Wine

Email John at chjonmc@yahoo.com.

Internet shopping for wine can bring mixed results

John McDonald
5 years ago
Happy Mother’s Day! Don’t forget a card or a call and a nice present. Or, best of all, making...

Yes, some wines go with Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo

John McDonald
5 years ago
Big doings on the horizon – it’s almost Cinco de Mayo, May 5 for those with English as a first...

Breaking into the cellar for a special occasion...

John McDonald
5 years ago
In addition to celebrating Easter, the clans McCandless and McDonald assembled from far and wide to...

Hop on these great value wines for your Easter meals

John McDonald
5 years ago
Happy Easter! The long Lenten fast ends Sunday. It is time to celebrate Easter for some, while...

Passover wines to go with a variety of dishes

John McDonald
5 years ago
Today, you will find some Easter and Passover wine tips. How many are aware that Christ and the...

World Malbec Day is April 17 – let’s get ready!

John McDonald
5 years ago
I was informed by Donna White of White Communications that April 17 is World Malbec Day. She sent...

Celebrate daily with wines of all varieties

John McDonald
5 years ago
These are some highly regarded chocolatiers in the USA. I was surprised that three were from...

Wine: Herr Weis is my go-to guy from the Mosel

John Mcdonald
5 years ago
As promised, here are some Mosels from the Nik Weis dinner at Fish On. Most are available at Bin 66...

Food-friendly wines can be fun and fine

John McDonald
5 years ago
Domaine Paul Mas Cremant de Limoux Brut Rosé, from Languedoc, Roussillon, France, is a beautiful...

Some California wine regions hit hard by flooding,...

John McDonald
5 years ago
National weather watchers are likely aware that California is suffering huge flooding- and fire-...

From France to China, the past and the future

John McDonald
5 years ago
Domaine Alain Voge Cornas les Vieilles Vignes is a top label from the Rhone in France. I have found...

Trendy new wine ideas may really be old hat

John McDonald
5 years ago
Tired of paying big bucks for Pinot Noir? Take a look at Mark West, who produces several bottlings...

Wine: Recent California standouts and a little...

John McDonald
5 years ago
I hope young lovers and longtime pals enjoyed a fantastic Valentine’s Day. As I have previously...

The best of Pet-Nats is coming from the Loire region...

John McDonald
5 years ago
Perhaps you have had your curiosity piqued by the brouhaha surrounding the “new” sparklers labeled...

Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to enjoy wine and...

John McDonald
5 years ago
Regulars are aware I am a longtime fan of Rhone Rangers. Fortunately, Gabrielle, one of my...

Supreme Court considers changes to wine shipping rules

John McDonald
5 years ago
Big doings last week in D.C. On Wednesday, the Supremes, minus Notorious RBG, heard arguments...

From value wines to big-buck beauties

John McDonald
5 years ago
It’s been a while since I’ve written of Fess Parker. People of a certain age may remember Fess as...

A wallet-friendly tour of French wines

John McDonald
5 years ago
Looking for affordable French reds? Search for Costieres de Nimes region of the Southern Rhone. One...

Lessons about cellaring wines for later years

John McDonald
5 years ago
Welcome to 2019. Looking forward to a great year and wishing all the same. I’m typing this on the...

Great food wines to start the new year right

John McDonald
5 years ago
I hope all had a wonderful Christmas. It’s not too late to find wine for New Year’s Eve/Day...

Wines for last-minute gifts and well-earned rewards

John McDonald
5 years ago
Are you looking to shop locally? Trying to find a gift for that tough-to-satisfy curmudgeon wino...

Big-buck Cabernet or good-value Chardonnay, take...

John McDonald
5 years ago
If great, expensive Cabernet is your metier, vice or nirvana, there is an anomaly in the market...

Head to Cali’s Central Coast if you enjoy Zinfandel

John McDonald
5 years ago
R.I.P. President George H. W. Bush. Whether one supported our 41st president’s policies or not, few...

Try a few sparklers and chardonnays for a light touch

John McDonald
5 years ago
Did you know: One medical term for hangover is veisalgia, derived from a Norwegian word meaning “...

Plenty of wine options to keep spirits bright

John McDonald
5 years ago
Hope all had a Thanksgiving to be thankful. Are you now frantically exercising, running and walking...

Trust your own taste buds, not the wine’s price tag

John McDonald
6 years ago
Let’s start with an FYI about evaluating wines: https://biggeekdad.com/2018/11/we-are-all-so-stupid...

Sparklers take a shine to turkey, however you...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Most sparklers make fine choices for Thanksgiving wines. They support fried foods, most bacon and...

Viognier, vintage Port and a side step into Syrah

John McDonald
6 years ago
Last week’s column mentioned there were roughly 25 Napa wineries in 1968 when Trefethen was founded...

Vintage Imports show offers peeks at past and future

John McDonald
6 years ago
Watch the hype on the new release 2008 Roederer Cristal, $24, 93 McD. It is being compared to the...

