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News December 30, 2014

Going Beyond the bottle – blind tasting the top Alternate Packaging wine brands

Who needs wine in stinking glass bottles anyway!?!? In this video, Kris Chislett (Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine) and his good buddy Joe Talentino (avid Boones Farm drinker) blind taste the top 4 alternate package wine brands of Chardonnay, and see what we think is the best. You might be surprised at which wine came out on top… All wines were tasted 100% blind under strictly controlled conditions. Video is not part of…

News April 20, 2014

Current Trends in Wine Cellar Design – Part 2

The second part of my “Current Trends in Wine Cellar Design” interview with Curtis Dahl, owner of Joseph and Curtis Wine Cellar Builders. In the same way people have become used to entertaining in their kitchen, has the same thing started to happen with wine cellars? The wine cellar/tasting room have become THE destination spot in the modern day home. Of course it all depends on the size of the cellar. People are obviously…

Interview, News April 7, 2014

Current Trends in Wine Cellar Design – Part 1

It’s almost weekly that I receive an email from someone thinking about building a wine cellar in their home, and looking for my personal recommendation on a good wine cellar builder. Of course there’s wine cellars and there’s wine cellars. My “wine cellar” consists of my closet containing a 200 bottle wine rack and no temperature control. It does the job…for now…but for those looking for something a little more serious, I always send them…

News December 18, 2013

Tasting the Holidays: Bubbles for any Budget

Just another short article I wrote for Jacksonville Magazine… Mumm Napa Brut Rose Sparkling – $18.99 For bubbles on a budget – without compromising quality – it’s hard to go wrong with Mumm Napa. The winery’s history began in 1979, when French Champagne house Mumm began looking for a location to make American sparling wine. Made in the “Champagne-style,” although not true Champagne (since it hails from California), the Mumm Napa Brut Rose is a…

News October 29, 2013

Why You Need a Wine Fridge.

I cant lie, I’ve never felt compelled to buy a wine fridge. I just didn’t think I needed one in my life. Turns-out I was wrong, and now I have a new best friend. So, when the nice folks at New Air decided to send me an 18 bottle wine fridge for review purposes…well…I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take a look! At the very worst, if I wasn’t a big fan of the product,…

News, Reviews October 14, 2013

Grape Expectations – Eight Wines that Pair With Summer and Fall.

Ok, first-things-first, I didn’t write the title for this article. “Grape Expectations” is way beyond my reaches of my creativity. Secondly; I wrote this article a couple of months ago for the Jacksonville Magazine “Taste” Edition…and I know we’re out of Summer now….but I think it still has relevance…since the weather here is Florida is so bloody-warm well into November! 4 Summer Wines Taltarni “Tache,” Brut Sparkling, Australia Description The term Tache (meaning “stained” in…

News October 14, 2013

Back, After a Small Absence.

I’m not going to turn this into a “where I’ve been and what I’ve been up-to for the last couple of months” post; mainly because, to get into detail would take too long and wouldn’t provide much of a riveting read. So I’m not going-to. Anyways, I’m back. In a nutshell, I’ve had a busy couple of months. Super busy. Like working 6-7 days a week busy. Mainly online, building websites, helping a few businesses…

News June 1, 2013

Big Alcohol Gives Wine Lovers a Headache.

Article from The Asian Age (..the source of ALL my wine news..) Do those New World Cabernets and Zinfandels make your head spin? Fed up with having to stop drinking after just one glass? Plenty of wine lovers around the world will have noticed their favorite tipples are getting stronger, and many of them are unhappy about the hangovers that come with increased alcohol levels.But it seems they have only themselves to blame as experts say…

News April 30, 2013

Sauternes – Ain’t Nobody Got Time Fo’ Dat!

Even though Bordeaux remains the Old World wine of choice for many with new money to burn, their tastes are no-doubt changing. When people think of Bordeaux, sweet wine is more than likely the LAST thing on their mind! Sauternes and Barsac, in the Bordeaux region of France, make a very different kind of wine than people have come to know Bordeaux for; namely, sweet and white. But growers in the region have slowly started…

News, Pairings April 10, 2013

Beyond the Brisket: The Perfect Wine and Beer Pairings for a BBQ Feast.

I was asked to write an article for Jacksonville Magazine a few weeks ago, and I figured – since my postings here have been kind-of “slack” of late – I would share it with my wonderful readers. The beers – in case you don’t recognize them – are all local Jacksonville breweries. Chicken Since many chefs view chicken as a “blank canvas” on which to exercise their culinary creativity, the type of BBQ sauce…

Funny, News March 25, 2013

Winebulance: The Sequel!

Well…..how’s about this! A Winebulance! So, I stumbled across this image today on The Facebook. The photo is of the “Winebulance” delivery truck from The Selsey Off-License in West Sussex, back in my Motherland (England). What a genius idea! I wish I’d have thought of it first…..oh wait…I did…. …back in July of 2012 (click here for the original post). Notice my logo in the bottom-left corner. I thought the idea of…

Funny, News March 11, 2013

Pairing Wine with the Cast of Downton Abbey: The Nobility.

If you haven’t seen Downton Abbey, this post is going to make absolutely zero sense to you! Then again, if you haven’t seen Downton Abbey, this is a perfect reason to do so! I would like to point-out that there are a few “spoilers” lurking within this article…so read at your risk! The one thing to know about this post is that I didn’t pair a wine with every Downton character – mainly because there’s…