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Dave DeSimone Columns category

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
JD Vance gives Pope Leo XIV an invitation from Trump to visit U.S.
ROME — U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vance gave the first...
Top Tips From the Wine Cellar: Pair these meals, Northern Italian wines
Editor’s note: Pennsylvania liquor stores are closed to help combat the spread of covid-19. With northern Italians now living in virtually complete lockdown, show your support by appreciating and enjoying delicious wines and recipes from the region. Most Northern Italian recipes use ingredients readily available here. And the region’s wines...
Top Tips From the Wine Cellar: 6 ‘ABC’ whites to try
Living in the north this time of year, it’s easy to become antsy as stubborn Old Man Winter hangs around outside. For a good antidote, embrace the moment as a perfect opportunity to expand your white wine horizons. Use the tried and true “ABC” approach — “Anything But Chardonnay.” Chardonnay...
Pittsburgh sommelier to discuss Australian wine, raise money for wildfire relief
Adam Knoerzer has been to Australia five times, tasting the wine in Victoria and enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the country. When he heard about the devastation from the recent wildfires – including some of the country’s vineyards — he wanted to help. A certified sommelier, he is teaching a...
Top Tips From the Wine Cellar: 4 South African bottles to try
Pittsburgh might seem an unlikely epicenter for America’s education on South African wines, but that doesn’t faze Certified Sommelier and wine “translator” Adam Knoerzer. A Pittsburgh resident for the last nine years, Knoerzer in 2019 won the Wines of South Africa Sommelier Cup national competition in New York and then...
Top Tips From the Wine Cellar: 4 to try from France’s Ventoux region
In the southern Rhône Valley, Mont Ventoux offers plenty of drama both for cyclists and winegrowers. On 13 occasions since 1951, “The Giant of Provence,” as the mountain is called in France, has figured prominently in the famous Tour de France bicycle race. In each instance, competitors tested their conditioning...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: PLCB now offers free shipping
Imagine purchasing top-notch wines online and then enjoying prompt, free shipping directly to either your home or business on a routine basis. Impossible, you say? Not if you live in Pennsylvania and spend at least $99 at FineWineAndGoodSpirits.com, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s ecommerce website. Consumers may also directly ship...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: Try these 6 Chairman’s Selection varieties
Plunge into 2020 by discovering new quality wines to expand horizons. You won’t have to break the bank to do it by taking advantage of Pennsylvania Wine and Spirits’ Chairman’s Selection program. The program began in 2004 when former Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board Chairman Jonathan Newman worked to leverage the...
Top Tips From the Wine Cellar: 2020 brings bubbly celebrations, proposed tariffs
The upcoming New Year celebrations once again bring festive spirits and fun opportunities to share and enjoy delicious wines with friends. But this year also brings a more alarming moment for wine drinkers. Time is of the essence to oppose the possible January 2020 imposition of devastating 100% import tariffs...
Top Tips From The Wine Cellar: Not all Rieslings are ‘too sweet’
No wine variety suffers more stereotyping than Riesling. Both casual drinkers and experienced wine enthusiasts often pigeonhole Riesling wines as being “too sweet.” Not true. Certainly there are mass-produced, cloyingly sweet white wines labeled as “Riesling” and ofteen seen in either “jugs” or “bags-in-boxes.” These flabby, uninteresting selections appeal to...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: A variety to sample for Thanksgiving
When family and friends gather for Thanksgiving dinner, diverse personalities, political opinions and tastes invariably convene at the table. A variety of dishes with clashing flavors adds fuel to the hubbub. Lest you despair, remember this potentially volatile mix also creates a terrific opportunity to serve fun wines. One bottle...
California wine production mostly unaffected by wildfires
The headlines sound ominous: “Devastating Fires in Northern California Wine Country.” One might think the industry has been brought to its knees and that the wine will stop flowing from the likes of Napa and Sonoma. The facts to date tell a different story. When the fires broke out in...
The Wine Cellar: An insider’s peek at Northern Italy’s wineries
It’s a privilege to visit vineyards during the hectic harvest season. Seeing ripening grapes hanging heavily on the vines provides a thrill and creates an appreciation for the hard work required to produce a tasty bottle of wine. A recent tour of three leading northern Italian wineries proved the point....
