Taking the world one wine at a time.
Bubbles Sometimes when you open a bottle of still wine, you might find it to be unexpectedly sparkling. I’ve ran into this mainly with white wines which are light and fruity (i.e. Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, Vinho Verde etc) and primarily with screw-cap sealed bottles. This is due to a winemaker sometimes adding a little CO2 to keep them crisp and refreshing. In white wines this is often referred to as “petillance”. How to tell if…
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Grape 100% Riesling Facts I’ve been slowly working my way through the Charles Smith portfolio of wines for the last few years – with the only hindrance to my progress being their limited-availability. It’s quite a wonder why more restaurants/retailers don’t carry this line. I would challenge anyone to find a better value coming out of Washington State right now. It certainly beats the generic-tasting-juice that some of the “big boys” are churning out!…
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Do you suffer from shyness? Do you have feelings of inadequacy? Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive? If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Chardonnay. Chardonnay is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Chardonnay can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you’re ready and willing to do…
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Dogfish Head Noble Rot is a beer made with the addition of grapes. That in itself isn’t totally new. What is new is that the grapes contribute about half of the fermentable sugars. What’s also worth noting is the types of grapes used: Viognier and Pinot Gris grapes from Alexandria Nicole Cellars. The Viognier has been infected with botrytis (or “noble rot”) which dries up the grapes, concentrating the sugars in the fruit. The Pinot…
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If you’re planning on having guests over this weekend, and you’re worried about your choice of wine, you may want to consider changing your light-bulbs! According to a study published in the Journal of Sensory Studies, wine drinkers found that wines were more enjoyable when they were tasted in red or blue lighting, as opposed to white. The German experiment, led by Dr. Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel gave a group of drinkers an identical bottle of Riesling…
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“Ermmmm excuse me, Garçon. This wine is bloody terrible!” – just doesn’t sit too well in most restaurants; therefore over the next couple of weeks I’m going to list some of the most common faults you may encounter on your travel through the wine-wonderland, as well as my suggested course of action should you stumble upon a “bad bottle”. A lot of the time faults in wine go unnoticed, mainly because people just assume that’s…
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…and who said creativity in the wine industry is dead!?!? Check out these very cool wine packaging and label designs.
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I can’t even begin to explain how much I love these beautiful (but granted not very practical) wine glasses. The 7 Deadly Glasses by Kacper Hamilton Design are based on the idea that each glass represents a sin, which is revealed through the ritual of drinking. The glasses are limited edition and hand-made in England (which for obvious reasons only makes me love them more). No mention of a price, but I can’t imagine they…
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Wine: Smokescreen (Red) Grapes: 72% Cabernet, 22% Syrah, 6% Petit Verdot Place: Napa Valley, California Price: $24.99 available from Fiftyrow.com/SmokeScreen
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Yes they will! This according to new research which found that, in the eyes of the consumer, a wine will taste better if a winery is hard to pronounce. Brock University professor, Dr Antonia Mantonakis, found that English-speaking wine consumers were more likely to buy wine from a winery with a difficult-to-pronounce name. Participants in the study also rated wine more highly in a blind tasting, and were prepared to pay more money for the…
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2012 year marks the 10th anniversary of Charles Shaw, better known as 2-Buck Chuck, which made its debut in a Trader Joe’s store 2002. According to Fred Franzia (NB: he’s the multi-millionaire, standing in a vineyard, wearing the unironed trousers in the photo on the left), the $2 bottling has made your “average wine snob” think twice. “We have won the battle with snobs and other elites who didn’t believe we could provide excellent wines at…
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