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Serving Wine Part 4 – It’s Sedimentary My Dear Watson

Wine Glass With Wine Sediments

Wine Sediment Occurs Naturally In Wines

If you are really into wine, the anticipation of the exquisite array of flavors dancing on your palate can be intoxicating.  The thoughts start in the afternoon at work and the drive home is endless.  The other drivers are all idiots because they are constantly in your way, creating yet another barrier to that first glass of wine. What should take 30 minutes seems to take twice as long. You arrive home, pour your nectar, take that first sip and…what the hell? Who put pulp in my wine? Orange juice is supposed to have pulp. Wine isn’t. Read More→

Serving Wine Part 2 – No Tuxedo or Snotty Attitude Required But You Do Need the Right Type of Wine Glass

Wine Glass with Sun

A Wine Glass In the Sun

Would you serve soup on a dinner plate? How about a T-Bone steak in a shot glass? No? Then why would you serve your wine in the wrong type of wine glass? There are thousands of variations of wine glasses and most of them actually detract from the wine drinking experience. Read More→

Serving Wine Part 1 – Introduction…AKA…Buying Good Wine Is Pointless If It Is Not Served Correctly

 

Three Wine Glasses

Serving Wine Correctly Depends on Many Factors

Would you rather serve a good wine correctly or a great wine poorly. Few people realize that serving a great wine is just like creating any other great dish. There are many factors that go into serving wine correctly. Read More→

Cross Referencing European to U.S. Wines

 

Wine Labels

Wine Labels from France, Spain, Italy and the U.S.

Why do U.S. wine labels show the wine grape type on the label, but European wines frequently show the region on the wine bottle label? Have you had any good Bordeaux wines from the U.S.? I seriously doubt it. How about a Burgundy from California? Probably not…no way. Why not? There’s a couple of reasons but to avoid pissing off the lawyers, let’s get the legal one out of the way first. Read More→

Reading Wine Labels (Part 2): What Can Clever Marketers Put On Labels to Mislead You?

Wine Label Collage

“Responsible” Wine Labels – Showing What Is Relevant

Why did we split “Reading Wine Labels” into two posts? Two reasons, one is practical – I hate writing novel length posts, and I suspect the audience likes reading them even less. The other has to do with content. Part 1 identifies virtually everything that is required to be on a wine label, or if present, needs to adhere to predefined guidelines. Part 2 of “Reading Wine Labels” gets a little fuzzier. Admittedly, there are a number of terms below that require some sort of regulatory approval or generally conform to generally accepted standards but the rest …well…we’ll get to those terms in a minute.  The key to reading wine labels is knowing which terms are really relevant and which ones are fluff designed to entice and/or mislead.  Read More→

Wine Bottle Shapes – Individuality Can Wreak Havoc With Your Storage

Just like people, wine bottle shapes vary greatly. They run the gamut from short and squatty to tall and elegant – from traditional to funky (depending upon how creative the winery’s marketing department was feeling that particular day). Usually, wine bottle shapes reflect the area from where the wine grape hails. For instance, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay usually have wine bottle shapes reminiscent of those found in Burgundy, the area where those grape originated. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec on the other hand usually come in wine bottle shapes similar to those of Bordeaux, the region of their origins. For the purpose of this blog, we’ve identified the six most common wine bottle shapes found in the US. Their origins go back to western Europe and US winemakers have generally stayed true to the wine bottle shapes used in Europe. Read More→