Robert Skalli 2006 Pinot Noir South of France Reserve ($20). I recently tasted a variety of wines from this veteran French wine producer and his newly launched Skalli Family Wines Americas. There are wines from the Languedoc, the Rhone Valley and Corsica, and I thought this Pinot Noir was the surprise of the bunch. With appealing, food-friendly [...]

What began as a mild obsession about the concept of butternut squash confit turned into quite a tasty wine and cheese pairing… I had recently read the words “squash confit” in some magazine or another, and the idea stuck with me. So I took about a cup of diced butternut squash and simmered it gently [...]

These fun wine-themed holiday cards showed up recently, and I thought they were so cute that I decided to help the artist sell them. There was no time to get a fully functional shopping card up and running, so all you have to do is send in your order information, and we’ll get an invoice [...]

Like every other trip I have ever taken to France, at some point my trip to Bordeaux this summer became all about the cheese. Well, the wine and the cheese. After a few days of restaurant hopping, I realize that all I really want to do is raid a local market, pick up a variety [...]

This bottle came as a happy, inexpensive surprise. I generally think Paso Robles produces more interesting Rhone wines (Syrah, GSM blends, etc.) than Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet, Merlot, etc.). But this is a totally drinkable, nicely balanced, medium-bodied Cab for just $14 — and you’ll probably find it for less. Hard to beat! Edna Valley Vineyard [...]

My apologies to anyone who couldn’t access the Wine Skinny over the last day or so. My possibly/probably soon-to-be-former hosting company had huge server issues. I’m hoping to get some satisfactory answers this week, but there may be more down time coming. Hopefully it will be minimal. (Don’t you just love spending hours on the [...]

You may have noticed that Israel is getting some nice press lately for its wines. And I’m not just talking “nice for kosher” around holidays. Sommeliers, wine writers and retailers are getting on the bandwagon, and consumers are starting to take notice. I recently sat down to lunch with importer Haim Hassin of SolStars Inc. and [...]