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”
Category: Recent Columns
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”
Synthetic wine
Perhaps coming soon to a wine shop near you, an almost-perfect copy of a high quality wine made in a laboratory using no grapes and no fermentation. Continue reading “Synthetic wine”
Whole cluster fermentation
An increasing number of wine labels tout “whole cluster fermentation.” What does that mean and should you care? Continue reading “Whole cluster fermentation”
Cool-warm wine climates
Climate is a vital variable in vino. Continue reading “Cool-warm wine climates”
Alcohol
Alcohol by volume (ABV) numbers on a wine label give the illusion of precision—they go to tenths of percents—but pull back the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) curtain and, surprise, you discover almost nothing is what it seems. Continue reading “Alcohol”
Wine bricks
Never underestimate the ingenuity of those who make wine and those who enjoy wine. Continue reading “Wine bricks”
Chill reds in summer
It is high summer—time for chilled whites and rosés. Red wines need not apply. Except that is not correct. Continue reading “Chill reds in summer”
Airplane wine
With summer vacation season, some of you will be flying in airplanes. Wine may be offered. Be prepared for the pain of plane wine. Continue reading “Airplane wine”