Sips & Swallows

From Around The Wine World

*I recent ventured to Manchester, Vt., where I was a judge for Winemaker Magazine’s home winemaker competition.

Along with approximately 50 fellow judges, I helped rate over 4,500 wines that were submitted from around the world. It is one of the largest wine competitions in the world. Some of the more exotic submissions included wines made from tomatoes, rose hips, jalapeños and beets.

*As the weather warms, many wine drinkers’ thoughts turn to rosé.

French rosés from Provence are certainly the benchmark for those who enjoy a dry rosé. However, I have had the pleasure of tasting some delicious dry, pink wines from other winemaking regions as well.

Enjoyable rosés from New York’s Finger Lakes region, the Napa Valley, and Chile have all made a very positive impression on my palate over the last few months.

*If you have not perused your friendly neighborhood wine shop’s box wine section lately, you might be in for a surprise.

Higher quality wines in three-liter packages are popping up in surprising numbers. Familiar names like Big House Red and Red Truck are now being sold in eye catching new 3-liter packages.

Many types of wine that were once only available in bottles are also now available in the ubiquitous “bag in a box.” Most of the wine world’s popular varietals are now available and the quality of the wines has improved by leaps and bounds.

*At the high end of the market, things are also encouraging for the savvy consumer. Prices on many super-premium wines are falling.

If your favorite wine had priced itself out of your budget, you might want to check again. Many wines that were once very hard to get have also now become more widely available.

It is a very good time to stock up your wine cellar.

(Newtown resident and oenophile Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)