Category: Recent Columns

Sixty years ago, Texas wine was a curious microdot in the wine world. Two Texas Tech professors piddled around with a few grapevines, originally intending to make grape jelly to supplement their income. Continue reading →

It used to be simple. Good wine had a natural cork. Cheap wine had a screw top. Not any more. Continue reading →

I find Perplexity a useful AI tool researching wine and other topics. In an act of hubris, I challenged it to evaluate Gus Clemens on Wine. Continue reading →

By best estimate, there are some 10,000 different grape varieties in the world. If you tasted a different one every day, it would take you more than 27 years to complete the task. Thankfully, the world of wine is confined to a smaller number. Continue reading →

It is a new year and there are sweeping changes in wine bottle sizes in America. Yep, wine makers and glass blowers have a whole new tool kit to entice you into experiencing whatever elixir they have conjured from grape juice and yeast and wood and whatever else the white-coated wine wizards have procured. Continue reading →

Valentine’s Day cometh, time for expressing love and affection, although one can argue that should be on your to-do list every day. Continue reading →

Wine columnists are expected to have opinions, and I have many. Here are four to rile up readers. Continue reading →

Wine labels and wine reviews may include various references to wine blending. Some are specific and informative. Others are distinctions without a difference. Let’s explore the most common blending terms. Continue reading →

Blending is essential to making some of the world’s most iconic wines. We explored the several ways to blend last week. This week, specific wines created by blending. Continue reading →

In general, wines can be divided into varietals and blends. This being wine, it is not so black-and-white simple. Let’s explore. Continue reading →