Facts
Five Patron Saints of Wine.
…and who ever said the church was so opposed to alcohol? St. Trifon Zarezan, or St. Trifon the Pruner Saint Trifon was/is the Bulgarian patron saint of vine growers and winemakers. Famous for: Rumor has it that Trifon was also named “the drunkard” due to his love of vino. All was going so well for good ol’ St. Trif, until according to legend, he laughed at a vision of the virgin Mary (after she…
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So You Want To Build a Wine Cellar…
I continue to receive numerous questions from people looking for advice on building a wine cellar, and whilst I can usually help to answer most peoples’ queries, I prefer to occasionally defer to the superior knowledge of my good friend Curtis Dahl, co-owner of Joseph & Curtis. Curtis is an expert in all matters wine cellar related, since his company builds some of the finest wine cellars known to humankind! I accumulated a few wine…
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The Age of a Grapevine.
Wine: What am I Paying for and What’s the Difference? – I Know Jax
How Valuable is the “Story” Behind a Wine?
It goes without saying that when it comes to wine, the taste is front and center. But what about the story behind a bottle of wine? It may come as a surprise to you to say that I’ve actually dropped wines from a wine list, in favor of a similar tasting wine with a better story behind it. That will probably seem like a ridiculous notion to most people; but let me explain, I have…
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Drink to Your Health! – Wine Infographic
A very nice wine infographic, brought to you by the kind people at ONE HOPE.
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Understanding Californian Wine Labels.
I’m not breaking new ground when I say that wine labels are so bloody difficult to make sense of! The good news is that Californian wine labels are, for the most part, much easier to wrap your head around than European labels. However, they’re still kind-of a minefield! The following list will help to shed some light on what all that lingo means and hopefully guide you in your wine buying decisions…at least with Californian…
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Know the Grape: Grüner Veltliner.
Grüner Veltliner [groo-nur felt-leen-er] Origin According to DNA analysis, Grüner Veltliner is thought to be a cross between Grüner Muskateller and Traminer grape vines. The first mention of Grüner Veltliner was in documents dating back to 1855. Before then it was referred to as: Weißgipfler. And you thought Grüner Veltliner was difficult to pronounce!!!Grüner (its name for short) is also known as, GrüVe, Green Veltliner, Greener Veltliner, Manhardsrebe, Veltliner and Weißgipfler, but luckily,…
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A Guide to Rioja Classifications.
Below is a really handy guide to how Spanish wines are classified, in terms of the minimum length of time they’ve spent in the barrel/bottle. Since terms such as Crianza and Reserva will frequently appear on bottles of red Rioja, but are infrequently explained, it’s useful to remember their definitions! I have a simple mantra I learnt many years ago in order to memorize the length of time red Rioja’s are aged for. It is…
Read MoreWhat is a Sommelier?–Happy Hour for I Know Jax
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking part in filming wine-themed segments for I Know Jax, a TV series based here in Jacksonville. It’s essentially a TV magazine-style show, about fun things to do in the greater Jacksonville area. The show is produced by Talentino Media and is housed on the website with the same name – iknowjax.com. The episodes air every Saturday at 11pm on CW 17, right before Saturday Night…
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5 Tips for Pairing Foods with Rose Wines.
There’s no doubt that White Zin has tainted most peoples’ perception of “pink wines,” and if you’re one of those people, I’d like to reassure you that there’s a whole category of wine out there which awaits your discovery….and it’s not all sweet! The other hindrance to the success of roses is that, that whole “masculinity-thing” (if you’re a guy…obviously)! In other words, if you don’t feel comfortable wearing pink clothing, chances are you probably…
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