Top tips from the wine cellar: A few to sip, savor during Pa. Wine Month
With glorious autumn colors unfolding across the commonwealth, commercial wineries have plenty of fun events planned to attract visitors as part of Pennsylvania Wine Month throughout October. In Pittsburgh, two restaurants, Cinderlands 3705 in Lower Lawrenceville at 3705 Butler St. and The Allegheny Wine Mixer at 5326 Butler St., are...
Wink Lorch highlights wine offerings of the French Alps
When you’re curious about any French wine region, typically you can find one or two excellent English language books to provide insights on history, wine culture, terroir and producers. But until now, the wines from France’s Alpine region provided a glaring exception. English author Wink Lorch corrects the situation with...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: 5 ‘natural wines’ to savor
In today’s social media cauldron, nothing generates more heated diatribes than the topic of “natural wines.” Pontificating pundits — most self-appointed — routinely unleash clickbait fodder with full-throated opinions either for or against the wines. Yet this blathering does little to enlighten casual wine drinkers just hoping to understand “natural...
Top Picks From the Wine Cellar: Try these 4 Loire Valley reds
Late summer’s sunny, hot days and lingering, warm evenings call out for refreshing libations. Crisp white wines make a good choice, but don’t overlook the delicious, fruity refreshment available from well-balanced reds served slightly chilled. Consider Loire Valley red wines. They come primarily from cabernet franc grapes (referred to as...
Best Buys From the Wine Cellar: Canned wines a tasty alternative
Let’s say it’s a beautiful August day, just perfect for a relaxing moment poolside, or maybe a picnic or cook out around the campfire. Sipping an easy drinking, tasty wine would be fun, but is it worth the hassle of opening an entire bottle, using wine glasses and then disposing...
The Wine Cellar: 5 diverse Piedmonts perfect for that BBQ
When confronted with sultry, humid days punctuated by sudden thunderstorms with torrential rain, only one response seems sensible. Call your friends and fire up the grill. Don’t forget, of course, to open a bottle or two (or three) of tasty vino to keep the fun moving along. Northwestern Italy’s Piedmont...
Top Picks from the Wine Cellar: 6 to try with those tasty summer salads
Summer should be about sharing relaxing moments outside on fine sunny days. Savoring a casual, yet creative summer salad paired with a glass or two of wine provides the perfect opportunity to do so. Stick to salads that go beyond just lettuce and croutons by adding fresh seasonal ingredients. In...
The Wine Cellar: Give these best-buy Burgundies a try
For good bargains on tasty, high quality wines with personality, look to Burgundy’s regional wines as a terrific starting point. Regional level wines account for about 51% of Burgundy’s overall production. The wines generally come from limestone and clay-based vineyards resembling, but not quite as distinctive as Burgundy’s more prestigious...
The Wine Cellar: 3 tips for graduation party wine picks
The end of May brings graduations aplenty. Graduations, of course, bring festive parties at every turn. And every fun party must offer tasty libations. With graduation party wines, following a few simple tips makes it easy. First, the wines must be convenient to open and serve. That means avoiding the...
Top picks from The Wine Cellar: Perfect choices for Mother’s Day
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, remember some very simple advice: Always do your best never to behave in a way that gives dear old Mom a reason to drink out of worry! Instead on Mother’s Day itself, if you are fortunate to have an opportunity to enjoy her...
5 Loire white wines offer taste of ‘Garden of France’
Stepping into a garden on a sunny, breezy April day brings marvelous pleasures for all the senses. Enjoying crisp, aromatic white wines from the Loire Valley — a vast region known as “The Garden of France” — offers parallel pleasures. Le Jardin de la France, as it is known in...
9 Alsace red wines worth a tasty try
Delicious, reasonably priced red wines typically do not spring to mind when considering France’s lovely wine growing region of Alsace. Yet with over 10% of production now coming from red-skinned Pinot Noir grapes, opportunities to snag terrific Alsace red wines arise readily especially with online sales and shipping. The renewed...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >