Happy "National Zinfandel Day"! Celebrated the third Wednesday of November every year, it is the perfect time to indulge in one during the holiday season.
I often get the question of what constitutes a ‘sweet’ wine versus a ‘dry’ wine, and moreover, what do those labels or styles mean, from guests, family, friends, and random people. Therefore, I hope to shed light on the subject by sharing the official European Union and US system and MY interpretation and system I like to use when doing freelance wine education classes, wine tasting parties, and work at the winery .
I had the lovely experience of sipping a glorious Dry Rosé in January 2020 at the Libertè Lounge in the Sofitel Hotel in downtown Philadelphia. What was the occasion? Well, the reason for my visit on this cold, blustery night in the City of Brotherly Love was to conclude my WSET Level 3 studies upstairs on the 3rd floor with a three-hour tasting and theory exam, which was going to be beyond stressful and intense. I sat there at a high-top table with cushy pillows surrounding me on a plush leather half booth contemplating what to have for dinner.
Cabernet Franc may call France its home, but can we make great wines elsewhere. Where does Cabernet Franc grow best and thrive?
Cabernet Franc is a different animal and deserves recognition. If you were the parent of stars Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenere, you would be eccentric too. It has learned to survive and thrive just about anywhere and has existed a very long time.
October 10th marks "International Pinotage Day". In celebrating this unique and misunderstood grape, I offer a glimpse into it's history and factoids. The name Pinotage is a little bit misleading because it sounds so much like Pinot Noir. It is easy to assume they taste alike. Not true. In fact, the South African grape looks and tastes more like Shiraz even though Pinotage is technically related to Pinot Noir. So why haven’t we heard more about this deliciously dark grape? If you love a bold barbecue-friendly wine, Pinotage wine is worth checking out.
The grapes that make a particular wine dictate the general structure of that wine and how it will respond to everything the winemaker and viticulturist does to it. If a wine is white, odds are that it came from white grapes; if it is red or pink, that’s because the wine came from red/black grapes. How did it smell? Herbal, Floral, Fruity, Earthy? Whichever, those aromas come mainly from the grapes.
The moment all of you have been anxiously waiting for - a practical guide to wine tasting with a little bit of humor, sarcasm, psychology, and cynicism. Yes, I've earned a psych degree and have practiced using it most of my life. More recently, struggling through wine education certification.
Since we are approaching the romantic season of Valentine's, why not celebrate with some classic cocktails for "her" and "him". Both cocktails featured in this post are appropriate all-year long, but hold a special significance for this day and weekend because they are celebratory in nature and yummy. But first, let's talk a little history of these cocktails, then we will get to the recipes. They are easy to make at home, relatively inexpensive, and just require some shopping and prep work in the kitchen.
Part 2 of this blog post on "Decoding Wine Labels" will be very technical. Many illustrations will be provided to help support the confusing and unique language given to European wine bottles. To begin, let's look at 'indications of origin' in the European Union (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and so on). The E.U. has a system to recognize and protect agricultural products, such as wine, cheese, meats,etc..., that come from specific places so that companies outside these locations can't make products with the same name and thereby confusing consumers. For example -
