The holiday season has ended, the festivities are over, presents returned (lol), and the kids are back to school. We turn to New Year’s resolutions, dieting, dry January (to be fair we’re not big fans), new gym memberships and financial diets. Let's get 2023 off to a good start! Central Italy is most famous for Tuscany and all the wines it brings to the market; Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino, Super Tuscan, and Vino Nobile di
Every once in a while, the underdog wins the title. You could nearly purchase a case of the SPS Wine of the Year for the price of one bottle each of our last three wines. Minervois is located in the western Languedoc in southern France and if you’ve never tasted it, you might be inclined to scoff it off as a Rhône wine wannabe. Not the case. Minervois has been making high quality, but
Whitehall Lane is a small, family-owned winery in Napa Valley’s historic Rutherford appellation. Purchased in 1993 by Tom Leonardini, the Whitehall Lane Estate remains in his family to this day. The winery came with excellent vineyard sites and a bountiful reputation for making world class level Napa Valley red wines. In the wine market these days it’s hard to find a “real” Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon estate wine for less than $50. Challenge accepted
If you’ve been making wine since the 16th century, making the SPS Top 10 List is probably not going to get your attention. One of our favorite wine regions, the Rhône Valley produces amazing wines almost every vintage and 2019 was exceptional. Three separate heat waves scattered with rain and periods of moderate temperatures have produced wines of elegance and power. A lot of tannin, a lot of alcohol, but still fresh would be
Who wouldn’t be excited to enjoy a wine from La Rioja Alta S.A., one of the most venerable producers in Spain who produces traditional, age-worthy Rioja? Their wines are legendary and still made the way they were when the winery was founded over 130 years ago. Following a tradition that has been passed down through generations, their wines are released well after the harvest year, which provides added complexity and elegance to each bottling.
It’s no surprise to us that this wine made the list this year. Since the Spring we’ve been singing the praises of this little beauty to anybody who would listen. In general, we’re advocates of tradition in winemaking and grape selection; Sangiovese is best in Tuscany, Tempranillo is best in Spain, etc. You get the idea. There are however exceptions to our somewhat rigid outlook. Ginny Povall is rocking some traditional varietals in a
Since 1920, the Adami family has been farming the vineyards in Valdobbiadene at the highest standards and producing world class sparkling wine to boot. With the expansion of the “Prosecco Zone” in 2009 and accompanying wine regulation the world began to see in Prosecco what The Adami family has known and produced for nearly 100 years. Today Armando and Franco Adami carry on the tradition their grandparents started so long ago. The Adami Garbel
I love wine, but some wines hold more meaning than others. For me Isole e Olena secures a special place in my heart as a fundamental Chianti experience. It is one of the wines that unearthed my love and passion for Italian wine. Today the estate is run by the same wine company that owns the infamous Brunello producer Biondi Santi, and they continue to hold true to the traditions that have made Chianti
In the Bible, it is said that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Hardly the case for Giuseppi Kettmeier. It took him years, decades even to build his winery. Near Lake Caldaro the Kettmeier family has produced outstanding Pinot Grigio since the early 1900s. Our second white wine from the northernmost areas of Italy to make this list, this Pinot Grigio offers far more than the standard dry,
A wine built to honor the seventh generation of winemakers of the Taurino family. This wine came to us late in 2022, even though its name literally means to arrive early, and even though it was tardy. it still made a large enough impression on us to crack our Top 10. From the heel of the Italian boot, the grapes for this Primitivo wine come from the Manduria region from vines planted as trees