Category Archives: France

#WW Five Champagnes for the Holidays, and Beyond

Posted on December 10, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

Champagne is expensive — usually from $30 a bottle on up. The best values tend to kick in around the $40-$50 range. That’s another reason to treat them like fine wine and savor them out of a decent glass. Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Champagne, France, Wine | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Champagne: What Glass to Choose?

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

A new glass promises to help us enjoy Champagne to the utmost.
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Posted in Champagne, France, Sparkling Wine, Wine | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Summer Wines with Soul & Substance

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

The weather is unusually pleasant for mid-summer this week in the Washington area, leaving me thinking of warm days and cooler nights, those wonderful “diurnal swings” that supposedly contribute to well-balanced wine. But since the 2014 Virginia and Maryland wines … Continue reading →

Posted in Bargain Wines, Burgundy, California, Cheap Wine, Chile, Colorado, France, Wine | Tagged | 1 Comment

Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet? (Spring, that is … )

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

This is for faithful reader Norman Holly, who reminds me that I should be posting some wine recommendations. This is a wine blog, after all. So in the hopes that warm weather is – or is about to be – … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Italy, Rosé, Wine | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Wines to Defy Winter’s Last Blast

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

The calendar says Spring, but Ol’ Man Winter isn’t done with us yet. Tuesday’s forecast for the Washington, D.C., area calls for 1-2 more inches of the white stuff, timed not to give us a day off like that last … Continue reading →

Posted in California, France, Italy, Rosé, Spain, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bordeaux: Too little, too late? It Depends(c).

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Dave McIntyre

My Washington Post column last week, which I posted here yesterday, generated considerable comment on the web and in emails back to me. Steve Heimoff, Wine Enthusiast’s California reviewer, took issue on his blog with the thought that Bordeaux could ever appeal to U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bordeaux, California, France, Rants, Uncategorized, Washington Post, Weblogs, Wine, writers | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Millennials and Wine: Revolution or Evolution?

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Dave McIntyre

There’s a lot of Internet buzz these days about the effects the millennial generation is having on wine. Much of it is quite breathless and reminds me of the journalistic cliché in which the reporter intones at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in Biodynamic, Food and Drink, France, Jancis, Washington Post, Wine | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Wine’s Cornucopia: An Illusion?

Posted on January 23, 2013 by Dave McIntyre

Do you feel overwhelmed when shopping for wine? The sheer magnitude of choices is daunting. There are wallabies and penguins and rabbits, oh my! Do you prefer to go Barefoot or wear Flip Flops, socialize with Old Farts or Fat … Continue reading →

Posted in Cheap Wine, Eastern US, France, Rants, Washington Post, Weblogs, Wine | Tagged | 19 Comments

What’s Your Sign? Sun or Soil?

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Dave McIntyre

There are wines of the sun, wines of the soil, and wines of the test tube. I enjoy the first, love the second, and try to avoid the third. It’s not that simple, of course. Wine never is, or we … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, California, France, Wine | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Winemakers do a number on Wine Spectator

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Dave McIntyre

Call Central Casting and request a flamboyent French winemaker who epitomizes joie de vivre and bonhomie, and they’d probably send you Jean-Charles Boisset. Boisset is the scion of a famous Burgundy family who in recent years has embarked on a … Continue reading →

Posted in California, Film, France, Humor, Wine, Wine Humor, writers | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments