Wine Archives - Hungry Travelers

Wine

Enotecas offer insights into Sicily’s wine renaissance

Posted on April 11, 2026April 6, 2026 by Pat and David

The generational turnaround in Sicily's wine culture is almost enough to give a wine lover whiplash. Long known as a region of overcropped bulk wines that were shipped north for blending, Sicily has done a 180-degree turn. It's become a region that takes pride in its indigenous grapes, a region where small, often experimental winemakers are pushing the limits with natural yeasts and extended skin contact. And while many larger operations have also embraced varietals best known in Bordeaux and the Rhône valley, the number of winemakers focusing on natural wines made from old-vine Sicilian grapes took us entirely by surprise. The rise of an aspirational wine culture has also led to a spread of enotecas, or wine bars, where curious drinkers can taste a...Read More

CLINK. locks up Benziger wines for showcase dinner

Posted on September 29, 2025September 29, 2025 by Pat and David

Chris Benzinger, vintner at Benziger Family Winery (benziger.com), was full of stories when he co-hosted a harvest wine dinner at CLINK. restaurant in Boston's luxury Liberty Hotel (libertyhotel.com). He relates that his family's first foray into the alcohol business was his grandfather's bootleg operation supplying New York City speakeasys. Chris's father became a legitimate importer. The whole family got into the winemaking business when Chris's older brother Mike moved to California in 1973 and came back a few years later to pitch the clan on the idea of a family winery in then-rustic Sonoma County. ‶So my dad bought this land with three acres of chardonnay and 10 acres of cannabis,″ Chris said. ‶It was a golden time when all you needed was passion.″ The...Read More

Rosé after Labor Day? Ô yes!

Posted on September 5, 2025August 25, 2025 by Pat and David

Fashion has all sorts of silly rules. ‶No white after Labor Day″ used to be scripture for appropriate dress. Even Vogue put that outdated idea to rest. Equally ridiculous is the idea that all the bottles of rosé must go back into the cellar once that September turning point arrives. Balderdash! As fans of rosé as the kinder, gentler red, we think autumn is a truly splendid time to indulge. In fact, rosé wines are a perfect pairing with dishes that celebrate the end-of-summer, advent-of-fall harvest season. We recently got our hands on a delightful Languedoc wine from Lorgeril (lorgeril.wine) called Ô de Rosé. It's an interesting blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Viognier that's harvested at daybreak when the vineyards are cool...Read More

Two Lustau twists on sips for Father’s Day

Posted on June 9, 2025June 9, 2025 by Pat and David

Spain celebrates Father's Day as the feast of St. Joseph, March 19, which is the kickoff of spring. Here in North America, Father's Day marks the transition into summer. We've chosen two stupendous wines from the Andalucían sherry producer, Lustau, for diametrically opposite approaches to sipping on a summer evening. It really comes down to whether your dad is a Manhattan or a Martini drinker. Either goes well with a Spanish snack plate of marcona almonds, potato chips, and slices of Manchego cheese. How sweet it is On the sweet side, we've picked the often overlooked cream sherry category. At Lustau, that's East India Solera Sherry — a style designed to mimic historic sweet sherries aged at sea in casks that shuttled from Spain to...Read More

Pour a spicy Spanish twist with Thanksgiving dinner

Posted on November 15, 2024November 15, 2024 by Pat and David

We know everyone is suggesting that you pour a Pinot Noir from Oregon with the festive November meal. It's like the new article of faith that turkey and dressing go best with a soft red. Maybe we're traditionalists, but — barring a smoke pit — turkey is a subtle fowl, and fowl (unless we're talking wild duck) generally pairs best with a white wine. But in keeping with the revisionist thinking, we're on board with a spicy, assertive white. Specifically, we're recommending the 2023 Lagar de Cervera Albariño. When we think of spicy whites, three grapes come to mind: Gewürztraminer, Muscat, and Albariño. We've tried all three with autumn dishes, and while we like Muscat with apple and pumpkin pies, it's often a toss-up between...Read More

Remember El Alamo!

