t many people who called themselves sommeliers. And most of… Continue reading
The Eagle Doesn’t Scream
A Visit to Screaming Eagle
The following blog is based on a piece originally written in the fall of 2018, and has been revised for this Special Edition of WineSpeed devoted to Oakville, Napa Valley. A recent morning tasting… Continue reading
RISKY RELATIONSHIPS: The Eight “Killer” Foods That Can Make Wine Taste Terrible
Anyone who loves food and loves wine, knows that the marriage of the two can be the ethereal equivalent of 1 + 1 = 3. Although, I have to admit, on any given night, I… Continue reading
Why Wine Matters
Reprinted from October 5, 2015 What is it about wine that I hold so deeply? What is this endless attachment? I have always known what it is not. It’s not about scoring or competitive… Continue reading
Do Women Have Better Wine Tasting Ability? Here’s What the Research Says
We’ve all heard it said a hundred times—women are better at tasting wine than men. But can that possibly be true? For most of my professional wine career I, for one, have been skeptical of… Continue reading
VALENTINE POLITICS: The Chocolate and Cabernet Debate Just Doesn’t Go Away
About this time of year, some wineries in the Napa Valley, where I live, start heralding cabernet as the perfect wine with chocolate. I know what I think (and will share in a minute), but… Continue reading
HERE IT IS: WINESPEED’S WINE OF THE YEAR 2019
It’s been a phenomenal year. Over the course of 52 editions of WineSpeed, we tasted thousands of wines. And so many wines stood out—a phenomenal 2017 Vintage Port (Dow’s), a luscious shiraz (Penfold’s St. Henri),… Continue reading
EGGBLOG NOG
Guest Blog by Anne-Marie Failla Note from Karen: Anne-Marie Failla, the newest member of our team at Karen MacNeil & Co. takes “research” seriously. Here’s everything you wanted to know about the best egg nog. Oops, I… Continue reading
Vinous Ciders for Wine and Cider Lovers Alike
Guest Blog by Carrie Dyke Note from Karen: Writer Carrie Dykes explores the fascinating new world of vinous ciders in this guest blog. Try one of her recommendations below. A vinous cider is a combination… Continue reading
DO OLD VINES MATTER?
I once found myself staring at a grenache vineyard in the southern Rhône Valley, along with a young California winemaker and a famous French winemaker. The latter was showing us the old vineyard that had… Continue reading
Truly Hard to Swallow
Asbestos in Wine?
Guest Blog by Nina Rosas Note from Karen: Our friend Nina Rosas, a lover of wine who has worked in the industry for over 20 years, spent hours researching this alarming piece on the historic… Continue reading
Napa Valley’s Top Cabernet Sauvignons
The 75th Anniversary of the Napa Valley Vintners seems like a great time to open one of the valley’s stunning top cabernet sauvignons (read on for a list of my top choices), and to think… Continue reading
