The sommelier at the elegant restaurant deftly cuts the foil on the special bottle of wine she recommended, skillfully utilizes the double-hinged waiters corkscrew to extract the cork, and briskly removes the cork from the worm. In a flourish, she places the cork on the table or a small tray next to you. Continue reading “Cork presentation”
Category: Recent Columns
Halloween
Halloween happens next week, the first of the big three harvest festival events. Continue reading “Halloween”
Ten dollar wine
Last week we visited Super Value wine—stuff costing $5 or less. What about the next tier—wines that cost around $10? Continue reading “Ten dollar wine”
Super value wine
Super value wines are those priced around $5 or less. Sounds like a great deal—a super deal. Continue reading “Super value wine”
Alcohol study
At first glance, a recent study published in The Lancet appears to be bad news for those who enjoy alcoholic beverages. Continue reading “Alcohol study”
How to enjoy wine
Sometimes wine’s kaleidoscope of terms and traditions, wine’s labyrinth of grape varieties and vinification techniques, and the obnoxious actions of wine snobs can overwhelm and discourage people from getting into wine. Continue reading “How to enjoy wine”
Autumnal equinox
With summer’s expiration date on September 22, is it time to ditch those bright, light, delicious wines you enjoyed when fish were jumpin’ and cotton was high? Continue reading “Autumnal equinox”
Harvest time
Now is the time of reckoning for Northern Hemisphere grape farmers, the time when they harvest the results of their previous six months of toil, sweat, and hope, which in turn is built on years, decades, centuries of effort. Continue reading “Harvest time”
Aging wine
How long should wine age, and what happens when it does? Continue reading “Aging wine”
Labor Day
Labor Day is the bittersweet holiday. Fading soon into memory go dreams both fulfilled and dashed for your favorite baseball team, your family vacation, your time with the grandkids or grandparents. Falling leaves, coming soon, signal the great harvest feasts, the coming of winter, and acknowledgement we are in the afternoon of yet another of our allotted annual treks around the sun. Continue reading “Labor Day”