Wine ChroniclesNearly perfect in Prague
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 2 October 2015 This site is about wine chronicles, including things to chronicle around wine. A perfect case in point is Prague. Well, nothing really is perfect, but … Just walking along the city’s intimate narrow streets enchants anyone with even a minuscule aesthetic sense, never mind the ultra romantic Charles […]
Embrace your bad taste
De gustibus (or lack thereof) non est disputandum By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 30 September 2015 I recently joined a wonderful tour subsidized by Vini del Trentino, or the Wine Consortium for Trentino, with a group of international wine educators and writers who had flown in for three days of tastings and cultural discoveries, the details of which […]
Bordeaux 2011 four years on: massive blind tasting, with expectations met and some revelations
20 September 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com What is it like to taste over 150 tannic wines over a long weekend in Bordeaux? Given the very comfortable surroundings of Château Bellefont Belcier, where I was housed, the excellent visits (I discovered a fine Saint Emilion, La Croizille, for example on the opening evening for […]
Burgundy harvest 2015: more challenging for whites
19 September 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com As Bordeaux readies itself for its harvest later this month and into October, still a while ahead, Burgundy has finished its pickings, which took place mainly between end August and mid September. Despite hail-hit vineyards in Chablis earlier this month, damage was not extensive (about 2% as my […]
Lovely La Louvière and Couhins Lurton: tastings in red and white
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com September 15, 2015 Special note: Unless otherwise indicated, all photos published here were taken by the talented Hélène Brun-Puginier, with her authorization. However they cannot be copied from this site and re-used without her authorization. When I first came to France, back in 1996, I recall enjoying a bottle of Château La […]
Bordeaux 2015: Could rains complicate potentially excellent vintage?
14 September 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com The weather chart looks worrying. Rain, rain … and more rain expected this week. It already rained Friday to Sunday, 11-13 September. This brings back memories of reporting on Bordeaux’s 2006 harvest on location in Pauillac for decanter.com. I was talking with Jean-Rene Matignon, director of the famous second […]
Strasbourg’s first Italian wine bar: Better late than never
4 September 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com Strasbourg is a significant European city. Its multifaceted architecture reflects Europe’s rich, long history. Styles range from Middle Age bridges to European institutional buildings: some appealingly post-modern, others 1970s-era eyesores. This capital city of the Alsace region in northeastern France hosts the European Parliament. It is located […]
Wine glasses matter, but should not cause tunnel vision
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 2 September 2015 So, you are meeting with fellow wine friends, tasting through different wines. If you and your fellow oenophiles drink from the same type of glass, then you all have the same vantage point, correct? So why the hell would you really need to pay $100 for an ultra […]
Grand cru in all but name? Clos Saint Jacques
30 August 2015 By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com I’ve never had a disappointing Clos Saint Jacques. Then again, I have not tried that many. Why? The 6.7 hectares of vineyards in this highly touted Burgundian appellation are expensive – and with historical significance. Named for a stopping point on the pilgrim’s route to Santiago de Compostela (in French, […]
Yes, Napa reds can age very well (and more tales with Washington D.C. winos)
By Panos Kakaviatos for wine-chronicles.com 8 August 2015 Back in Washington D.C. I flew in to see my mother who is going to have to undergo surgery. At 85 years of age, a delicate matter. It was great to be able to meet great friends from the Washington D.C. tasting group I have known now for […]
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