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Warren Gregory - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
I am a certified sommelier, I got my certification from the International Court of Master Sommeliers in 1997. I have written professionally in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area for ten years, managed restaurant wine lists and now sell wine for a local importer distributor. I am working on launching a blog and a website and putting together a short step program for people interested in learning more about wine appreciation. Although I write primarily ... [More]
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- Chenin Blanc, Under Appreciated and Full of Potential
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] As a consumer it is easy to settle into habit when it comes to picking a wine. You go back to types and specific labels that you've tried before. These days it's hard to begrudge this desire to spend money on a known quantity. The really big wine companies love this and reinforce it. But, the ideal circumstance would be if every wine consumer enjoyed the experience of discovering new sensations. The quality that has always set good wine apart, it's intriguing individuality, would be upheld and defended in the face of globalizing brands. In that spirit, let's focus on a grape type that is rich in tradition, flexible in style and under appreciated. Chenin Blanc.
- The Wines of Northern Italy Explained
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] While many Americans shy away from European wines the Italians seem a bit more friendly than the French or the Germans to many consumers. Yet Italian wine is uniquely complicated by the fact that the labeling is inconsistent; some wines are labeled by grape type, some by regional names and others by made up proprietary names. Italian wine is very appetizing, great with food and infinitely flexible with over thee hundred native grapes being used and every style from sweet to dry, sparkling, red and white. This is the first of a three part explanation of the major wines of Italy, a guide to the words you need to know to start understanding and enjoying the wines of the Italian boot.
- Terroir - What is It?
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] The important relationship between a wine and the location of its production is well established. But, how much does the wine's place of production really tell you about the wine? Is it a guarantee quality? Do all the wines from the same location really have a lot in common? Can you really discern the characteristics of the land in the aroma and taste of a wine?
- Grenache, the Blending Star of Mediterranean Wine
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Grenache (or Garnacha in Spain) is the second most planted black grape in the world but for many wine drinkers it remains somewhat obscure. Grenache sometimes makes a pure wine on its own but it is often blended with others. These wines are all juicy and zesty, some very serious and long lived but many perfect for every day drinking, well priced and great with food.
- Taste and Aroma - How it Works For You
[Reference-and-Education] Of the five known senses, the first three being "touch", "vision" and ("hearing", two work so closely together that they really can't be separated; the senses of taste and smell. It's easy to agree with another person about what the color red looks like, what qualifies as a loud sound or what silk feels like. But taste and aroma are far more subjective, their exact qualities depend more upon individual interpretation, and absolute agreement is less common. In areas where tastes and aromas are commonly evaluated, as in the wine business, the difficulty of clear communication and agreement is a problem. Its helps to understand how these senses really work, and what the limitations of description are. In the end, taste and smell may be the most mysterious, complex and elusive of our senses.
- Appellation Logic - What is an Appellation, Why Does it Matter Where a Wine Comes From?
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] The French created a geographically oriented system of appellations to regulate and market their finest wines. The success of the French AOC system encouraged other countries to imitate the system and today we have AVA, American Viticultural Areas like Napa Valley, Spring Mountain and the Santa Cruz Mountains. But the whole appellation concept is based upon the idea of terroir, that a wine coming from a specific place should taste a certain way. Does the geography based system of appellations make the same kind of sense in America that it does in Europe?
- What to Know About Every Wine You Drink
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] There are many details in wine appreciation. It often seems, "Too many details". The details are one reason why some consumers, even some who really enjoy wine, can't get comfortable with it. There are many details in wine appreciation. It often seems, "Too many details". The details are one reason why some consumers, even some who really enjoy wine, can't get comfortable with it. So many grape types, so many place names (some in foreign languages) so many producers and so much variation and variety.
- What is a Sommelier and What Do They Do?
[Food-and-Drink:Restaurant-Reviews] A Sommelier is a wine professional trained specifically to serve guests in a restaurant. The word is French and the exact duties of a sommelier are unclear to many people. Even the wine media often portrays the sommelier as haughty, elitist and threatening. But haughty, threatening behavior doesn't charm restaurant customers and it doesn't sell wine. In fact a sommelier, if he or she is any good, is just the opposite of elitist.
- French Wine Explained
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Some people who like wine are shy to try European wines and French wine seems very confusing. The grape types that we know and use to identify wines we'll enjoy are exactly the same grapes that are used in France. In fact they all started out in France and wine makers in America often think of French wine as their model of perfection. So, why not drink more French wine? Make the connection between grape types and French regions and it will seem less confusing.
- White Wine - It's Time You Tried It - Again
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] The marketing wisdom that launched wine's popularity in America preached white wine as the "beginning" wine, to be followed by the more mature tastes of red wine. Many people drink red wine to the exclusion of anything white, or even pink. Thus, even experienced consumers think of white wine as simple, one-dimensional and somehow "not real" But all wine has it's place. With food, white wine is an essential partner to many great cuisines. The fact is, there is just too much fantastic white wine to be ignored.
- Box Wines - Good And Getting Better?
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Wine has been sold in big jugs and boxes for years, mostly average quality wines or generically blended wines intended for the very casual consumer who simply wanted some wine around the house for cooking or when the occasional urge arose. But modern box wines are of higher quality and the marketing is aiming higher as well. As some notable European producers enter the box wine arena new paradigms are offered; can box wine be "fine" wine?
- Big Brother Wants You - To Drink Yellow Tail
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] The last century saw a revolution in wine that only accelerated in the last forty years and is speeding ahead as the 21st Century dawns. Modern wine is different in fundamental ways, some very positive and some not as positive. Above all, wine has become a global commodity. There are Big Brothers who know what they want you to drink but, shouldn't you decide? How do you send them a message they'll understand and still drink great wine? Here's how.
- Wine Score Tyranny - Or, What To Ignore When You Buy A Wine Magazine
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Wine scores are an established feature in the media of wine but they pretend to be objective when they are exactly the opposite. Not only are wine scoring systems misleading, they distort relationships between different wines and over simplify the various qualities of fine wine.
- Choosing Pinot Noir Wines - Finding Value and Quality In The Queen Of Wines
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Pinot Noir, the "Queen of red wine" has made the wines of Burgundy world famous but often, expensive. The wine's subtlety and expressive character set it apart as a wonderful partner to great cooking and a sometimes frustrating wine purchase. How do you find both quality and value in Pinot Noir? Know that it's difficult to make well and choose you Pinots carefully for the greatest rewards.
- Wine Glasses, Does It Matter To The Wine What Glass You Drink It Out Of?
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] American wine enthusiasts now feel that the right glass can improve the aroma and flavor of wine. Casual drinkers wonder, what's wrong with a simple glass, that's what they use is many casual European restaurants? Does it matter? Pay attention.
- Why Does A Bottle Of Wine Cost What It Does? Is It Fair?
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Why does wine cost what it does? What could possibly be the difference between a bottle of wine costing $5 and one costing $500? Does it make sense? In some ways, our perception of value drives pricing.
- A History Of Wine Corks And Bottles
[Food-and-Drink:Wine-Spirits] Fine wine has been shipped and sold in bottles with corks for nearly three hundred years. The innovation changed not only the way wine was stored but its ability to age as well. Today, the bottle seems secure even if the future of the cork is threatened.
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