vinoduo

Southern New England is blessed with many fine winemakers, scratching out an existence in these cold climes, often--but not always--with grapes imported from warmer regions. Since VinoDuo always champions local winemakers, we were game to check out the goods from Zoll Cellars , in that charming Massachusetts village of...Shrewsbury. Yes, Boston readers, Shrewsbury as in Spags, the gone but not forgotten discount mecca. Shrewsbury, as in Route 9 retail heaven; gateway to Worcester.  That's... Read Full Story

When fall comes to New England, thoughts turn to apples, pumpkins, dead leaves, cold rain...oh wait, let's stay on fruits and vegetables...pears, and squash. Our thoughts turn, of course, to grapes, and the burgeoning Massachusetts' wine region.  Cape Crush Co-Op As members of the Cape Crush Co-op , we'll be heading to Cape Cod in a few weeks, 30  freshly cleaned/sanitized empty bottles in tow, to claim our 2010 stash of Frank Puzio's marvelous Cab/Merlot/Malbec blend. No, Frank doesn't grow... Read Full Story

Late September is such a bittersweet time in the VinoDuo household. Heat lovers and sun worshipers to the core, the end of summer and the beginning of fall means colder temperatures, less daylight—basically hibernation until a winter escape or the dawn of spring.   But we’re also ardent wine lovers, and late September brings the harvest and wine events galore. So what better way to celebrate the coming seasons of gloom than with a “go out with a bang” bacchanal at the Newport Mansions Wine... Read Full Story

Five years ago, VinoDuo took its first road trip to the North Fork of Long Island to check out the vineyards popping up where potatoes and onions once grew. We fell in love with the region, bought a case-full of wine, and wrote a lengthy post about our travels. Fast forward to 2011. With no summer vacation plans, VinoDuo was desperate for a quick get-away. And since most Long Island wineries lack distribution beyond the Empire State (or even their winery, in some cases) we had long run out of... Read Full Story

Way back in November 2010 VinoDuo attended a delightful tasting at Clio in Boston’s Eliot Hotel. The event was sponsored by Vibrant Rioja, the marketing arm of Spain’s fabled Rioja wine region. And while five months has passed since the tasting (busy, busy, busy,) our notes were detailed and our memories clear. So read on…   We’re still amateurs when it comes to understanding Spanish wines, so we jumped at the chance to expand our knowledge at the Vibrant Rioja mid-day wine tasting... Read Full Story

With popularity come the hordes. The Boston Wine Expo had become so successful that wading through crowds to uncover great new wine was hardly worth the effort. Thankfully, the Wine Expo producers heard the trade and media whines loud and clear. This year’s Expo featured a new format which allowed wine buyers, sellers, distributors and the press free reign over the show for three hours of serious wine tasting and conversation.   It was such a pleasure to take a few minutes to chat with... Read Full Story

Being a wine blogger often has its privileges. Sometimes it’s in the form of free entry to a mass wine tasting or, even better, to a small gathering of other wine snobs, I mean aficionados. And then there are the super-perks, like getting an email from a PR firm asking if we’d like free wine! Us, free wine? Well, ok, sure, if you insist. That’s the invitation that landed in our in-box last month from Planet Bordeaux’s PR agency. We were invited to sample some of the wines of Bordeaux from the... Read Full Story

October is a great time to visit Mediterranean Europe; the crowds have dissipated and the weather is still quite pleasant with temperatures in the high 60’s to low 70’s.  And while our crazy romantic side said, “Let’s take a month and do the Italian vineyards,” our heads and pocketbooks said, “Let’s grab a cruise and cram as much into a week as we can.”  So we shuffled off to Barcelona, the cruise’s launch pad, for a few days of pre-sailing urban life in one of the world’s great cities. Upon... Read Full Story

If it's freezing, snowy, and dreary outside, it's time for the Boston Wine Expo , that little ray of Italian, French, California, and Argentinian sunshine for local wine lovers...or anyone who just wants to spend a warm day indoors drinking. For VinoDuo, the Boston Wine Expo is a great opportunity to broaden our horizons and taste wines from emerging regions; re-visit old favorites to see how their latest vintages turned out; and scarf some free cheese, chocolates, and other goodies from the... Read Full Story

We're climbing on the Top 10 bandwagon with a list of the best wines we tasted last year. Combing through our 2010 posts reminded us of some lovely trips and events: revisiting the Connecticut Wine Trail; returning to the Newport Wine and Food Festival; discovering Portugal beyond Port. We've yet to write up our trip to Barcelona and Italy in October, so stay tuned for some late 2010 delights. Wine Varietal Price Tasting Notes   Whites   Heritage Trail Vineyards (CT) Chardonnay $32 Light... Read Full Story