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To all Wine Exchangers, You want some Napa Valley history? You got it. The first vintage of Robert Mondavi’s groundbreaking Cabernet was 1966. The winery will celebrate its 50th harvest this year. That same year none other than Marchese Piero Antinori took his first trip to the Napa Valley, and fell in love. Over the […]

To all Wine Exchangers, “Accornero remains one of Piedmont’s hidden gems. I am surprised these wines don’t get more attention. The estate excels with a number of superb Barberas…these are some of the most unique and compelling wines readers will find in Piedmont.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media Well, if Accornero was looking for a […]

To all Wine Exchangers, Because we have an open door policy here, we can never be sure what will roll in that door.  We can bet someone will be trying to sell some self-anointed star of California Chardonnay or Pinot Noir who thinks their wine is worth $50+.  There’s a good chance there will be […]

Even though we have been doing this for a very long time, the subject of wine never gets old to us.  We like to share experiences, talk to various people in the wine business about philosophies of viticulture and winemaking, and of course we enjoying drinking the stuff (first hand product knowledge is good, no?).  […]

To all Wine Exchangers, This is a tough piece to write for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to mark the end of an era. It’s hard to get noticed if you are the quiet players in a field of more flamboyant wineries that make more flamboyant styles. Yet the Varner […]

To all Wine Exchangers, If you’re like us, you know there’s something very special and satisfying about a well-timed glass of dessert wine at the end of a meal. Whether it’s Tokaji from Hungary, a classic Sauternes, or a "sticky" from Australia, there’s always something distinctive from the many wine regions to accommodate your sweet […]

To all Wine Exchangers, Always great to get a phone call from Terry Bering. When he phones us to tell us the latest vintage of Castalia Pinot Noir is released, we get goosebumps, because we know we’re going to get to taste (oh, ok, drink) it! Terry rolled in a few weeks ago with his […]

To all Wine Exchangers, More fun with Aglianico! Yes, everyone’s favorite Campanian grape variety is back for another offer, this time anchored by the bastion of the appellation. Today there are over 300 producers in the appellation of Taurasi, which is, as we wrote about previously, something akin to the Barolo of Italy’s south, producing […]

To all Wine Exchangers, ‘No rush’ Dave Corey is back with another winner from his seemingly endless library of cellar (and barrel)-aged wines. As we wrote a few months back, Dave is one of those wine-geek types that seems always intrigued by the next challenge.   In fact, he may have a few too many irons […]

To all Wine Exchangers, “What a thrill it is to taste these wines from brothers Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino. The Fantinos work out of a tiny cellar in Monforte's old, historic center. Alessandro Fantino spent twenty years working alongside Bartolo Mascarello, where he made the wines and managed the vineyards. In 1998, as Maria-Theresa […]