Yearly Archives: 2017
Crémant is Your Sparkling Wine for the Holidays
Ok, sparkling wine is a year-round delight, but let’s not kid ourselves. From Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, it’s high season for bubbles. So I want to highlight a range of French sparkling wines that, once you know the name, you’re going to get something good and not too expensive. So remember this: Crémant. It’s [More]
The Champagne Flute Needs a Hero (Me)
Tis the season for celebration, sparkling wine, and for more haters to bubble to the surface when it comes to the Champagne flute. But fear not, I (still) stand tall and proud when it comes to defending the ultimate vessel for sparkling wine. This time, I marshaled resources to defend my case: Avery Gilbert, author [More]
How to Survive Crowded Wine Tastings
As an anxious person, I worry about a lot of things. Even wine tastings. But I want you to relax, to chill. Just keep in mind that when go to some big event like “The Freakiest Wine Grapes” or “Around the World in 8,000 Bottles” or “Mega-Zinful Blowout” (BTW, I made up all those names), be prepared for crowds, lots [More]
(Re)connecting With My Mother Through Wine Travel
After the death of my father I started taking a lot of international trips with my mother. Wine travel made sense because, well, duh it was my passion and what I did for a living. And, hey, wineries are generally in some pretty spectacular spots, full of interesting characters, and a source for many memorable [More]
Considering Music and the Winery Tasting Room Experience
Do you find the tasting room experience a bit staid? Full of laminated PDFs and the drone-like reciting of a wine’s purported qualities by robotic employees. Yeah, I’ve been there. (Though, thankfully it’s the exception not the norm.) One way to bring a little sizzle to the setting? Music. It sets a mood and a tone. [More]
A Creative Agency Critiques Wine Labels
I’ve written quite a bit about wine labels, particularly in a (sporadic) “Label Lust” series. My experience as a retail wine buyer definitely comes into play here. When I looked at wines good enough to buy in bulk for display, not only did the label have to be good, but also THE BOX IT CAME IN. [More]
Two Books About Rosé Wine
Back in the stone age when I began drinking dry rosé, if you told me there was a book about pink wine I would have questioned your sanity. So I’m a bit gobsmacked that this year I can recommend not one but two books about rosé. You can hear me opine about them during my segment [More]
Grenache Blanc From Priorat: Seek Out This Surprising White Wine
Four years ago I went to Spain on a trip with a Cava producer and the most surprising wine I drank (during a day away from sparkling) was a Grenache Blanc (Garnacha Blanca) from Priorat. The later is a region in Spain a couple hours west of Barcelona but it feels like a world away. Steep [More]
