Annual Book Review
THERE HAS to be SUBSTANCE and spirit in a book to occupy real estate in my library. A good example of a book that delivers on substance is Jamie Goode’s The Science of Wine. Explaining the scientific basis underlying wine tasting, viticulture and vinification is necessary for those of us... Read More
Tasting: Do it like the pros.
Well isn’t this overwhelming? Deliciously so, but where in the Expo do we begin in this sea of wine? As tempting as it is to just jump in and taste I would strongly recommend forming a plan before you wade in. That plan should consist first of knowing how to... Read More
Profile: Nicolas Joly
NICOLAS JOLY • Winemaker-Viticulturalist-Educator • Savennières, Loire, France The Loire Valley, arguably France’s most exciting wine region, produces underrated and undervalued wines and is home to oenological rebels who thrive on experimenting and evolving techniques, and who regularly and convincingly break France’s iron rules of viticulture and winemaking. Though the... Read More
Drinking Women
We shall herein survey recent research in this field as it relates to women, particularly women who drink moderately. (It is a given that immoderately heavy drinking is very harmful to all.) To begin with, the not so new: for some years it has been observed that it takes less... Read More
Packaging, thinking outside the bottle
Three-liter boxes have been used for packaging good quality wines in Europe, Australia and elsewhere for many years, and consumers there rarely attach a stigma of cheap, unpalatable wine to such packages. These contain the equivalent of four 75Oml bottles and are popular with consumers who want wine on their... Read More
Cal’s Zins
This is the big red that you can open up and drink without having to worry about whether it’s “ready” or not. It provides direct sensual pleasure that is usually not cloaked behind barricades of tannin. And it’s not for everyone. The potent, sometimes dizzying alcohol levels tend to put... Read More
Revisiting South America’s Wines
Though value wines, under $1O a bottle, remain the essential hook for the US consumer, there are wines costing $5O or more, such as Almaviva, Clos Apalta and Lota from Chile and Caro from Argentina, as well at all price points between. What has changed? Why do Americans love these... Read More