Want to learn more about wine? We have just the thing. Erika Sato, a Certified Sommelier, is putting together educational wine packs for people with any level of wine education. Learn the basics of how to taste and describe wine or try advanced blind tasting, it’s completely up to you!
Have you ever wondered how the professionals are able to pinpoint what kind of wine it is just by tasting it?
It’s really not just a parlor trick - it’s a skill. And like any skill, anybody can master it with a little work. The good thing is, this is the kind of work where you can have fun along the way and drink lots of wine!
Sicilian wines are my next big wine obsession. If you’re not yet familiar with the wines coming from this island off the southern tip of Italy, there’s so much exploring to do!
We’ve taken a previous look at how Rosé is made. We’re all familiar with the pink or salmon-colored, fruity, and refreshing Rosés commonly found on wine shelves everywhere. Delicious for sipping on a hot day or pairing with summery foods.
It’s easy to spot a quality Austrian wine in the store. Just look for the red and white banderole on the capsule of the bottle! But what’s under the hood?
We just discussed Champagne, generally considered the end game when it comes to sparkling wines; the benchmark by which other sparkling wines are judged.
Let’s be clear, though – it doesn’t mean that other sparkling is not also delicious. And often, although not always, available at a lower price.
Technically, you can pair any sweet wine with dessert.
There are a few different categories of dessert wines: Sweet and sparkling, those using a specialized method to concentrate the sugar and juice of the grape, and fortified wines. Each are unique and delicious.
We’ve all run into this situation – the wine store we’re at doesn’t have the insert wine name here that we’re looking for. Or maybe you want to move on from the tried and true and look for something else to try – variety is the spice of life, after all. So, now what?
Here’s where you can help your friendly wine specialist help you.
What’s in a name? As it turns out, a lot.
Many of us commonly refer to all bubbly, sparkling wines from bulk offerings, to Dom Perignon, and anything in between as Champagne. However, not all sparkling wines are made equal, and only a select few truly qualify as Champagne.
Do you agonize every year about what wines to have with your Thanksgiving meal? Or are you longing to try something a little different than the traditional tried and true? Put the annual w(h)ine about Thanksgiving wine to bed.
Obviously, let’s not overthink. It’s not much of a risk to say that there is no one wine that will go with everything on the table. So… let’s talk turkey … pairing wine and food is partly science, partly art, and partly personal preference. The solution is to bring a few different wines! But how to choose?
OK, let’s be honest. How many people have heard of Gascony and the Côtes de Gascogne? It’s a little less well known than its nearby neighbor – Bordeaux. Or its other nearby neighbor, Languedoc-Roussillon. Or Cahors, or …
Which doesn’t mean anything, really. Why do we care? Well… At the risk of over-simplification, where else can you find wines from a single region that range from dry whites to rich reds and from a sweet, fortified aperitif to complex, powerful brandies? And… often at slightly lower prices than offerings from their more famous cousins.
Let’s talk about dry rosé! A wine that is thought about most in the summer, but is actually really drinkable any time of the year. It is, however, most closely associated with the advent of warmer weather, sunny days on the beach or the deck, and by the pool.
Let’s talk Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) – or, sparkling wine from South Africa.
As it rounds into summer, sparkling wines are the perfect hot weather drink. Actually, they are pretty fantastic any time of the year. They are not only the perfect food wine but are also pretty good to just sip on their own. It’s almost a daily go-to, if you will.
Why would I start an article on bubbly with MCC, you might ask? Why not Champagne or Prosecco…Cava… All are much more famous. Why should we even pay attention to a sparkling wine from South Africa, of all places?
Lambrusco (Lam-broos-ko) is a grape known for making fizzy, semi-sweet, commercial, bulk wines, a la Riunite in the 1960’s.
Wait, what? Talk about a grape and a wine that gets no respect. Nothing wrong with Riunite Lambrusco, except that most serious wine drinkers will dismiss a Lambrusco out of hand.
Let’s talk a little history. Riunite played a huge part in introducing the wine made from the Lambrusco grape to the United States back in the 1960’s, and it still shapes the perception of the grape and wine even now.
Priorat is a Spanish wine region located just southwest of Barcelona. In contrast to its more famous cousin Rioja, Priorat flies somewhat under the radar. Nevertheless, Priorat is known for producing big, inky, and lush yet balanced wines that have the structure to be aged for quite some time.
