There are only 5 First Growths in Bordeaux. They are: Ch. Haut-Brion, Ch. Lafite-Rothschild, Ch. Latour, Ch. Margaux and Ch.Mouton-Rothschild. Enjoy if you can!

What are your favorite wines? Why? When people ask me what my favorite wine is I usually respond that “it depends”, and it really does depend. On the food I’m eating, on the weather, on the time of day, who I’m with and, frankly, my mood.
Please let me know what you think. Thank you.

Paul from Berkley asked: My wife and I both like these reds but she prefers Shiraz and I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon. Can you explain the inherent differences between these two wines?
Dear Paul, While both Cabernet Sauvignon(CS) and Shiraz usually produce big red wines, there are a few differences between the two. CS is probably the most well known red grape in the USA, while Shiraz has that status in Australia. Shiraz is also called Syrah in many parts of the world. The Australians and South Africans started calling Syrah Shiraz centuries …

For those of you not familiar with Spanish wines, they can be some of the best values available. I had a big red from Rioja over the weekend and it was incredible. The 1999 Finca Allende Calvario was from a single vineyard planted in 1945. Think about what was happening then-the end of WWII and the beginning of the US as a superpower battling the Soviet Union for the hearts and minds of the West.
The wine was smoky, leathery, intense, spicy and tannic. While it was made in the “international” …