Category: Wine & Spirits

One of the delights about living in Shanghai is the abundant fresh seafood. Everything from seasonal local fish and shellfish to sea creatures imported from the four corners of the world grace our tables. Alone these water creatures can be delicious but when paired with the appropriate wine they can become sublime. There’s little secret […]

There’s something quite mystical and a little wild about human settlements at great elevations. Perhaps nowhere does this magic manifest itself more beautifully than in than Lhasa, Tibet. This past weekend I had the privilege to travel to Lhasa to be with wine-loving friends including the world’s most famous winemaker Michel Rolland.

Cycles of growth and stagnation follow the most basic laws of nature. Economies are no exception, and while China has one of the most stable growth economies in the world there’s been a slowing of growth recently that motivates me to write about the art of finding good value. When I’m giving a speech and […]

Wine is intimately entwined with nature and the cycle of life. I’m often amazed how the natural progression of wine mirrors the existence and demise of all things living, including man. There is birth, growth, hope and flourishing and ultimately aging and death. In fact, a wine can be considered to have three lives, the […]

I received quite an enthusiastic response from last week’s column dedicated to the importance of women in the wine world. Several of the people who contacted me were successful women in Shanghai who are increasingly expressing themselves and their unique styles though their wine and lifestyle decisions. My enjoyable dialogues with these confident and opinionated […]

Argentina seems to have a unique talent for taking obscure varietals that are on the decline in the Old World and making them hits in the New World. Case-in-point is Malbec, an increasingly obscure red wine varietal in Bordeaux and some other regions in France that became the most important red wine in Argentina. Will […]

The art of wine appreciation has a great deal to do with fragrance. Your nose is one of the most important physical tools used in accessing and enjoying a fine wine. Many times more sensitive than your mouth, the nose not only discerns aromas but also helps heighten your ability to taste. When tasting a […]

Funny as it may sound, wine and people actually share many qualities. Both have styles, stories and personalities that are unique and both are impressive forces of nature. In honor of the London Olympics and just to have some fun, I decided to match the performance and styles of well-known Olympic athletes to wines that […]

What’s the most singular aromatic expression of spring? For me it’s flowers. Though wine is made of grapes, it has an extraordinary ability to offer a multitude of different pleasing aromas, including flowers. So when I think of spring, I think of wines with abundant floral aromas and a freshness that reflects the fresh breezes […]

Tired of the same old wines from the same old places? Fret not, the wine world is full of surprises and with a little application one can discover some wonderfully different and delicious wines. An excellent example of this is the dry red wines of Portugal. The long wine history of Portugal has seen numerous […]