Sur Le Zinc
Announcing Special Producer Interview Series
The streets of downtown Chicago served as a beautiful backdrop as we sat down with representatives of 15 of our producers from France at our Grand Tasting 2017 event yesterday. Sharing insights and stories (and even a song!), these incredible people conveyed both passion and purpose in their answers to compelling questions that provide a… READ MORE
Martine’s Wines Announces Grand Tastings for 2017
With its largest portfolio tasting since undergoing a change of ownership in 2012, Martine’s Wines welcomes the wine trade for its Grand Tastings of 2017 in the cities of Chicago and New York next month. “We have an amazing pool of producers attending,” said Damien Carney, Director of Sales for Direct Markets. “That is personal… READ MORE
Five Days in Burgundy: Day Five
Closing the books on Burgundy for this trip could not have been any better than traveling south to see La Vigne Mouton, Dominique Cornin, and Marc Delienne. Incredible people in beautiful places creating gorgeous wines–it is truly our pleasure to serve these marvelous winemakers. Please enjoy our Day Five video here, and check back… READ MORE
A Taste of Taos
I arrived in Santa Fe on Tuesday afternoon, grabbed my rental car and drove out to Taos via the Rio Grande Gorge. It must have been 60 degrees, completely sunny. I got settled in my room at the Taos Inn, where the restaurant Doc Martin’s is located, right in the center of town (population 5,000)…. READ MORE
NYC Spring 2014 Portfolio Tasting
We were grateful for a sunny day on April 1st in Union Square. While the calendar date of our event may have given pause to some, our customers are no fools, and these wines were no joke! There are a number of exciting new producers for us in the New York and New Jersey portfolios… READ MORE
2010 Harvest Report
When I arrived in Burgundy at the end of August, no one was very cheerful. After a very cold winter, some of the vines had died, a frost had formed during flowering which greatly reduced the future crop, and a lot of millerandage occurred. Then, after a scorching heat-wave from the end of June to… READ MORE
2008: Another Miraculous Harvest
Every one talks about the year of the 13 moons greatly affecting the climate: too hot, too wet, too stormy, too cold. In fact, this is a year of uncontrollable weather affecting every region of France. I arrived in Burgundy on September 1st, having calculated the dates of my trip according to the date of… READ MORE
Harvest 2007
There is a saying in Burgundy “Septembre fait le vin,” September makes the wine. It applied in 1978 when the entire summer was overcast with cool temperatures, and by the end of August, the grapes looked like little green English peas. This year, as the growers came back from their short vacation in anticipation of… READ MORE
Harvest 2005 – The Perfect Balance
In mid-June, I started to inquire about when to anticipate the next harvest. June is the month of blooming grapes. If temperatures are correct and there is no rain, flowering can last two weeks. However, if the temperature drops, or if it rains, then blooming will be interrupted, which will delay the maturity of the… READ MORE
2004, The Unpredictable Harvest
At the end of August, the outlook was grim. Following the flowering, the cool nights of June led to oidium (powdery mildew). July was wet. August was overcast and cool, which meant no luminosity—so necessary for the ripening of the grapes. Then, two major hail storms unfurled over Pommard and Volnay, all the way to… READ MORE
