It’s possible to get a college degree in Wine. Absent from most curricula, though is a good course on serving the right way. So, préparez vos crayons (get out your pencils)… Red wines and whites, not to mention sparkling wines, have different optimal storage methods, serving temperatures and opening and pouring procedures — even different [...]

Acetic: vinegar-like taste or smell from exposure to air. Vinegar is acetic acid. Acidity: wines contain acids, which vary in concentration. Appellation: French system regulating authenticity; applies to region where the grapes were grown. Astringent: high tannin content produces dry, puckering effect. Balance: relative degree of fruity quality, acidity, tannins, alcohol and other characteristics. Bouquet: [...]

Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. – Aristophanes For those more interested in finding a delectable drink to savor than being clever, the following might be useful. Obviously the selection of a specific type, year and brand of wine is a matter of [...]

The Latin word ‘amateur’ means ‘lover’ and originally referred to someone who did something out of the love of doing, rather than ‘just for the money’. They were regarded as the highest experts because they honed their craft motivated by joy instead of monetary reward. Though the professionals of wine still imbue their work with [...]

Few agricultural endeavors are as complex as winemaking. And at the end of the process, one gets to enjoy a good glass. Site selection, grape variety, soil preparation, sunlight control, fermentation management, even the type of cork used all play important parts in producing fine wines. Wine grapes are grown in a pair of latitude [...]

Skill in the art of winetasting doesn’t require an advanced degree in oenology (the science of winemaking). But listening to professional winetasters, it’s easy to get that impression. Bouquet, clarity, earthy, crisp, open, nostalgic — huh? So, take a deep breath, get comfortable, and be prepared to take some time to learn some odd new [...]

Even with modern winemaking, storage and shipping technology about five percent of all wines arrive at the table bad to some degree. Here are some tips about how to spot them. CORKING It all begins with a cork… Even in this day of high-technology plastics, many bottles are still stoppered with an old-fashioned cork. A [...]

In one form or another wine production has been carried out for thousands of years. Pottery discovered in Persia (present-day Iran), dated at 5,500 BC show evidence of grape use for winemaking. Jars from Jiahu in China containing wine from wild grapes date to between 6000 and 7000 BC. But whether ancient or modern, many [...]

The 1960s saw the flowering of a new winemaking region in a very unexpected locale: Washington State, USA. Though near latitudes (46-47 degrees) that encompass two of the great French wine regions, Bordeaux (44.5 degrees) and Burgundy (47 degrees), Washington’s vineyards also experience cold and sometimes rainy falls and winters. Less than ideal conditions for [...]

Midway between Milan and Rome, Tuscany is bordered on the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Apennines mountain range on the east. First inhabited by the Etruscans, in the Middle Ages and continuing through the Renaissance, Tuscany developed into a center of the Arts and Learning under the control of the Medici clan. And [...]