Wine Sediments

I’ve been lucky that through my work supporting the International Wine Challenge, I’ve been able to taste a huge number of wines. This has really helped my WSET Diploma studying. And with my exam on fortified wines only 4 weeks away I need all the help I can get.
I managed to taste a range of […]

Since we are doing Rosé wines this month, I thought it would be good to mention this offer from Riedel as it contributes to a very good cause and will enhance our Rosé tasting later this month.
I recently attended a tasting in Boston hosted by Maximillian Riedel at the Federalist Restaurant in Boston. It was […]

Soaring aromas of ripe dark fruit escaped the bottle as I uncorked this 2003 Corbieres CastelMavre Grande Cuvee Red Wine.  This wine is produced in one of the largest wine appellations in the Midi, Corbieres.  Being French, it was hard to find the “exact” grape content of the wine.  But, in researching the area, I […]

OK, I am back at it again.  Let’s just call it Part 2 of Then & Now.  I cannot resist diving into that old tasting notebook of mine, spotting a wine that I said I enjoyed back in 1994 and tasting it again here in 2007. 
I probably have been drinking that same wine over the […]

“Women of the Vine” promises to “connect with today’s women in the wine industry, whose passions dictate how they lead their lives, how they fight adversity and conquer gender stereotypes in an often male-dominated workplace.” By presenting 20 women involved in the wine industry, author Deborah Brenner had a golden chance to paint a clear […]

A Rheingau Riesling is considered one of the finest Rieslings in the world but that hallmark may come under threat from an unlikely source. Not a New World Riesling, or even a domestic knock-off; the threat is non other than global warming.
At the end of the 19th century, Riesling wines were fetching higher prices on […]

Listen up all you folks who think the move from cork to Stelven is horrific. Here’s a new one to ponder. How about plastic wine bottles? Yup, that’s plastic – just like a bottle of 7-Up or Pepsi. So call me a hypocrite. Like Frank, I’m a big time advocate of Stelven closures over cork. […]

I’m a real sucker for expensive foodie equipment, whether it’s kitchen gadgets or wine paraphernalia.  I have Shun knives, copper pots and pans, even fancy whisks.  With my wine equipment, I don’t have a cellar yet, but will eventually, and I have a variety of Riedel glasses and Screwpull corkscrews.  I have an electronic chiller […]

I have just finished 7 weeks working on the International Wine Challenge, the biggest international blind tasting wine competition in the world. Over 9000 wines from across the world have been rigorously judged and the winners will be announced during the London International Wine and Spirits Fair from the 22nd to 24th May.
I have been […]

I have a small set of wine shops I tend to frequent.
Well, heck, who am I kidding, there’s a single wine shop, or, more to the point, the wine section of my local, slightly upscale grocery store, which I do promise to tell you about in the future. There’s a wine ‘outlet’ in town, but […]