Category: Facts About Wine

Minerality is an imprecise, controversial wine descriptor. Does it mean anything? Does it mean whatever someone wants it to mean? Continue reading →

Before you can appreciate a wine you have to open it. In times past, that meant pulling a cork from a glass bottle. Not so much today. Continue reading →

COVID has disrupted our lives for almost two years. Wine did not dodge that viral bullet. Continue reading →

Finding words to describe wine overflows with challenges and trouble. To steal from Martin Mull, writing about wine is like dancing about architecture. Continue reading →

Sherry has a bad reputation engendered by sweet sherries and cooking sherries. Move past that. Continue reading →

Champagne and prosecco are sparkling wines. Both can be delicious, liven up an event, pair well with many foods. But they are completely different wines. Comparisons: Continue reading →

Pale amber-brown color; flor, earth, bread yeast, pineapple, lemon, almond, sea air on the nose; chamomile, almond, citrus, smoke, salinity on the palate. Continue reading →

Deep gold color; bread baking, flor, almonds, spice, sea air on the nose; salted almond, lemon, honey, white peach, smoky bacon, salinity on the palate. Continue reading →

In the worlds of indulgent pleasures, people can obsess over the accouterments. Wine glasses (stemware) break into that territory. Standard glass or crystal? Continue reading →

While wine snobbery may be irritating, it certainly is nothing new. Some 2,800 years ago, the Greek poet Homer in The Iliad and The Odyssey used wine references to signal privilege. The higher in society in Homer’s day, the better wine you drank. Continue reading →