The Chronicle
Latest dispatches
16 results across all types
- news
The Not-So-Full Monte (Catching Up With Montefili’s Chianti Classico Riserva)
Hard to believe that it’s been nearly two years since I last caught up with the wines of Vecchie Terre di Montefili, the Greve in Chianti producer who has winemaker Serena Gusmeri leading the cellar. During our most recent catch-up, I got to sample their (spoiler alert!) stellar 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva, while also sampling […] This article was originally published on 1WineDude.com . Grab the books! Source
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“Fantasy Land” (Tenuta di Castellaro Recent Releases)
“It’s really an incredible place; it’s a fantasy land, really.” So sayeth Daniele Sassi, Export Manager for Tenuta di Castellaro, a produce that I’ve never visited in person but, after tasting through media samples virtually with them and seeing pics of their location, have instilled within me an intensely jealous rage for not having yet […] This article was originally published on 1WineDude.com . Grab the books! Source
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California’s Next Spot for Premium Cabernet (A Beckstoffer Deep Dive for Cristaldi & Co.)
I’ve been head-down and DEEEEEEEP in the rabbit hole of server configuration after redesigning 1WD nearly from the ground-up, and am finally peeking out my dirty little head to catch some daylight as I prep for a lighting-fast media jaunt to Languedoc (more to come on that latter part, well, later, I’m sure). Now that […] This article was originally published on 1WineDude.com . Grab the books! Source
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Obnoxious, In a Good Way, Part 2 (More from Del Dotto Vineyards)
Remember when I kind of wanted to hate that big-ass Napa Cab from Del Dotto Vineyards? Well, there’s now a sequel to that story. Not too long ago, Shannon and I managed to escape the confines of our typical (yet blissful!) domestic scenario for a date night, and once again I decided to indulge her […] Source
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Moving Beyond Malbec for Tasting Panel Magazine
It is with greatest pleasure that I can report that my first piece for Tasting Panel magazine is now available in the May/June 2026 issue. The article highlights the recent work of Luigi Bosca, a South American producer whose forward thinking and keen business acumen has impressed me ever since I visited their operation in […] Source
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1WineDude Gets a Facelift
I’ve been a bit off-the-grid lately, getting yet another gum graft (occupational hazard, unfortunately) and working on a crap-ton of behind-the-scenes shizz (much of which you will all hear about in the near future 🤞🤞). One of those under-the-foil-closure initiatives has been a total redesign of the 1WineDude website, which in true Dude fashion began […] Source
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Are Our Standards Too Low? (Longlisted for the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards 2026)
In what can only be considered a serious blow to global wine communication standards, my book How to WIN at Wine: A Practical Playbook for Getting Maximum Enjoyment from Every Bottle — Without Spending a Fortune has been longlisted for the Laurent-Perrier Award for Best Global Wine Communicator in Long-Form Writing in the 67 Pall […] Source
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Caught SOMMwhere in England (Tasting Hambledon Sparklers for SOMM Journal)
I’m happy to report that my latest contribution to SOMM Journal is now available, included in the Spring 2026 issue. The article focuses on English sparkling wine producer Hambledon Vineyard, so it has some cool-kid cred factor to it because, well, British bubbles. It also includes my reviews of their two signature NVs: Hambledon Vineyard […] Source
- news
More Big News: Now Contributing to Tasting Panel & SOMM Journal
More big news for The Dude, folks! I’m happy to report that I will be a contributor to two U.S.-based wine magazines: The Tasting Panel and The SOMM Journal (longtime 1WD readers might recall that I first penned an article for the then-recently-rebranded SOMM Journal back in… wait for it… 2014!!). You’ll start to see […] Source
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(Another!) New Book: Unlearning Wine (Busting Up the Wine Myths That Refuse to Die)
At this point, I think that we can call me categorically insane, because I felt compelled to write yet another goddamned book! The story unfolded something like this… I was thinking about the myth of “good” vs. “bad” wine that is the crux of the second chapter of my 2025 book How to WIN at […] Source
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Southern Hills (Tasting Abruzzo Diversity at Philly’s Le Virtù)
Back in October (yeah, yeah, I know, I KNOW…) I was invited to attend a media lunch at Philly’s excellent Le Virtù, focusing on the diversity of wines from Italy’s Abruzzo region. So of course I said no, thanks. JK. I wasn’t about to turn down something like that so close to my own (current) […] Source
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Campanilismo in the Glass: Touring Central Italy for Cristaldi & Co.
A quick note to let you know that my inaugural piece for Cristaldi & Co. is now live, focusing on four producers that I visited in Central Italy (via media tour) in the Fall of 2025. It was a fantastic jaunt, with great food and even better people. And the wines were pretty wonderful, too! […] Source
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What We Drank for Shannon’s Birthday (2018 Piazza Del Dotto Cabernet)
It was January. It was Shannon’s birthday. And it was cold outside. Not chilly. Not brisk. COLD. Like, f-cking polar bear cold. She wanted something big, bold, and unapologetic about both. So, I raided the sample pool, and obliged! And that’s it. That’s the whole story. Well, apart from what we drank, I mean… 2018 […] Source
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Rectified (Quinta da Fonte Souto Recent Releases)
Over the years since my last visit to Portugal’s Alentejo region in 2019, I’ve sparingly mentioned on these virtual pages the wines of Quinta da Fonte Souto, Symington’s first property outside of the Douro (acquired in 2017), a site that drew them in due to its high (by Alto Alentejo standards) elevation of 500 meters […] Source
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Hopes and Dreams for 2026 (Ringing in the New Wine Year at The Sipping Point Podcast)
I am having a difficult time believing this as I type it, but it has been OVER A FREAKIN’ DECADE since I was last a guest on Laurie Forster’s entertaining The Sipping Point podcast. HOLY. CRAP! I had the good fortune recently to have Laurie invite me back on her show, where we once again […] Source
- news
BIG NEWS: Joe Joins Cristaldi & Co. (and Here’s Your DISCOUNT CODE!)
BIG NEWS, folks! As some of you have seen already, we’ve officially announced that I am on the editorial staff at Cristaldi & Co., joining my longtime bruthah-from-anothah-muthah Jonathan Cristaldi as a contributor and wine reviewer on his new genre-disrupting platform. I am very excited to officially pair up with JC, with whom I have […] Source