The other evening we were sitting on the patio having a little impromptu Happy Hour when a friend asked me why I prefer new world wines to their European counterparts. After all, Europe is were it all started (well, Greece…) and the new world — the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — are johnny-come-latelys by comparison. The French, the Italians and the Spaniards have been making wine for centuries. They must have it pretty well figured out by now, she said. And, of course, they do. “Try this,” I said, getting up and using the little knife on the side of the corkscrew to cut off a small bunch of grapes hanging on the arbor above us. They were pretty well ripe, but I figured had another week before they got fully sweet. The problem, I’ve found in my backyard, is if I wait for the fruit to get completely… Read More »