If you’re like me and you’ll travel just about anywhere, you’ll want to know how to drink uncommonly great wine in Estremoz, Portugal. Here’s the thing… when you’re traveling, you never really know what you’ll be doing. You can plan all you want, research until your eyes fall out, and talk to as many people […]

Top 9 tips for the wine traveler plus a bonus Notice I didn’t say “wine tourist”? I hate being called a wine tourist – I’m a traveler and explorer which means that I’m searching out new experiences, new friends, new sights, and new wines. Here’s what I’ve learned over my years as a wine traveler: […]

The weird and wonderful world of Portuguese red wine grape names Ever heard of a grape called “Baby Don’t Leave Me”? Or “Rooster’s Heart”? How about “Little Male Damsel”? Are you chuckling yet? Most of us know common grape names – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Reisling, Chardonnay, etc. But most people (like me although I’m […]

Could you be a judge at an international wine competition? That sounds like a leading question – the answer for me is yes, I can and I just was at the Berliner Wine Trophy in Berlin, Germany in August of 2022. However, if you had asked me that question 10 years ago, or even 5 […]

I love to tell stories – and this story about the Spanish wine pitcher popped into my head one day. Once upon a time in a far away land, a family sat down for dinner. “Father,” cried the son, “I have worked hard in the fields all day and I am thirsty.” “Father,” cried the […]