Most of us know by now that red wine is good for you. Like we needed an excuse to drink more wine! But it doesn’t hurt that drinking in moderation has certain proven health benefits. This revelation came back in 1991, Sixty Minutes aired a segment called “The French Paradox.” Since then, red wine sales [...]

Let’s talk about a little technique that I have dubbed, “The Dr. Süss Method” Hence, the image above. Har har, I’m so clever. Moving on…Did you know that Germans actually add sterilized grape juice to their finished wine. Sacre bleu!! How can it be possible? I balked at this fact when I first heard about [...]

I love desserts that look and sound so fancy and intricate but that are, in reality, quite simple to throw together. It’s a great way to impress your family or dinner guests with a great looking after-dinner treat without causing undue stress. This is a recipe for poached pears with a delicious, rich chocolate sauce. [...]

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 a [...]

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, [...]

Lately, when discussing and learning about wine, I been hearing this buzz word: extraction. What does this mean to the casual wine lover who might immediately visualize somebody pulling teeth when hearing that term? In the wine world, extraction is the process of taking the flavor, color and tannin out of the grape skins during [...]

I took this photo last week while on a Chateau Tour of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It’s harvest time in the south of France and basically all rules and norms go out the window and three weeks of organized chaos sets in. I’m sure this magnum at Domaine de Beaurenard will come in handy as the workers approach [...]