I don’t want to upset you, but we're about to head down the home stretch on the calendar. The little date boxes will soon be filled with memos about gifts and parties and things to remember. You know how quickly the holiday season comes around once summer goes into the history books, so before the panic sets in and everyone makes a mad dash for the mall, frantically searching for that perfect pair of socks or a tie or anything else they can think of that falls into the nondescript, oh-so-impersonal, "Does it go with blue, pink, lavender, ultramarine or Scottish tartan?" category, wait up. I'…

When you’ve lived "abroad" as long I have, there comes a time when you question you’re identity. I’ve lived around here just eight years longer than I did in London, so when does the accent get unclipped, the bow tie get tossed and the subtle cynicism become blatant chiding? Then there’s that other trait of the true Englishman — a less than subtle, less than clandestine contempt for their neighbors across the English Channel. Some of my best friends in our 'hood are French and German and I rarely deride their temperaments for my entertainment. I've probably morphed into an Engla-vanian, This …

I have a question. Though maybe I shouldn’t ask, ‘cause what you don’t know won’t hurt you. I spend Sundays in the Garden State where my mother lives. It's also where my brother and his family live. I have, on occasion, popped into the local liquor stores, just to look you understand – I’d never dream of procuring anything from that side of the Delaware. What I see is the same annoying display of wines that I see so often in many other states, and I’m not referring to the selections. I’m talking about the way the wines are stored on the shelves. It’s appalling! Far too many are standing …

If you’ve been locked in your wine cellar for the past few months and have finally come up for air, let me be the first to welcome you to the sweaty season. It's a season, which, I for one, can’t deal with unless I have a libation close at hand to cool my heated behavior. As barbecue and picnic season heats up, summer chefs are discovering that a crisp, light white or red wine pairs well with warm-weather foods, and makes an exciting alternative to beer. Although I am a devotee of summer beers, for me, they just don’t do the food complementing as well as wine. The red wines don’t necessarily …

I love a good yarn and there are people of certain nationalities who can tell a tale better than others. I’ve never met an Australian who could pass up the opportunity of pulling up a chair, pouring a glass of wine and with a twinkle in his eye, telling a good story. I, too, have been known to enjoy sharing some wine lore with an audience. So if you’re sitting comfortably, I’ll tell you a tale told to me by an Aussie – the tale of Hardys “Whiskers Blake” Classic Tawny Port (PLCB Code 59432; $15). In 1850, at the age of 20, Thomas Hardy came to the new colony of South Australia from Devon, …

I was recently asked by a lady who recognized me in a liquor store to recommend appropriate reading material to guide her small wine-tasting group’s study of my favorite libation. Her husband is a doctor and the nice lady said she was a voracious reader. I was flattered that they needed any help from me. Later that same day, I found myself in a store, overwhelmed by the number of portable electronic games, iPod wannabes and state-of-the-art-gadgetry which had been introduced since my last visit. It rendered me clueless and dumbfounded. On the drive home I was thinking about the labyrinth of …

The French word “terroir” is tough to explain. It’s a combination of natural elements all coming together and creating the appropriate energy to make the perfect wine. So, it’s no surprise that some brilliantly talented Chilean winemakers have adopted the French word and given it the Spanish name “terruñyo.” The most famous of Chilean wineries – Concha y Toro – has even gone a step further and embraced the name for an entire range of wines. For this label, each grape variety grows and ripens within its own particular terruño, it’s own specific vineyard and micro climate, where the land and …

Once upon a time in Portugal, on the island of Madeira, lived a grape called Verdelho. There’s not much of this grape being planted in that part of the world any longer, but amazingly enough it’s popped up in the hotter climes Down Under, once again proving my point that we live on one vast vineyard. When a grape ends its reign on one piece of land, a clever winemaker plants it in his or her neck of the woods and magic happens. Many wine critics describe the juice from the Verdelho as lemony, vibrant and full bodied, but where would you find such a wine? Don’t give up hope — because that’s …

British actor Albert Finney started things off for me with possibly the supreme triumph of his remarkable career – “The Gathering Storm.” Undoubtedly the greatest performance of his life and the finest portrayal of Britain’s most celebrated patriot: Sir Winston Churchill. After watching the film about a dozen times I popped across the Pond and made a visit to the underground War Rooms in Whitehall, where Churchill and his Cabinet commanded the annihilation of the silly little bully boy with the Chaplin mustache. Six more books and a 5-hour A&E documentary later, I am in awe of Winnie. I am …

Henry's Drive Pillar Box Red (PLCB code: 32052; $6.99) makes me smile. The label design, the name, the concept—how can it not make a Brit or an Aussie living in the U.S. a little bit homesick? Fond memories of childhood come rushing back to me. Even my last visit to Blighty is rekindled. It’s all down to the Royal Mail, that splendid postal system which exists both Down Under and in the land of its invention—Great Britain. A pillar box is red (No other color is acceptable.) and into its gaping mouth, you deposit the mail for the next collection. It is, in other words, a free-standing post box…

I’d like to take the credit for all the wine “discoveries” I’ve made over the years — the affordable gems I’ve found from the world’s vast vineyard — but the credit must be given to all the clever wine importers and distributors with whom I’ve enjoyed a remarkable relationship. In some cases it spans the 30 years I’ve been involved in the wine world this side of the Atlantic. I’m in an enviable position, as I can swim in the river that begins the moment the grapes are picked and ends on our shelves where we find the product. Along the way I have access to the various people who sprinkle magic…

In 1982, Fred Cline founded Cline Cellars in Oakley, Calif. He subscribes to what the French call “terroir,” the fusion of climate, soil and of the personality of the region. In 1991, Cline relocated to the Carneros region of Sonoma County. He became a “Rhone Ranger,” one of a small band of winemakers pioneering the planting of varietals that thrive in France’s Rhone Valley. Take, for example, the Viognier which originates from the Condrieu and Chateau-Grillet appellations of the northern Rhone.  Currently, there are approximately 2,000 acres of this varietal planted in California. Viognier …

Today, a potpourri of wine-related stuff: The PlaceTile Erasable Ceramic Bottle Stoppers are stylish wine corks with erasable ceramic tops, making it easy to write and erase any message. Pretty nifty for identifying dates of when wines were opened, flavors of wines, or describing unlabeled wines and other wine tasting and presentation applications. They come in a variety of styles and designs, and cost $13 for three. For more information, visit www.placetile.com or call 678-467-4776. Discover the heart of Pennsylvania’s wine country as the UnCork York Wine Trail presents the sixth annual Tour…