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…
What Is Rosé?
It’s synonymous with summer. It’s fashionable. It’s crisp. It’s light. It’s not just your grandmother’s White Zinfandel anymore. But what, exactly is Rosé? Speaking in broad general stokes, Rosé is not red wine mixed with white wine – The majority of France actually makes it illegal to do…
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it were not for blending by way of cross pollination or grafting of rootstocks most varieties of grapes that wines were originally made from would have gone extinct at this point in time, replaced by a…
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…