Did you know that only 8 percent of the sparkling wines of the world come out of the Champagne region of France, while more than 90 percent is produced outside this venerable region? Many bubbles are made around the world. Some of these employ the Champagne, or Traditional, method of fermentation, where the second fermentation …
The Wine Blogger’s Conference (WBC) provided some lovely wining & dining this year, in spite of the fact that harvest was in full swing! From one sunset dinner in a glass house atop a hillside vineyard, to another in a remodeled World War II airplane hangar, to a cornucopia of European cheeses, to sparkling wines paired …
Old vine Cabernet Sauvignon in Red Mountain’s Ciel du Cheval date to the 1970s Richard Holmes Richard Holmes of Eastern Washington’s Ciel du Cheval vineyards says the land is all garbage. He sure knows how to get the attention of a group of wine geeks! Yes, I am a wine geek, and I love all …
In early October 2018 I attended the annual Wine Blogger’s Conference (WBC18), held in Walla Walla, Washington, hosted by Visit Walla Walla. In my last blog I talked about stepping foot into a California AVA that I had never been in, Edna Valley. After this latest wine adventure, I can now check off a few …
I celebrated 27 years of marriage on September 7th, 2018. And one year ago I found out I passed the final exam for the WSET Diploma. My Wine-iversary needed to be celebrated! My husband Bruce and I are still going strong, and we decided to mark the occasion of our now 30-year relationship with a …
I’m currently launching a new business with my partner-in-wine Melanie Webber, called Wine Tarts, hosting team-building exercises using wine as the tool. We really enjoy our sessions with various teams of friends, family and corporate colleagues, and everyone seems to have fun exploring their wine palates together. At my “day job” at the Wine House …
There’s nothing better than gathering with fellow wine lovers to share some new and favorite bottles, talk about the wines, and leave fortified with enhanced wine knowledge. Over the past month, I’ve been to a wine-geek dinner party, a festival of rosé wines, a smaller tasting of Italian wines, and most recently to a “virtual” …
If it swims, pair with Fino. If it flies, pair with Amontillado. If it runs away from you, pair with Palo Cortado, If it runs toward you, pair with Oloroso. This slightly altered mnemonic from the www.sherry.wine Web site was recited during a recent Sherry seminar by Andrew Mulligan, a portfolio manager with Skurnik Wines. The …
French oak casks are used at Chapel Down My recent trip to the U.K. of course included a trip to the wine country in County Kent, about a half-hour train ride southeast of London. In my last post, I talked about my visit to the Gusbourne, a lovely artisan producer of mostly vintage sparkling wine …
Double-decker buses, pubs, royalty, theatre, Downton Abbey — these are the things most of us associate with the British Isles, but how many would think about English wine? Not many, I’m sure, but this island off the northwest coast of Europe, which falls just north of the 50th parallel — long considered the northern boundary …