More big news for The Dude, folks!

I’m happy to report that I will be a contributor to two U.S.-based wine magazines: The Tasting Panel and The SOMM Journal (longtime 1WD readers might recall that I first penned an article for the then-recently-rebranded SOMM Journal back in… wait for it… 2014!!).

You’ll start to see my byline appearing in those publications in their upcoming Spring 2026 issues (more details on those when they officially publish).

If you’re already a subscriber to both of these fine mags, then great; you rock and posses uncommonly large amounts of intelligence and good looks.

If not, then get on it and sign up already:

https://sommjournal.com/subscribe/

https://www.tastingpanelmag.com/subscribe/

Cheers — and see you in the glossies!

At this point, I think that we can call me categorically insane, because I felt compelled to write yet another goddamned book!

The story unfolded something like this…

I was thinking about the myth of “good” vs. “bad” wine that is the crux of the second chapter of my 2025 book How to WIN at Wine, and after a glass or two, I started musing about all of the other wine myths that we (collectively, casual drinkers to collectors to professionals alike) tend to propagate, even long after those myths are either less reliable or are downright false.

After a few more glasses, the idea of turning those myths on their ears became more attractive. After a few more glasses, the idea of turning that into a book started to sound like a good idea.

The result of that healthy musing and unhealthy over-consumption is Unlearning Wine: How to Drink Past Wine’s Most Persistent Myths.

Yes, I need help. And not (just) for the drinking.

Anyway, I present to you yet another book, available in eBook, Audiobook, Paperback, and Hardcover (for you big spenders out there).

Stylistically, this book is closer in spirit to my 2020 book Wine Taster’s Guide, while thematically being a somewhat more serious extension of How to WIN at Wine. I am pleased with the result, and think it strikes a decent balance between the more helpful and informed tone of the former and the more freewheeling/easy access focus of the latter.

You can be the judge of that, of course! And if you do pick up a copy, I would deeply appreciate you leaving a review. And no, I have NOT forgotten about the other other book in the pipeline that I announced recently—The Algorithm and the Vine—which is absolutely still in the works (assuming that I don’t get sidetracked by yet another book idea).

The PR-style description is below (sorry, it’s obligatory):

Unlearning Wine
How to Drink Past Wine’s Most Persistent Myths

by Joe Roberts

Wine is supposed to be enjoyable.
So why does it make so many people feel uncertain, self-conscious, or convinced they’re doing it wrong?

In Unlearning Wine, award-winning wine writer and critic Joe Roberts takes aim at the most stubborn, misleading, and anxiety-producing myths that surround wine today—from the idea that expensive bottles are always better, to the belief that only experts know what “good” wine tastes like, to the notion that there’s a single, universal standard for balance, quality, or correctness.

This is not a textbook. It’s not a tasting manual. And it’s definitely not a rulebook.

Instead, Unlearning Wine is a myth-by-myth field guide written in the voice of someone who has spent decades tasting professionally, judging international competitions, traveling the world’s wine regions, and—most importantly—drinking wine alongside real people who just want to enjoy what’s in their glass.

Each chapter tackles one persistent wine myth, exploring:

• Why the idea took hold in the first place
• Why it sounds true
• What’s actually going on beneath the surface
• How Roberts approaches wine instead
• And what all of this means for how you drink, buy, and enjoy wine

Along the way, Roberts draws on personal experience, cultural history, and hard-earned perspective to dismantle the false certainty that has made wine feel more like a test than a pleasure.

You’ll learn why:

• Scores don’t tell you everything you need to know
• Sommeliers are guides, not oracles
• “Natural wine” isn’t a return to some lost golden age
• Old vines don’t automatically guarantee greatness
• Sweet wines can be among the greatest—and longest-lived—in the world
• And why the “right” way to drink wine is usually just the way you enjoy it most

If you’ve ever felt talked down to by wine culture, confused by conflicting advice, or pressured to perform expertise instead of pleasure, Unlearning Wine offers something refreshingly rare: permission to trust your own experience, backed by insight rather than dogma.

Whether you’re new to wine or deeply immersed in it, this book will change how you think about what’s in your glass—and make drinking wine feel human again.

Cheers!

Back in October (yeah, yeah, I know, I KNOW…) I was invited to attend a media lunch at Philly’s excellent Le Virtù, focusing on the diversity of wines from Italy’s Abruzzo region.

So of course I said no, thanks.

JK. I wasn’t about to turn down something like that so close to my own (current) backyard.

While munching and sipping (and spitting), us attendees were treated to an overview of the Abruzzo region led by Angelo Secolo, an Italian wine ambassador for VinItaly, during which we got some insights into the current state of wine production affairs in the area.

