Taste test a German wine

If you are a typical American wine drinker, chances are very good your first choice in wines is not from Germany.

May 01, 2013 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Relax, there’s a tool for that

My son-in-law and my oldest grandson drive me nuts (they argue that for me it's a short walk). They must have the latest electronic gadgets - iPads, iPhones, iPods, Nooks, Kindles, smart phones, smarter phones ... stuff I've never heard of, and never will understand.

April 03, 2013 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Know your bubbly

"Champagne! In victory one deserves it; in defeat one needs it." - Napoleon Bonaparte Good advice. Next time you go out to conquer Europe, make sure you take along a case or two of that wondrous elixir Champagne. You will need it. Champagne, or sparkling wine (I'll explain the difference in a moment), is one of the most misunderstood citizens of the wine world. It exists in a forest of myths. Let me try to ...

March 06, 2013 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: 3 swell choices of pink

Quick question: What color do you generally associate with February? If you're still grumbling about the Christmas bills gobbling up your bank account it may well be "red." Or, if the weirdos from Publisher's Clearing House just pounded on your front door, the answer could be "green." Typically, with Valentine's Day plunked in the middle of the month, and with all the shopping hype rolling around in every store except the tire center, it's "pink." ...

February 06, 2013 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Sweet relief from the winter chill

Follow me on this. It's winter. That means it's cold out there. When you're cold, what do you want? You want something hearty, something filling, something warming... whether on your plate or in your glass.

January 02, 2013 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Pinot noir and label confusion

Came back from our North Sea cruise in mid-September to find some questions from readers on my email. Since I had written my October column in advance of the trip, I've had to wait until this month to address them.

December 05, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Serve up a boxed beverage with your holiday dinner

Wine in a box for Thanksgiving? Forgive the pun, but wine not? Too many folks look down on box wines, thinking they are inferior to the stuff sold in a bottle. That's just wrong. Here are some good reasons to offer what Australians call "cask wines" to your friends and family for the holidays. Boxed wines generally give very good quality for value. Most boxes contain three liters of wine, equivalent to four standard-sized bottles. ...

November 14, 2012 | Randall Murray | Life top stories

Wine Without Pretense: Sampling a big, bold red wine

When wine drinkers chat about the great red wine grapes from Italy, two names leap to the top of the list - the robust Nebbiolo of the Piedmont region, and the bright and fruity Sangiovese from Tuscany.

October 03, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: All the wines I've loved before

This is the geezer column I thought I never would write. I was wrong. I crafted a bunch of my world-famous (OK, Hall County-famous) hamburgers for the grill the other night and served up one of my bride's favorite red wines - a Barbera D'Asti from the Piemonte region of Italy. Full of fruity magic and smelling like a leather briefcase, it arm-wrestled the burgers to a tie. The brand of Barbera, by the way, ...

August 01, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Petite sirah is a big favorite

Petite sirah is anything but petite. This resurgent dry red table wine, often referred to as "a winemaker's wine," is climbing the popularity charts in this country, chasing such competitors as merlot, malbec and cabernet sauvignon for favor among American winos.

July 04, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Eastern Europe’s wines better after iron curtain fell

One of the bennies of being a wine writer and educator is that I get to travel the world in search of good wines. Unfortunately that global trip means going to local wine shops for vicarious visits.

June 06, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Spice is nice

Want some good news about wine? I thought so. But you are required to take a dose of not-so-good news along with it.

May 02, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine without Pretense: A toast to spring

It's spring and time to deal with odds and ends from the wine world. Hope you find some of them of interest.

April 03, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine without Pretense: Must have read that elsewhere

Two words glimmer like a lighthouse to me during February in Northeast Georgia - Florida Keys.

February 10, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

Wine Without Pretense: Resolutions for 2012

Happy New Year to y'all! I'm kicking off 2012 with a pair of resolutions. And these I intend to keep, unlike those in previous years to lose weight, buy a winning lottery ticket and get taller. Strangely enough my resolutions center on wine and related matters. Surprised? No. 1. I resolve to read more wine books like "Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines" by Natalie MacLean. This is a well-written, wry ...

January 04, 2012 | Randall Murray | Columnists

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