Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

As I mentioned earlier in the week, I have been in Paris for a few days, attending the massive Salon des Vignerons Indépendents. Per usual, while traveling, I like to revisit a Sundays Are For Sebastian. This one comes from three years ago, when Sebastian was fourteen.  Sebastian is our fourteen-year-old son and he says some of the funniest things–we have no idea where he gets his material since his mother and I are rather boring, serious people…

I am in Paris this week for a lot of reasons (yes, many include wine), but I am determined to keep up with this little blog, which has become (if my stats are to be believed), extremely popular over the last couple of years.... Today, I offer up tasting notes of the current releases from (one of?) my favorite producer(s) in Sonoma County, Tongue Dancer Wines.

I am in Paris this week for a lot of reasons (yes, many include wine), but I am determined to keep up with this little blog, which has become (if my stats are to be believed), extremely popular over the last couple of years.... This ia a post from the last time I was in Paris, a little over a year ago (has it really been that long?).

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

Like most of you, I imagine, over the last several days my inbox has been flooded with Black Friday deals. From bike bags to restaurant deals, I have received hundreds of Black Friday enticements. As you might expect, many of those emails have been wine-related and this year some of the deals are pretty darned good. So in the spirit of giving, here are a few of those deals from producers I respect and wholeheartedly endorse (click on the graphic to go straight to the deal):

Happy Thanksgiving! Several years ago, my boys and I started a tradition of going down to the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade. We were fortunate enough to live less than a mile from the parade route, which made it that much easier to attend. Now, however, we are about 1,500 miles from the Philadelphia parade, living in Texas. Our older son, Nathan, nowin graduate school, returned home the last night, making this the first time since mid-August that we all have been together.

As I mentioned Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, I tasted 40 American Pinot Noirs a little over a week ago. With the help of three other wine writers here in Houston, I was able to taste through the wines blind, which means that I did not know which wine was ever in my glass (well, my four glasses, as I tasted that many at a time).

As I mentioned Tuesday and Wednesday, earlier this week, I and a group of other Houston-based wine writers, tasted 40 American Pinot Noirs on a Thursday afternoon. The design was to taste through the wines blind, which means that I did not know which wine was ever in my glass (well, my four glasses, as I tasted that many at a time).

As I mentioned Yesterday, I tasted 40 American Pinot Noirs earlier this month. The design was to taste through the wines blind, which means that I did not know which wine was ever in my glass (well, my four glasses, as I tasted that many at a time). Tasting wines blind is always a good exercise as knowing what a wine is can always introduce bias when it comes to evaluation.

A couple of months ago, I set the date for my Eighth Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir for November 8th. That would give me enough time to clean up my notes and publish them in time for Thanksgiving, essentially the Super Bowl for Pinot Noir (next to champagne, Pinot is perhaps the most versatile of wines for Thanksgiving, able to handle all of those crazy flavors on the Turkey Day table).

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

A little over nine (!) years ago, the family and I moved to Texas. As a lifelong Eastern Time Zone resident, it was a big move: changing time zones, living below the Mason-Dixon Line, deciding whether to adopt "y'all" as part of my vocabulary. It was all rather heady. The transition to life in Houston was made easier, however, by several factors.

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

It is time for another edition of “Random Samples”–I occasionally get samples from marketing agencies and/or producers. These can often be grouped together into some sort of over-arching theme: Muret-Gaston is French for Old Friends (not really, but it should be), The Rise of Australian Wine Beyond Shiraz, Some Wines from Victoria, If It Doesn’t Sparkle, It Doesn’t Matter…

The calendar turned to November a few days ago (a side note: does anyone use actual calendars anymore?) and that means a couple of things. First, it means that basketball season has started for me. Without getting into the long story, I had a rather distinguished decade-long career as a high school Varsity basketball coach well before Tik-Tok and Instagram were on anyone's mind.

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

Sebastian is our seventeen-year-old son, and he says some of the funniest things–we have no idea where he gets his material since his mother and I are rather boring, serious people. For years, I have been trying to get my sons to learn how to cook. Nathan, who is away at grad school in Ohio, laments now that he never took me up on the offer.

A few months ago, I was sent a few wines from Austria to sample. I immediately recalled my only trip to perhaps Austria's most famous wine region, the Wachau Valley (even though none of the wines I received were from that region, but why get bogged down in details?). So, I thought I would republish the story of that fateful day along with the tasting notes of the wines (those are at the bottom of the page if you want to skip over my inane drivel).

A few months ago, I was sent a few wines from Austria to sample. I immediately recalled my only trip to perhaps Austria's most famous wine region, the Wachau Valley (even though none of the wines I received were from that region, but why get bogged down in details?). So, I thought I would republish the story of that fateful day along with the tasting notes of the wines (those are at the bottom of the page if you want to skip over my inane drivel).

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

Way back when, shortly after starting this website, the indefatigable Amy Johnson, half of the power duo that makes up Purple Star/Muret-Gaston Wines, contacted me and asked if she could send me samples. At the time, I had only received samples from, well, fringe wineries (one memorable bottle actually glowed in the dark so that it would be "easier to find in late-night hot-tub session"--I really wish I was joking).

This is the continuation of an article I published a couple of weeks ago... OK,  I'll admit it. Even though I author of one of this country's preeminent wine blogs (haha), until relatively recently, when I heard "Australian wine" I couldn't help but immediately think "Shiraz". And while it is true that what just about everyone else in the world calls "Syrah" is Australia's most-widely planted grape (and grown in just about all of the country's 65 wine regions), there is obviously much more to Australian wine.

Over the course of a week, I taste a bunch of wine, usually with friends, and almost always with my wife. Here are some of the wines we tasted over the past few weeks. These are wines that were not sent as samples—in most cases, I actually paid for these wines (although a few have been given as gifts).

I am out in Sonoma for the week, and as I sometimes do while traveling, I revisit a Sundays Are For Sebastian. This comes from exactly five years ago when Seba was twelve. Sebastian is my twelve-year-old and he says some of the funniest things–we have no idea where he gets his material since his mother and I are rather boring, serious people…