Though it borders the central portion of the country, Abruzzo considers itself a southern Italian region in terms of climate, geography, culture, and pretty much everything else. Despite the area being difficult to farm generally (65% of it is technically mountainous, with only about 1% being flat land), wine has been grown and produced there since Roman times, with most vines growing towards the east where the land start to level off (in mountainous terms, anyway). The soils are more diverse than you might expect—there’s gravel, sand, and clay in the south, moving to more marl and calcareous soils in the northeast (nearer the sea).

There are 32,000 hectares of vines, farmed by about 6,000 growers, with 250 wineries making 150 million bottles per year. 65% of that production gets exported (18% of that to the USA), hence the reason for the media outreach, I suspect!

We tasted through six wines, and I was struck by just how friggin’ easy these wines are to like (as you’ll notice below when the Crowd Pleaser wine badge shows up for what seems like seven billion consecutive times)…

2024 Tenuta Talamonti Pecorino d’Abruzzo Colle Corviano, $NA

Hand-harvested and aged in stainless steel, this white downright DARES you not to like it. White peach pulp, yellow apple, pear, jasmine, lemon and pineapple hints and flavors… It’s like a beach day in a glass, and comes with the nervy acidity to provide the refreshment you’ll need after sunbathing.

2024 Torre Zambra ‘Poggio Salaia’ Pecorino Terre di Chieti, Abruzzo, $18

Aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 2 months, this one presents as very herbal and grassy at first, with a note reminiscent of pine, then moves to white blossoms, melon, and lychee. The palate stays to true to that herbal nose, combined with lots of lemon pith, grapefruit, and minerality on a surprisingly long finish.

2024 Azienda Tilli ‘Lupus’ Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, $NA

Floral and lightly herbal on the nose, this becomes an aromatic bounty very quickly in the glass, with green apple, pear, and citrus. It’s super fresh in the mouth, flirting with notes of almonds and saline. Irresistible, and a total delight with appetizers.

2023 Cantina Valle Tritana Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, $19

What a fun, plummy, juicy delight. Violets and cherries usher it in, followed by a palate that’s as easy going of an entry as you’re likely to find. It gets meaty towards the finish, but stays a plum-packed party the entire time.

2022 Cantina Zaccagnini ‘Dal Tralcetto’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, $25

Aged on the lees in stainless steel, this red emphasizes juicy black cherry fruit. There are a lot of other things happening, though—like dried herbs, pepper spices, and black raspberry. It’s soft in the mouth, with bits of mineral tension and tobacco among the plush blue, red, and black fruit flavors.

2021 Masciarelli Marina Cvetic ‘Iskra’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Riserva, $33

It’s never a bad time when I get reacquainted with this label. Spending 12 months in first-passage French oak barriques, this `21 bottling is as spicy, plummy, and floral as ever. The blueberry and blackberry fruits are rich, and complemented by dried violet notes. The palate is seductive: plush, but sporting a linear structure that carries great balance despite its (very) full body.

Cheers!

A quick note to let you know that my inaugural piece for Cristaldi & Co. is now live, focusing on four producers that I visited in Central Italy (via media tour) in the Fall of 2025.

It was a fantastic jaunt, with great food and even better people. And the wines were pretty wonderful, too! It was also fantastic to reconnect with Ronchi di Castelluccio and Madrevite, both of whom have been featured on these virtual pages (and some more than once).

The content is free to read, but to access the ratings and such you’ll need so subscribe (and don’t forget to use the discount code while it still works!).

Cheers!

It was January. It was Shannon’s birthday.

And it was cold outside.

Not chilly. Not brisk. COLD.

Like, f-cking polar bear cold.

She wanted something big, bold, and unapologetic about both. So, I raided the sample pool, and obliged!

And that’s it. That’s the whole story. Well, apart from what we drank, I mean…

2018 Del Dotto Vineyards ‘Piazza del Dotto’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $250

This flagship Cab from Del Dotto is sourced from the Oakville vineyards immediately surrounding their Piazza Del Dotto winery. The 2018 vintage was assembled from what they determined to be the 14 best barrels (all French oak, of which they utilized Treuil, Sylvain, Darnajou, Colbert, and Vicard, among others), in which the wine spent a full 2 years. Just over 270 cases were made.

This Cab is sultry, supple, and smooth. Do you fell every percent of its generous 15% abv? More or less, yeah. Fennel, dried herbs, black plums, dried figs, black currant, smoke, leather, and yeah, plenty of wood—I should have HATED this nose, but I most certainly did NOT hate it. The palate is huge, and while certainly powerful, winemaker Robbie Meyer managed to get those tannins feeling mostly silky-smooth. While this isn’t sporting the longest finish, there’s nothing not delectable about any second of this. Despite how fruity it comes off now, that structure will allow it a good many years in the bottle, and I am pretty sure that it will be deliciously sexy at any point along that aging curve. Fans of the style will love it.

Cheers!