Theresa Downs

Since I get asked about this all the time, I thought I'd republish one of my blogs about wine aging - updated for 2026 consumption. We came up with a jazzy table to explain what this really all means. Cheers! Why Age Wine? Aging helps some wines develop more complex and balance. What does that mean? Think of wine as a new pair of sneaks. Fresh out of the box, it's bold, crisp, and all about the immediate feels. But like your fave sneakers, which need time to break in, wine can level up over...

No Passport. Just Pour. DaVero Farms & Winery All images via Wine By Appointment LLC One thing you pick up on right away is how proud the staff at DaVero is of their winery. Founded in 1990 by Ridgely Evers and Colleen McGlynn, DaVero Farms & Winery is a biodynamic, regenerative farm and winery inspired by Italian and Mediterranean agricultural traditions; in fact, a single glass of Sagrantino Del Montefalco at a New York restaurant started it all.   The estate focuses on farming in harmony...

I was very lucky to attend and graduate from the Wine Program at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California. One of my favorite instructors — among the earliest Master Sommeliers — used to say that the holy grail of wine was a $12 bottle. Adjusting for inflation, let's call that $16 today. The point wasn’t about chasing 98-point trophies. It was about finding honest, delicious wine at a price that didn’t require justification. Rating systems abound — from movies and...