Share Back in the 1700’s a monk cellar master was making wine for his associates and similar to now, ideally wines were made free of bubbles. Any bubbles left from fermentation were an error in the wine-making process. So the monk worked feverishly to remove the bubbles and finally, he sealed the bottles. Well, some [...]

Share As soon as temperatures warm in France, Italy and Spain, many restaurants and bars, particularly in shoreline regions, begin offering certain red wines with a little chill.  In general, most American wine drinkers shudder at the irreverent act of refrigerating reds. It’s simply incorrect. White wines are served cold, and reds are supposed to [...]

ShareBeginning just outside Strasbourg and extending southward for almost 70 miles through the wooded slopes and hills of the Vosges Mountains near France’s eastern border with Germany and Switzerland, here lies the ancient and impressive Alsace wine region. The Vosges Mountains tend to keep the region dry and protected from the cold Atlantic weather. Unlike [...]

ShareFor the past couple of years, there has been a great deal of media touting the 2008 vintage of Pinot Noir in Oregon’s Willamette Valley… and rightfully so.  It is a truly exceptional vintage. I had the pleasure of visiting a host of Willamette Valley wineries last year, precisely during their release of the 2008’s. [...]

ShareIf you are looking for the best of both worlds – a wine that has the dynamic characteristics of the most celebrated grape in the world, Cabernet Sauvignon, along with the more unique flavor and structural components of other red varieties – than you should focus your attention on the fascinating genre of Cabernet Blends. [...]