Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher

08/11/2026

08/10/2026

For all of the fans of Chappellet and Spottswoode -- and we know there are many -- check out our new column at grapecollective.com, which is about the joys of blind tasting, whether upscale Napa Cabernet or affordable Sauvignon Blanc.https://bit.ly/3TA2U3b Grape Collective

08/08/2026

And the winner is....
Our new column at grapecollective.com. https://bit.ly/3TA2U3b Grape Collective

07/27/2026

No. 8: Give your server a word or two about why you brought that wine and offer a taste. This is not only polite, but makes wine the communal beverage it should be. Our new column at grapecollective.com. https://bit.ly/4wFZIlf Grape Collective

07/25/2026

BYOB is especially contentious right now. We have some ideas why and some suggestions to lower the temperature. Our new column at grapecollective.com. https://bit.ly/4wFZIlf Grape Collective Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach

07/23/2026

Looking for a house white? Spain continues to be home to some of the best values in wine. We picked up this white Rioja -- Cueva de Lobos from Javier San Pedro Ortega -- at a store for $19. It's made from the Viura grape, which is also known as Macabeo and is widely used in Cava. We figured this might be a nice sipper but it was much more than that. The first sniff took us to us our Persian Lime tree in Miami, even the delicate blossoms that always reminded us of honey. The taste was equally fetching, with beautiful acidity and a bit of texture that gave the wine a long, lovely finish. As it happens, Dottie was making fried chicken with Spanish rice and homegrown herbs and we don't think we could have had a better pairing. We enjoyed it so much that, the very next day, we ordered a case. With the 10% case discount, we paid $17.10 a bottle and we saw it online in other states for as little as $15. That's our kind of house wine. Grape Collective

07/16/2026

Would you buy a wine called “melon”?

That question kept a grape off American labels for decades. Melon de Bourgogne is the workhorse behind Muscadet, the Loire’s great oyster white but U.S. producers can’t legally use the word “Muscadet,” a place name protected by trade agreement. Winemaker Daniel Gehrs got a three-vintage reprieve years ago, then shelved the wine rather than sell something called “melon.” “Who would buy melon wine?” he told us. “I decided I didn’t want to fight that battle.”That battle is now being fought and quietly won on the North Fork of Long Island. Read the column by at grapecollective.com

07/12/2026

BANNED! Years ago, Daniels Gehrs told us he stopped making this excellent wine because he had to change the name. “I didn’t want to call it Melon. Who would buy melon wine? I decided I didn’t want to fight that battle.” But now, a small but growing number of wineries are taking the risk. Our new column at grapecollective.com. Link in bio. Grape Collective

07/11/2026

Muscadet, from the Loire Valley of France, is one of the wonders of the wine world and now a small number of American winemakers are growing the grape behind Muscadet, which is called...what? "We were quite concerned about the name, but in the end, we stayed true to our core belief: to let the wine speak for itself and trust that our customers will be open to tasting a new variety even if it has a weird name." Our new column at grapecollective.com. https://bit.ly/4f93UCp Grape Collective