With his long hair, Matt Goddard looks a bit like a bass player from a progressive rock band. But he’s a scientist, and his field of interest is microbial ecology. Goddard’s particular interest of late is wine yeasts. He uses modern genetic techniques to answer one of the long-standing controversies in the wine world: Can […]
If a goblet filled with seven fingers of Merlot is sloshed your way across an assumedly sticky bar, it might seem like the bartender has taken a liking to you. That may be true (you’re so great!), but, sadly, one thing is certain: The person pouring the wine doesn’t care about what’s in the glass.
It’s one of the most divisive areas in winemaking. Fermentation, by either wild or industrial yeasts, has become synonymous with the battle between all that is natural, and the convenience and consistency of man-made machination. If natural wine risks becoming a runaway train, then wild fermentation is a flag you wave as it passes by. […]
Ever pick up your glass of white wine, give it a big swirl, and realize that it smells exactly like a freshly cut front lawn? The good news is, you’re not crazy. Grassy aromas in wine are actually quite common. But contrary to what your first instinct might be, winemakers don’t actually put fresh grass or leaves […]
There’s a lot of understandable indignation about the lack of women in the wine industry. Whether it’s the wine glass ceiling or just the sexism women in the wine industry regularly field, women still – in 2017 – have roadblocks to making wine their profession. But this isn’t just infuriating – it’s actually ironic. Because […]
Close your eyes and think of the last gorgeous bottle of wine you opened. Remember what it sounded like as the cork popped out. Remember what it smelled like as you poured it, and then as you swilled it. Now remember what it tasted like. Here’s the thing: How did you know it was good? […]
There are few things in this world worse than opening a bad bottle of wine. It’s the adult equivalent of dropping your ice cream cone, or losing your sparkly balloon. What’s worse, wine faults aren’t always easy to detect, or possible to remedy even with a bar cart full of mixers or a case of […]
If you live in a big city in the U.S., chances are you are choosing between organic and non-organic versions of food or drink at least once a week.
You’ve come across fortified wines before. They have names like sherry, Port and vermouth, and they’re supposed to be sipped by candlelight while you discuss 18th-century literature. But there’s another class of fortified wines you may not know about called vin doux naturels. These are the oldest fortified wines of all, and although they’ve fallen […]
