If understanding wine wasn't hard enough, bottle labels contribute to the confusion among the everyday consumer. Wine labels can vary quite a bit from country to country, this post will focus on ...

More »

Sometimes it might feel like European wines try to be confusing to keep out the non-elite wine drinkers. French wines surely fall into this category. Especially to the average consumer. But why does ...

More »

Virtual wine tastings have brought up an important aspect of wine tasting that is commonly overlooked or misunderstood, which is the inspiration for this blog post. Doing virtual wine tastings ...

More »

It is probably no surprise that white wine is made from what is referred to (in the wine industry) as white grapes. The skins of white grapes are primarily green, however, the juice of ...

More »

Reading a restaurant wine list can be a stressful event. When you are seated and handed the menu (and possibly a separate wine list), the server immediately asks you what you ...

More »

A majority of red wines are made from what is referred to (in the wine industry) as a black grape, because of their very dark-colored skins. The color of red wine comes from the pigment in the skins ...

More »

There are a few essential wine items that you should have (and they won't break the bank). The most obvious being a wine bottle opener (i.e. corkscrew). Openers come in various styles and ...

More »

There are arguably many differing opinions on which varietals are considered Noble Grapes. But what is a Noble Grape? In layman's terms, Noble Grapes are ...

More »

There are seven main wine bottle shapes, and various derivatives thereof. Most of these bottle shapes are familiar sights wherever you buy wine. But you are probably wondering ...

More »

Long before manufacturing lines and factories existed, wine bottles were created by hand by artisan glassblowers. These artisans did not have sophisticated equipment, so bottles needed ...

More »

Most parts of the bottle are self-explanatory, but we will cover each one for completeness sake. Starting at the top of the bottle is the Mouth which is the opening from which the ...

More »

Biodynamic is one of the biggest buzzwords in the wine industry lately. So what does Biodynamic mean to me as a consumer of wine? In a nutshell (or cow's horn in biodynamic ...

More »

Your bread may land butter side down, but where does that buttery flavor in my Chardonnay come from? It must be the oak barrels, right? No, it is not the oak, even ...

More »

Pigment from the skin of the grapes is what makes Rosé a pink color. The most common method of making Rosé wine is to allow limited skin contact (2-24 hours) during ...

More »

Corks are made from the bark of a cork tree. Yes, it is actually called a cork tree. The origin of cork trees trace back to the Mediterranean Basin, where they continue to be grown today. Most ...

More »