You would never drink coffee with your steak. Or have sushi with chocolate milk. There are some combinations that do not go together, and that’s the same when it comes to pairing your food and wine. While we all may break the rules here and there (guilty!), there are reasons why you pair certain foods […]
Would you spend years studying for a test if you knew there was only a pass rate of less than 10%? The Master Sommelier examination is viewed as the toughest test in the world – only 236 people have passed. Many people on the outside wonder, “what’s the point? Why is it worth it?” But […]
How would you feel if you purchased a fake bottle of wine for thousands of dollars from a man that you considered a friend? That’s the question many in the wine industry found themselves asking after Rudy Kurniawan came into their lives. When Rudy first came into the wine scene, he was a friend to […]
Feat. Merlot Merlot originated in Bordeaux, France and is the most widely planted grape in France, even ahead of the ever so popular cabernet sauvignon (with whom it shares a father – cabernet franc). The first merlot grape was used in a Bordeaux wine blend with cabernet sauvignon in the 1700s. Though the grape […]
Feat. Moscato Moscato is made from muscat grapes, which hail from the Mediterranean (specifically Italy). Muscat is a large group of ancient grapes rather than a single variety. It’s the muscat grape that scientists think was the first cultivated variety of grape. Famous for being a sweet wine, moscato is one of the most […]
Feat. Pinot Noir Nearly 2000 years ago, pinot noir originated in France. Over the course of that time, it has become that parent (and grandparent) to many other grapes and has been cloned hundreds of times. (VinePair has an excellent in depth history of pinot noir if you’re interested in learning more.) Pinot noir […]
Feat. Chardonnay Originating in France, chardonnay has become one of the most popular wines in the world. It wasn’t until the 1960s when it started to gain widespread popularity; however, now there are nearly 100,000 acres of chardonnay in California alone. Despite its popularity, chardonnay is one of the most polarizing wines amongst […]
Feat. Tempranillo Known for being Spain’s most famous red grape, tempranillo is used to make a large variety of Spanish red wines. It is the main grape in the region of Rioja and the main grape in Rioja wine, which some compare to Burgundy. While the grape is often used in blended Spanish wines, non-blended […]
Feat. Syrah Syrah, also known as shiraz, is one of the darkest red wines – darker than cabernet sauvignon. Syrah originated in France and in certain small wine districts in the Rhône Valley, like Hermitage, the only red grape allowed is syrah. When the grapes were planted in Australia and the wine was made […]
In the last 40 years, New Zealand has come up as a great wine making country (especially when it comes to their sauvignon blanc). Though they may not be the size of their oceanic neighbor, they use the space they do have to make some delicious wines. Wine making has been around in New Zealand […]