Sauvignon Blancs to pair with oysters and more

John McDonald
6 years ago
Tim wanted to know how to decide which wine is worth aging. The answer is very complex, and many...

A refresher on terms for sparkling wines

John McDonald
6 years ago
I’ve had samples galore to evaluate and many were quite good, outside the mainstream and favorably...

Some Sauternes to savor now, cellar for later

John McDonald
6 years ago
Sauternes wines have “sweet” attached to their name, a fair appraisal. Those few of us left who...

More Bordeaux to keep palate and pocketbook happy

John McDonald
6 years ago
More affordable, wonderful wine from Bordeaux leads off this week with Château Le Grand Moulin...

Read wine labels carefully to distinguish top level...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Chateau Olivier is a Pessac Leognan (Graves) wine producer that excels with both its flagship red...

Take a little detour into white Bordeaux

John McDonald
6 years ago
Bordeaux immediately evokes French, red, expensive. One should remember that Bordeaux, unlike...

A bounty of Bordeaux at prudent prices

John McDonald
6 years ago
RIP Aretha Franklin and John McCain. It was quite disturbing, all the political and distracting...

Thinking ahead for red meat and wine pairings

John McDonald
6 years ago
Spent Saturday in Philly at Sensorium, a 14-hour music and art event produced by Tweed, son Daniel’...

Pair fresh summer foods with lighter-bodied wines

John McDonald
6 years ago
Barbara and I spent this past weekend in Boston at my nephew’s wedding. If you visit the area,...

Don’t let wine snobbery keep you from finding bargains

John McDonald
6 years ago
I'm so looking forward to October. Grove Market, my other job, is busy with a full house every...

While summer lingers, explore more lovely sauvignon...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Hi - Thank you for the emails on my letter to the editor. They were balanced between moron and...

Try a sneak peek at Sake for a change of taste

John McDonald
6 years ago
Here are a few ideas for our recent tropical weather and ongoing forecast. 2015 Domaine du Vieil...

Explore some Greek whites; revisit French chablis

John McDonald
6 years ago
I just sampled the new release 2016 Hunt & Harvest Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, blended of 84...

Some recent standouts and old favorites

John McDonald
6 years ago
Lots to cover, so let's jump right in with a lovely, affordable Bila Haut Cotes du Roussillon...

Find Cali Cabs at reasonable cost here

John McDonald
6 years ago
Thank you to all who read my columns, especially those who take the time to write letters to the...

Advice to wine writers: Abandon all hype

John McDonald
6 years ago
Editor's note: This article was written by Oliver Styles for Wine-Searcher, where it was first...

Wine critics should explain more, gush less

John McDonald
6 years ago
Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series about wine writers. The next installment will...

Many red Burgundies are made of the varietal grape

John McDonald
6 years ago
Can you spell police state? Should I move to North Korea or Cuba? Solace in a glass is my only out...

Look for good values on reds for Father’s Day

John McDonald
6 years ago
Happy Father's Day! If your dad, pop, granddaddy, grampa or gramps enjoys steaks on the barbecue...

Be ready with compatible wines when seafood is at peak

John McDonald
6 years ago
Criticizing the wine critics by Oliver Styles made me chuckle. To get a sense of it, he writes of...

Wine prices can go from cellar to clouds just on hype

John McDonald
6 years ago
Resellers who bought Chateau Troplong Mondot 2005 (100 points Parker) on my recommendation in 2013...

A little history and some worthy new finds

John McDonald
6 years ago
A recent update claims that there are only 11 states where shipping of alcohol from California is...

Make a splash with well-reviewed Sauvignon Blancs

John McDonald
6 years ago
This may be fake news, but I just heard at a rally in Michigan that both our senators and our...

Summertime brings easy-sipping wines to go with food...

John McDonald
6 years ago
If you are feeling charitable and enjoy Rita's Italian Ice, visit their new store opening Friday,...

WInemaker’s touch is key to well-made products

John McDonald
6 years ago
I was sent a very nice note from Patsy McGaughy at napavintners.com regarding last week’s mention...

Listen for news from wineries affected by 2017...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Kaiken Malbec Reserva from the Apalta region of the Colchagua Valley in Argentina is definitely...

Have some fun trying wines to pair with chocolate

John McDonald
6 years ago
I was looking for wines to go with chocolate for Jimmy. Although I located several, I was...

Too much great wine around to waste time on inferior...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Cabernet Sauvignoneurs who don't wish to pay big bucks for wonderful wine and who have a wine...

Wines reviewed last year score well in international...

John McDonald
6 years ago
Starting this week with some Berger's International Wine Competition 2017 results. When you look...

Coming down the home stretch for Easter wines

John McDonald
6 years ago
Before the last wine for Easter recommendations, let me suggest Stonestreet Alexander Mountain...

Think regional when pairing wine with ham

John McDonald
6 years ago
Still time for Easter lamb and ham wine. For those with a perverse sense of humor, I think I'll...