If you have trouble finding Saint-Péray on a map, you’re not alone. The tiny Northern Rhône appellation is tucked just south of Cornas on the Rhône River, and covers only three tenths of a square mile. But Vinous’s Josh Raynolds calls it “currently the most exciting appellation in the northern Rhône Valley.”
If Sancerre had a grand cru vineyard, it would be the Monts Damnées. This most famous of Sancerre’s terroirs abuts the hamlet of Chavignol west of the town. Sancerre produces popular wine from every corner of its appellation, but the hillside of the Monts Damnées is special.
The Loire Valley is a pastoral land of magnificent chateaux and humble goat cheese makers. The range of wines across its 250 mile expanse is just as dramatic: sparkling and still, dry and sweet, and everything from almost-clear Muscadet to deep purple Chinon. There’s a wine here for every palate. For this case we’ve selected […]
We think summer wines should be refreshing, affordable, and served cool. Usually this means whites, and we’re thrilled about the new Sancerres we added to our site yesterday. But sometimes the menu or the moment calls for a red.
The French have a long tradition of eating outdoors. From harvest tables in Burgundy to breezy rooftops in Paris, a French meal en plein air is full of beguiling aromas, clinking glasses, and hearty laughter. In France and at home we like to eat sur terrace, and we find that wine (and really food in general) tastes better outside, with…
Oysters are a common sight at French markets. Huitres are a natural pairing for wine, in both the gustatory and philosophical senses. Just like wine, they’re an expression of terroir (or merrior, if you like) whose character changes with their origin. And in matters gustatory, well, it’s a match made in heaven.
We often joke that inhabitants of the Beaujolais consider themselves Burgundian, but that the rest of Burgundy isn’t quite as sure. And while differences between the two halves abound -- grape varietal, soil type, landscape, etc. -- they share a tradition and style as well.
Three new $250 samplers to help celebrate the 4th and 4th of July. All ship for free in the eastern half of the US.
There’s no wine we reach for more often in the summer than Chablis. It combines intense fruit, refreshing minerality, and a lively, dry energy. It’s a plunge in a chilly ocean, and then a dry breeze as the sun warms you back up.
We're both fathers these days here at Ansonia Wines, so next weekend is always a fun one. It's been a while since anyone has gotten us wine as a gift, but we're quite sure most of our fellow father friends wouldn't complain about a nice bottle of Burgundy.
Corton-Charlemagne is one of the world’s great white wines. The large hill just north of Beaune has produced fine and long-lived white Burgundies for over a thousand years. As you might expect from such storied Grand Cru terroir, the wines don’t come cheap.
Ask a group of sommeliers to name their favorite wine region and most will say Burgundy. But ask them to pick a single favorite grape varietal, and we’d put some money on Riesling. Aside from its excellent food friendliness, Riesling communicates terroir with as much honesty and precision as any other grape.
We tend to drink simply in the summer. Some summer moments call for grand bottles -- weddings, graduations, etc. But when we think of “summer wine,” it’s something refreshing, uncomplicated, and inexpensive.
After a long and snowy winter, it seems Spring (or maybe summer) has at last arrived in the northeast. We avoid rigid rules for seasonal drinking — sometimes the moment calls for Chablis in December, or a Châteauenuf in June. But with the arrival of warm, sunny days, we find ourselves reaching for a certain style of wine.
For years we’ve searched for a Cornas producer to add to our portfolio. The appellation is tiny (only 145 hectares, compared with Châteauneuf-du-Pape’s 3,133) and a wave of popularity in recent years has made it difficult to get an appointment. But luck was on our side last week, and we’re excited to report that we’ve found not one Cornas source…