- Swartland: South Africa’s Dry-Farmed Frontier
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Twenty-five years ago, Swartland was better known for wheat fields, cooperative wineries, and the production of inexpensive bulk wine than for bottles attracting international attention. Today, some of South Africa's most respected producers work in this region, making wines from vineyards that were once valued primarily for the quantity of fruit they could deliver.mail read more
- Vin Jaune: The Jura’s Six-Year Wine
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Vin Jaune is one of the few wines in the world that spends more than six years in barrel before it can legally reach the consumer. It is never topped up during its extended maturation, develops beneath a film of yeast, and is traditionally bottled in an unusual 62 cl bottle known as the clavelin. It also has an extraordinary reputation for longevity. Properly stored examples can remain remarkably expressive after several decades, and a handful of historic bottles have survived for more than two centuries.mail read more
- Savagnin: From Fresh Jura Whites to Vin Jaune
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Savagnin is best known as the grape behind Vin Jaune, one of the most distinctive and age-worthy white wines in the world. Most wine enthusiasts recognize the characteristic 62 cl clavelin bottle and associate the wine with walnuts, curry spices, and an unmistakable oxidative character. But reducing Savagnin to Vin Jaune overlooks much of what makes this grape interesting. Depending on where it is grown and how it is handled in the cellar, Savagnin can produce remarkably different wines.mail read more
- Wine Aromas – Le Nez du Vin
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People often ask me how I can be sure that the aromas I say I smell are what they are and not another. “Is it really strawberry instead of raspberry?” they ask. I can understand why people feel the need to ask this question. All too often, wine aromas are confused or misinterpreted, making it difficult to identify the wine being described. So, just how does one learn to accurately distinguish and describe wine aromas? In my professional opinion and based on my personal experience, the simplest way to learn to differentiate the aromas in wine is by using the Wine Aromas’ (Le Nez du Vin) wine education kit developed by Jean Lenoir.mail read more
- Swiss Wine Facts
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Not much is known about Swiss wine outside of Switzerland. When people think of Switzerland, they usually think of skiing, chocolates, cheeses, watches, and private banking, among other things. Where does wine fit into all this, and why don’t we know much about it? Vineyards of Lavaux , Vaud, Switzerlandmail read more
How much wine does Switzerland produce? To put Switzerland’s wine production into perspective, I will compare it with California.
- What are Super Tuscan Wines?
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A great question with a very simple answer. Super Tuscan wines (or Super Tuscans) are wines from Tuscany (Italy), and they have the following characteristics: At least 85% of Super Tuscan wines consist of grapes produced in Tuscany to receive IGT cassification The Super Tuscans’ winemaking process does not adhere to the local appellation lawmail read more
View of Montepulciano, Tuscany What does that mean exactly? Makers of Super Tuscan wines do not use Sangiovese as the dominant varietal.
- Wine Styles: New World vs. Old World Wines
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It is common belief that Old World wines refer to wines from the Old World (specifically wine regions in countries like France, Italy and Spain) and that New World wines refer to wines from the USA, South America and Australia. This benchmark might have been true in the past but, nowadays, one can no longer rely on this simplistic classification. Today, when we pit New World wines against Old World wines, we are actually comparing the wine styles and the wine making processes more than the wines’ place of origin.mail read more
- How Does Champagne Differ from Sparkling Wines?
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What is the difference between champagne and sparking wine? For that matter, is there really any difference between champagne and sparkling wines? These are questions I get asked all the time. I figured they are a worthy blog subject, so here goes.mail read more
Champagne and sparkling wine are different. Champagne is different from sparkling wines. The difference between them may not seem very “significant,” but the difference – however slight – remains.
- Wine Preservation: The Best Way to Preserve an Open Bottle of Wine
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What is the best way to preserve an open bottle of wine? This is a question that I have always answered but have never written about. Read on to know the answer. Specifically, I will discuss the two main methods of wine preservation (the vacuum pump method and the inert gas method) and the method I personally use to preserve wines.mail read more
- What Are Rosé Wines and How Are They Made?
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Today, my son asked me, “What are rose wines and how are they made?” I realized that this would make a worthy subject to discuss in this wine blog especially as it is during the summer months that we enjoy rose wines the most. Rose wines are made of red grapes or red grape varietals. Rose champagne or rose sparkling wines are exceptions because they are also made with white grapes or white grape varietals (I say varietals because Chardonnay is not the only white grape used to make sparkling wines).mail read more