Q: What are the real differences between Champagne vs. Prosecco and why does one cost so much more than the other? A: The quick answer is Champagne is from France and Prosecco is from Italy, but there are some other things to know about both wines –especially if you like bubbly wine. Champagne Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne reg
Dry Gewürztraminer: The First Wine of Spring
Gewürztraminer is typically one of the first wines to get released after the new year in early spring. If you love spice-driven cuisines such as Thai, Indian and Arabic foods, you’ll find Gewürztraminer to be a perfect match. You can typically pick up a decent bottle for around $10 and an exceptional Gewürztraminer for $16–22. Gewürz: ‘
The 10 Commandments of Wine
If there were 10 commandments of wine what would they be? Do you already follow the most important principles to know about wine? Find out. The 10 Commandments of Wine 1. Honor thy wine Appreciate where your wine is from and, in doing so, you appreciate your tastebuds. 2. Expand thy palate Try a new and different wine variety, style, region or coun
The Secrets of Top Cabernet Sauvignon Brands
We all need the ideal list of good red wine brands so we can stock up. But with over 100,000 wines released every year in the United States, it’s a sea of choices. So, for this article, we’re taking a closer look at the defining traits of top Cabernet Sauvignon-based red wine brands. Why Cabernet? Well, because as it’s the world&#
What is Madeira? The Island Wine
Learn about Madeira wine, from how it tastes, the different styles to advice on Madeira in cooking and cocktails. Madeira used to be the most popular wine in America during the time of pioneering ideologues like John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. So when you taste Madeira, you are trying what people cared about over 200 years ago. Madeira is in fact,
Diageo moving towards “content information” on wine labels
No one much noticed last Friday’s report in the Wall Street Journal that Diageo is going to start listing calorie counts “and other content information” on its spirits, including Johnnie Walker Scotch and Smirnoff vodka, “in what it said was a first for the industry.” That nugget was buried on page B5 of the newspaper, on the same page as the weat
How wine can be as cool as beer and cocktails
It’s certainly true, as Robert Parker pointed out in his recent interview in The Drinks Business, that high wine prices are “a problem and a concern” and that they are creating “a caste system” in which “the younger generation” cannot afford top wines from regions such as “Burgundy, or Bordeaux, or from California.” But there’s nothing really new
Wine writing: imprecise, and art
Yes, wine writing is “an imprecise art,” as the headline on Philip White’s opinion piece in the Adelaide (Australia) InDaily News says. As someone who’s had lots of experience in wine writing (magazines, books, blogs), I’m the first to authenticate Philip’s viewpoint that “writing about smells and flavours and the feelings they impart is as imprec
What about those reports that “weaker wines are better than stronger ones”?
You’ve probably read about it: According to Fox News, a new study out of Spain has been widely reported to “prove” that “People think weaker wine tastes better.” But, in fact, the study doesn’t show that at all; and much of the second-hand reporting on the study actually shows how lazy journalists can be. For example, the Fox account of the study
American AgCredit Sweepstake Winemakers
A record-breaking 6,417 wines throughout 28 states were entered in competition, and the following wines received the prestigious American AgCredit Sweepstake Awards, signifying the best of the best. Gloria Ferrer - 2010 Blanc De Blancs, Carneros, $42 Dr. Konstantin Frank- 2013 Riesling, Semi Dry, Finger Lakes, New York $14.99 Sonoma-Cutrer - 2012 P
Delicacies delight as the public tasting highlights specialty foods from California purveyors
Delicacies delight as the public tasting highlights specialty foods from California purveyors A sweet dessert wine is much more enjoyable when coupled with a nibble of chocolate, and that crisp Chardonnay just seems to burst when accompanied with the perfect bite of cheese. The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition celebrates the art of food and
Tri Valley: At Gallagher’s, it’s always a great day for a Guinness
Sunshine Gallagher’s twinkling eyes get teary when she recalls her dad, Jim Gallagher, who spent a cheery life behind bars of his own making. The Pub transforms into 9,000 square feet of family-friendly bar on St. Patrick’s Day, stretching onto the patio and into the tented parking lot with live music by Toucan Jam and the Leprechauns. To help soak
Monterey: Salvatore Rombi, one-man winemaker of Carmel Valley
He has 14 rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, seven rows of Merlot and two rows of still experimental Petit Syrah. two rescue dogs, a terrier named Alibaba and Bella the German shorthaired pointer, who like to tear up and down the rows keeping things interesting. at the tasting room he opened in Carmel Valley Village in August 2013, Rombi is the sole emplo
Monterey: Upcoming events
Upcoming events Upcoming events Ticket prices vary. 23rd annual Winemaker’s Celebration: 2-5 p.m., May 2. $65/main event; $95 VIP. Carmel Art Festival: Carmel-by-the-Sea (Mission Street, between Ocean and 6th Street). www. California Roots Music & Arts Festival: Ticket prices vary. Ticket and venue info TBA. www.artichoke-festival.org Ticket pr
NY Drinks NY: Tasting New York In 60 Minutes Or Less
Since I recently moved back to New York state, I looked forward to the NY Drinks NY tasting for weeks as a way to plunge back in and get reacquainted with New York wine. But then a business lunch ran late and I hoofed it in to Astor Center with barely an hour to spare. Merda! With thirty-five producers, seven wines (roughly) apiece, and 60 or so m
Walter Channing, Founder of Channing Daughters Winery, Has Died
Credit: Daniel Gonzalez As first reported by Edible East End, Walter Channing, founder and partner of Channing Daughters Winery, died last week at the age of 74 after a long illness. Our thoughts go out to the Channing Family and the Channing Daughters Winery team. Read the Edible East End piece for more about Mr. Channing.