Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most distinctive wines around. Blind tastings can challenge even top wine pros but, if Sauvignon Blanc is in the glass, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be able to identify it by its sharp, grassy smell. Although Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world’s most common grapes, it […]
At the end of a season it’s particularly easy to fall into a rut, even with wine. You continue reaching for the same wines week after week, until all of a sudden you realize that you haven’t tasted some of your favorite grapes and regions for months. A wake-up call came for me last week […]
There are certain grapes that I rarely gravitate toward. It’s not that I staunchly oppose them; it’s just that there are so many other grapes out there, and I maybe haven’t had the best experiences in the past with all of them. Despite the fact that Pinot Gris, a.k.a. Pinot Grigio in Italy, produces some […]
Confession: When I began working with an all-Italian wine list, I did not like Italian wine. I didn’t dislike it, of course. It just never really hit that fine point between being exciting and inherently, pleasurably delicious. Of course, as soon as I stopped working with an all-Italian list, I immediately missed it and its […]
Things not often heard during the height of summer: “I’m really in the mood for red wine.” But whether it’s due to an over-saturation of rosé and summer whites, or the fact that I am currently storing all red wines in my refrigerator to keep them from spoiling in the heat, lately I find myself […]
One of the best and worst things about wine is that nothing is ever definitive. An oenophile can spend all day, every day, studying wine intricacies and some bottles will still break the rules. New World wines, for example, are generally thought to be fruit-forward and oak-driven, with less acidity and more alcohol.
There are certain wines that are completely transportive from even the first sniff. It almost feels like you are inhaling not the scent of the wine, but a memory — of a particular place, a particular meal, or a particular moment. A wave of nostalgia jumps out of the glass and washes over you so […]
Upon finding out that I spend quite a bit of time opening and tasting wine, very often I am asked the same question: “What’s your favorite kind of wine?” Now, that’s a difficult question; what’s the occasion? What’s the weather like? What mood am I in? What am I eating? I’m hard-pressed to pick just […]
Anyone who alleges that they don’t have preconceived notions about a wine before they try it is lying. Even — and especially — wine professionals, most of whom know that they should have a constant sense of open-mindedness when it comes to tasting new wines, yet they usually have some sort of bias toward a wine […]
