A good article from The Wine Stalker on SULFITES and their supposed effects. (LINK).
Category Archives: Wine Education
PESTICIDES IN FRENCH VINEYARDS – YES OR NO?
The NYTimes has an interesting article on the conflict arising in France and other countries regarding the move to organic and biodynamic practices in those countries. It is an interesting read for those who enjoy French Wines. The chart, from VinePair.com shows French Regions and the related varietals.
WHAT’S WITH CORKAGE FEES? SOME ANSWERS
This article from the LA Times website, pointed out by our friends @AlmaSolWinery via Twitter, speaks to the issue of corkage fees – something that people often find confusing. A corkage fee is a fee that you pay at a restaurant when you bring your own wine. It normally includes glassware, opening and pouring the wine by the sommelier or server, and disposal of the bottle.
TWO EXCELLENT BLOGS ON WINE “FORMULAS” AND ADDITIVES
The Wine Stalker (LINK) is a wine blog by Joey Casco, CSW, who writes some interesting and knowledgeable stuff. He recently did two posts on “Wine Formulas” – how wineries get their wines to present the way they want them to. The techniques range from blending different varietals in larger quantities than you might think, to adding a variety of additives to the wine during the wine making process, to using procedures to add oxygen or color.
The posts are very fair and objective – giving wine lovers access to information that is otherwise hard to come by, given the lack of wine labeling regulations.
I found it very interesting to see how some of my favorite wines are manipulated to get to that certain place where the scores, and therefore the sales, will peak.
Here are the links to parts one and two of this series.
The Magic Potions & Formulas of Wine – Part 1: Mass Appeal & Cover-ups (LINK)
The Magic Potions & Formulas of Wine – Part 2: Mega Purple and Enologix (LINK)
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT BARBERA – AND YOU DO WANT TO KNOW
This is a very informative article from Snooth.com (LINK) on the up-and-coming nature of Barbera, one of my favorite varietals. Follow the link for the article. What is your experience with Barbera?
TIPS ON DECANTING AND OTHER GOOD WINE AWARENESS
This article (LINK) from WineFolly.com, has some very good information about decanting and serving wines. Decanting, and how long to decant, is often a mystery, and this article gives some good guidelines. There is very little about wine that is exact, so I recommend that you see these as guidelines, then explore and make changes as your experience dictates.
BORDEAUX WINE LABEL DECODER
(LINK to Article) How to decipher a Bordeaux Wine Label.
A very good Wine Enthusiast article that also teaches you a bit about Bordeaux Wines
WINE PHRASES AND WHAT THEY MEAN IN PLAIN ENGLISH
A good article from VINEPAIR.COM on some terms used in wine making and consumption with which you may not be familiar.
TO IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS ON NEW YEARS EVE
Here’s a video on how to sabre a bottle of Champagne:
And a LINK to an article about the history of this practice.
WINE TASTING – JUNK SCIENCE?
In an article called Wine Tasting is Junk Science, David Derbyshire goes over the science of wine tasting. The results are not very good for those who rate wines. Follow the link above for the full and very informative article.
Jim Lockard On Wine 