Grapevine

By Bill Primavera One of my first apartments was in a four-story walk-up in Brooklyn Heights owned by a cranky landlady named Diana who owned an antiques shop on the first floor. In her heyday, she had been a Ziegfeld

“A show of hands. How many of you have visited wine-producing countries?” This is how I typically begin one of my wine and food pairing events. A large percentage invariably raise their hands with smiles on their faces and glee

Last year, and again this spring, my wife and I embarked on a treasure hunt in northern California. We had been on these excursions in previous years. In fact, this was our 13th immersion into the idyllic lifestyle and wondrous

My approach and experiences with the expansive and ever-expanding world of wine has changed over the years. Early on, I drank to fit my budget. My palate was inexperienced and my wallet was thin. The wines I consumed were rather

At my periodic wine tasting events for consumers I always emphasize that we each have individual, unique palates. Our palate influences our unique senses of taste and smell. Our palate influences our appreciation of one wine over another. Our palate

There is a disconnect that marks the state of retail wine sales in the United States today. The quality of wines being produced domestically has been on the upswing every year over the past quarter century. It seems each year

When I was a young man, I thought like a young man, acted like a young man and drank like a young man. Now that I have matured, I think, act and drink like a mature man (with apologies to

Today’s wine market is unlike any in the history of the retail wine trade. Never has there been more wine available at such high-quality levels and at such reasonable quality and price thresholds. Think about it. When was the last

Last week I introduced the Slow Food movement and its inevitable offshoot, Slow Wine. After penning my column, I began to think about the evolution of diets across European and Asian countries and in the United States. From the Mediterranean