JJ Buckley Fine Wines Blog

People pouring in tasting rooms usually offer wine descriptions as they pour, before you drink. Are they doing the right thing?

Phelps Insignia is one of the most iconic wines of Napa Valley. Its track record of high scores and collectability has been built not just on lip-smacking drinkability, but also complexity and consistency. And, though it is a wine that drinks well young, it can age magnificently.

There was a time when the wines were labeled "Mosel-Saar-Ruwer." Today, to make things simpler, they are lumped together as just "Mosel." In my humble opinion, this is a mistake... as each river has its own soils, weather, and identity.

After a hearty breakfast of cured meats (everything but the squeal), sausages (a game of name that animal) cheeses, breads and other German diet food, it was on the bus to Franconia. Many people, upon hearing this name, picture the special wine bottle that looks almost like an upside down heart.

Spring is in the air and come early April, it seems that all attention turns to Bordeaux. This year the majority of the sales team covered the latest vintage with a deeper analysis than ever before. But not this assistant wine buyer.