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 […]
One concept that’s bandied around a lot but not discussed in much detail (we’ll admit, it’s kind of scientifically intimidating) is: the clone. We’re not talking about doomed sheep or jars of variously terrifying replications of Ripley from Aliens. We’re talking about grape clones. Even if you’re a more casual wine drinker, you’ve probably heard […]
Here’s a radical idea: the most important thing that impacts a wine’s flavor profile isn’t the grape it’s made from. It isn’t even the winemaking style. It’s the climate. Take, as an example, Chardonnay. If you compare a rich, ripe, Napa Valley Chardonnay to a bright, tart, and lithe Chardonnay from Burgundy, in France, you […]
A winemaker in Burgundy, France vinifies Pinot Noir from the famous Dijon clone. A winemaker in the Willamette Valley of Oregon does the same. Tasting these wines side by side there are significant differences in quality and structure. Our Oregon winemaker has the same clone planted in two different vineyards a few miles from each […]