Posted on October 25, 2024October 19, 2024 by Pat and David

You might be forgiven if you thought Joseph Martinez named his winery in Alcalde, New Mexico, after the San Antonio (Texas) fortress where Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie perished after holding out bravely against overwhelming odds. After all, Alcalde is hardly the most hospitable climate for wine grapes. But Martinez named his operation instead for the gigantic cottonwood tree that towers over the acequia madre where it runs through his property. In Spanish, ‶El Alamo″ means ‶the cottonwood.″ The same irrigation ditch that coaxed that cottonwood into one of the largest in New Mexico also slakes the thirst of El Alamo's modest vineyard of Riesling and Baco Noir grapes. New Mexico's principal wine-growing regions lie at high altitudes in the southern part of the state...Read More

Chile Friday at Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta

Posted on September 30, 2024September 30, 2024 by Pat and David

A mariachi band was playing along the fence and the aroma of roasting green chile wafted through the air at the entrance to Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe. There was no doubt about it: It was Chile Friday as the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta (santafewineandchile.org) reached its climactic weekend of five days of eating, drinking, and talking about food and wine. The Fiesta began as a single Saturday afternoon event in 1991 with 20 restaurants and 20 wineries. Counting all the specialty wine dinners leading up to the broader public events, it now features more than 60 participating restaurants and 90 winery partners. Chile Friday joined the lineup just three years ago. The emphasis is on chile-based food. The 2024 showcase featured...Read More

35th Boston Food & Wine Festival makes a splash

Posted on January 13, 2024January 13, 2024 by Pat and David

Forgive us for writing a little late in the day. We were out late last night cavorting with several hundred wine lovers at the Boston Harbor Hotel (70 Rowes Wharf, Boston; 617-748-1878, bostonharborhotel.com). We were all attending the gala launch of the Boston Food & Wine Festival. Veuve Cliquot bubbles greeted us at the VIP reception in the hotel's luxurious John Adams Presidential Suite for opening remarks by hotel manager Stephen Johnston. A small selection of reserve Bordeaux and Burgundies poured by Gordon's Fine Wine & Liquors (gordonswine.com) (above) paired with another table representing a broad selection of mostly California wines. Those were just the aperitifs. The hotel has a spectacular location on Rowes Wharf, and the ballrooom-sized Wharf Room makes the most of the...Read More

A Pinot Noir that turns expectations sideways

Posted on July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by Pat and David

We confess to being skeptical when we first heard about Crossbarn 2021 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Need a summer red for fish? Check. Need a summer red for spicy cold salads? Check. Need a wine that plays well with burgers or steak? Check. Need a summer red to sip on the back porch as the sun sets and the fireflies come out to do their darting dance? Check. That would be a red that seems too good to be true. So we got our hands on some of this alleged miracle wine and put it to the test. (Spoiler alert: It passed.) Roughly 20 years ago, the wine-soaked, bittersweet buddy movie Sideways nearly wrecked California Pinot Noir. On one hand, hordes of moviegoers began drinking...Read More

Gavi is Italian for vibrant Piemontese white wine

Posted on June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 by Pat and David

Talk about terroir! Chiara Soldati (above) sums up her family's attitude about the Cortese grape and the village of Gavi. ‶I believe in the native grapes,″ she said at a luncheon at Lola 42 (lola42.com) in the Boston Seaport. ‶In Italy, we are caretakers of so many local flavors. By drinking wine, you understand more about the country.″ Since establishing La Scolca (lascolca.net/en) in 1919, the Soldati family has proven that the Cortese grape can make serious white wines. And they've done it in Italy's Piemonte region, famous for its reds made from Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. This is the district of Barolo and Barbaresco — big reds that rival their counterparts in France's Bordeaux and Burgundy regions. Working with the Cortese grape, the Soldati...Read More