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| Knights Forward(December 2005) |
| Burgundy |
| For our first foray into French wine country, our Knights of the Vine ventured straight forward to the Cote d’Or of Burgundy, considered by many to be the world’s greatest wine region. This was no side trip; there were no lightweight stops for November’s Beaujolais Nouveau. Our Knights challenged the Big Reds. read more |
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| A Winemakers’ Oktoberfest (November 2005) |
| German Wine |
| While Munich is drowning in hops for its Oktoberfest, the more serious business of grape harvest begins in western Germany along the Rhine and Mosel rivers. And though Munich now celebrates Oktoberfest in September to accommodate the weather (and tourists), nature has its own schedule, and serious German winemakers must patiently wait and watch the sugar levels of their Riesling grapes. read more |
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| An Invitation We Couldn't Refuse (October 2005) |
| Sicilian Wine |
| Don John Ortega called the Commission to Sicily for its first trial of Old World wines. Sicily has long been a backwater of Italian wines; it produces large quantities of jug wines and is best known for its Marsala dessert wines. However, that is recent history – in antiquity the wines of Sicily were prized throughout the region. read more |
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| Off on Safari (September 2005) |
| South African Wine |
| This month our crew went hunting “big game” in South Africa, a country that produces some red wines that can accompany just about any meat that bwana drags home for the table. Post-apartheid, the South African wine industry has flourished and international investors have flocked in. The results have been stunning, but prices have not yet shot through the lodge roof. read more |
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| California Gold (Summer 2005) |
| California Chardonnay and Cabernet |
| This month, Passport’s expat panel was sent to dig through the Moscow wine market for some glitter among the meager California claims. We continued our quest to prove that there really is some gold in those halls, though the extraction price would prove sky high. read more |
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| Chilean Shootout (June 2005) |
| Chilean Wine |
| Passport asked our wine panel to help our readers find some decent wines in Moscow’s supermarkets and wine shops. This month we began with Chile, the New World wine country that has the largest selection in Moscow. read more |
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| Russia’s Bordeaux (May 2005) |
| A Russian Wine |
| Our tasting panel is very surprised by Chateau le Grand Vostock. read more |
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