The Great DRC Tasting

There's nothing quite like the wines from the Domaine de la Romanée Conti. Pure, sophisticated, stylish, classy, and simply brimming with breed. This is Burgundy at its most mystical.

On Friday, July 23, we tasted through four vintages from this renowned estate, and although the obvious stars, such as the 1990 La Tâche, shone through, there were some very pleasant surprises from the so-called "off" vintages such as 1997 and 1998. Great producers make great wine, regardless of the vintage. That holds especially true for the DRC. The full report will be published soon!

A Dominus Vertical

On Saturday, June 19, we were treated to a vertical of one of our favorite Californian Cabernets: Dominus. This wine is a perennial over-achiever, and if you haven't tasted it, definitely try to get your hands on some.

We tasted the 1985, 1986, 1990-1992, and 1994-1998 vintages, and there wasn't a single disappointment! The full report will be published soon.

FAQ

Q. When a waiter opens a bottle of wine and hands me the cork, what am I supposed to do with it?

A. Technically you should smell it. Smelling the cork can often give you a heads-up about potential problems with the wine.

Take a quick look at it for any traces of mould and check that it isn't dry and crumbly. Now smell the cork to make sure that it doesn't smell like mouldy cardboard. None of these are problems in their own right, but if the cork is dodgy you want to look really closely at the wine to make sure it isn't.

Ultimately the cork is irrelevant. All that matters is that the wine in your glass is in top-notch condition and served at the right temperature.

So when they hand you the cork in a restaurant, feel free to ignore it altogether and leave it sitting on the table next to you. The important stuff is in the bottle!