Decoded: Blends

Let’s talk blends, and what the language your local wine shop representative uses actually means. At the top of the blending language list we have Champagne and Bordeaux. The word Champagne is synonymous with being expensive, of quality, for celebrations, and from Champagne, France.  Champagne is generally made…

Decoded: Blending

Blending is essential for all wines.  It can be argued that if it were not for blending by way of cross pollination or grafting of rootstocks most varieties of grapes that wines were originally made from would have gone extinct at this point in time, replaced by a…

Decoded: Oregon Chardonnay

While Chardonnay takes a distant third place in plantings in Oregon (behind Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris), more interest, investment and development has continued to be behind growth and plantings of the grape to develop its market presence and the potential diversity of its stylings. Oregon Chardonnay runs…

Wine Decoded: Oak vs. Stainless Steel

If you’ve ever purchased wine in a restaurant or wine shop where a Sales Associate was in tow, I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again the mention of oak aged or stainless steel aged in regard to the wines.  American oak, French oak, Hungarian oak, stainless steel,…

Wine Decoded: Delineated

While there are many terms that your Sommelier may use that are familiar (i.e. apples, pears, lemon zest, etc.…), one that is commonly used but oft looked over by the consumer is the idea of delineated fruits or delineated characteristics in the wines. In my younger years I’d…