There’s an interesting dichotomy when it comes to German Riesling. In the 1980s, the once-fashionable wine fell out of favor with international consumers after well-known producers started over-cultivating vineyards and over-seasoning wines with residual sugar. It wasn’t long before the off-dry style became synonymous with poor-quality plonk. Yet it is exactly this residual sugar that […]
From backyard picnics to tapas bars to your local Outback Steakhouse, sangria is a summertime staple. The Spanish wine cocktail is one with a muddled history, tracing back to an early Greek and Roman drink called “hippocras” (wine, sugar, spices, and varied ingredients). A similar drink showed up in Spain around 1100 B.C., eventually spreading to […]
Usually, I’m all about complexity in wines — the various layers that make wine interesting and take it beyond just alcoholic fruit juice. How does oak aging factor in? Can you detect minerals that reflect a wine’s terroir? How about spice or floral notes? Saline or earth? The list goes on. Students of wine live […]
On warm days or evenings (yes, they are returning at last here in the eastern part of the country), who doesn’t enjoy nursing an ice-cold glass of white wine on the patio or deck? While the experience is refreshing, you may be getting only part of the enjoyment of the wine. Did you know that really […]
Cider is a broad category. By definition, sour cider is “cider fermented with non-traditional yeast and bacteria, typically lactic and acetic acid, and wild-fermented,” Peter Clausen, production manager of 101 Cider House in Los Angeles, says. Clausen quite literally defined the category, assisting the United States Association of Cider Makers (USACM) in creating the definition […]
For many, Argentina is synonymous with Malbec; but it has a signature white grape that, unlike Malbec, is actually native to the country. Torrontés, of which there are actually three different varieties, is a very aromatic grape, likely because it is genetically related to the perfumed Muscat of Alexandria.
In my house, for as long as I can remember, we’ve followed the unwritten rule that the period between Halloween and Easter is red wine time. As temperatures drop, there’s comfort in the richness and complexity of those bold, hearty reds. For those of us obsessed with food and wine pairings, however, white wines cannot […]
Sometimes I like knowing exactly how my glass of wine will taste. It’s comforting to decide what kind of wine fits my current mood, select a beloved bottle, and relish in its familiar scents and flavors. Perhaps that’s why I never have my favorite wines stocked at home; the second I buy them, I drink […]
Poor, poor Chardonnay. Despite being the grape behind the world’s most coveted wines — Champagne and Burgundy — it’s also the most maligned vitis vinifera variety on the planet. It’s even more maligned than Merlot. In my mind, the ABC or “Anything But Chardonnay”school of wine-drinking isn’t just silly, it’s downright wrong. Though American store shelves […]
