What exactly is a sommelier? The word “sommelier” is derived from the Late Latin term sagma, meaning “pack saddle.” In Old French, the word somier meant “pack animal.” By the 14th century, the term had evolved into “soumelier” which identified a court official who was responsible for supply transportation. No doubt wine was included in [...]

It’s the celebratory sparkling, bubbling drink that brings great taste and enjoyment to any occasion…Champagne! The carbonisation of champagne has always been one of its big selling points as it causes the pop of the cork and quickly brings on the party-spirt since also gets the alcohol into the bloodstream more quickly! We all know [...]

Ripasso, which literally means “repassed,” is an Italian style of winemaking. Typically, wines from the Valpolicella region in Italy are very simple and fruity, much like Beaujolais. But the ripasso process gives unremarkable wines more richness and body. With this technique, leftover grape skins and seeds are added to the batch of Valpolicella wines for [...]

Surely every wine lover has seen the fanatically humorous and cleverly scripted 2004 film, Sideways. The anti-hero, Miles, is the epitome of a wine snob with an opinionated palette. Most of you probably remember how Merlot sales plummeted in the US that year as a result of the line where Miles shouts, “If anyone orders [...]

As if the myriad of wine grape varietals isn’t already overwhelming enough, many varietals have other names in different countries. There are thousands of varieties out there but here is a starter list of some common grapes and their international aliases. Cinsault (France) ——————————> Ottavianello (Italy) & Hermitage (South Africa) Malbec (worldwide) —————————> Auxerrois/Côt (Cahors, [...]