Wine Pairing Primer
ONE of the most common questions I get in my wine beginnings class pertains to food and wine pairings. To begin to understand how food and wine react differently (depending on what kinds are used), one basic piece of the puzzle needs to be understood first: wine is a condiment.... Read More
There In Spirit Only
One fine April evening my wife shares some great news: her sister is getting married. Wonderful! Then comes the bad news: the wedding is in six weeks, on Memorial Day. For many of us in the hospitality or retail industry, getting that weekend off is difficult enough; with that short... Read More
On St. Emilion
It’s a shame that the St. Emilion Grand Cru Classe Classification was suspended this past April. It was challenged, as I understand it, because of a problem with the people administrating it, not the classification itself. And not so surprising, it was the Chateaux that were demoted that were responsible... Read More
On Pinot Noir$
Sideways, that infamous movie, did wonders for Southern California wine country and most notably, Pinot Noir. As a Sommelier I was trying for years to get some clients to try this wondrous grape, with some success. Then this movie comes out and top of the line drinkers of California Cabernet... Read More
Fighting Like Animals
Little penguins, yellow tails, black swans, 3 blind moose and 4 emus; are we speaking about wine or Noah’s boat of biblical fame? Nope, this is a shelf full of wine with the latest in catchy labels. Something has always annoyed me a little bit about this recent marketing trend... Read More
Serious About Cellaring
So you’ve finally decided to get serious about collecting wine. The idea of having a cellar is certainly an enticing one – especially to your significant other who wants the cases of wine stacked all over the place put away somewhere. Like any real estate agent will tell you: location,... Read More
Dead or Just Missing
With the recent demise of Wine X magazine coming as little surprise to most people in the industry, it raises a question or two about the market they were supposedly catering to. The twenty-one to mid-twenties age group is an often-ignored segment of our market. The scarborough wine market report’s... Read More