A very distinctive and fun white wine, with a ton of Spanish character, that’s truly a bargain. From maybe the greatest region in the world for highest-quality-to-low-price wines—Rioja—all that’s required is an adventurous palate and a willingness to try something you may not have heard of. As a prime example, this 2016 Blanco... Read more →

Ridiculously and amazingly rich, the brand new PRESCRIPTION Chardonnay is virtually a slap-in-the-face to moderation and modesty. This is no ordinary Chard.  Unchilled, put your nose to the rim, and what you get is a decadent whirl of apricot preserves, honey, ripe peach, yellow flowers and a hint of ginger. For fans of the Bordeaux... Read more →

Great $15 Cabs belong in an elite club that everyone wants to belong to.  It’s hard to do—making an affordable Cab that’s not too sweet, doesn’t taste artificial, doesn’t have a hard edge or doesn’t overwhelm the senses like a sledgehammer to a nine-inch nail. One whiff of the 2015 SUBSTANCE Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington... Read more →

We highly recommend the following wines we’ve recently tasted/sampled—which all made us go, “That’s REALLY GOOD!”—and have added them to our Really Good Wine List.   AUSTRALIA Alpha Box & Dice “Golden Mullet Fury” Orange Wine  (McLaren Vale, $25) Alpha Box & Dice “Zaptung” Glera Sparkling Wine... Read more →

A great Napa Valley, California, bubbly for the money that doesn’t try to be Champagne. Unapologetically and comparatively bold, dense, ripe, flavorful and creamy. An oh-so-refined Francophile may scoff at this choice, but oh well, que pouvez-vous fair? DOMAINE CHANDON is a sister outfit to the Champagne house that everyone knows, Moët and... Read more →