Some Somm Bling
It’s almost impossible to buy me a wine-related gift. Or so I’ve been told. I’m pretty sure I own every wine cork/bottle/barrel tchotchke there is. That said, my husband managed to surprise me with a truly unusual gift (that I didn’t already have) after I passed my WSET Diploma Exams . . . an antique […]
Wine, Words & Wednesday, No. 109
Today’s words come to us from Gina Gallo, third generation winemaker and granddaughter of Napa Valley legend, Ernest Gallo. E&J Gallo is the largest winery in the United States (and the world), accounting for nearly 25% of all US wine sales. Gallo owns half the damn wine world (OK, they only own 90 different labels, but it […]
Wine, Words & Wednesday, No. 101
Today’s words come to us from American journalist, critic and satirist, HL Mencken. Mencken is known for his satirical coverage of the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. If you need a memory prod, this was the case where a substitute high school teacher in Tennessee, John Scopes, was accused teaching human evolution, in violation of Tennessee law. Mencken wrote […]
Wine, Words & Wednesday, No. 85 (Is this wine awful or awesome?)
Today’s words come to us from Evan and Brian Mitchell (The Psychology of Wine), via Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible. I’m still steeped in studying for my CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) exam, and Karen MacNeil’s Wine Bible has been helping me sort out some of the more frustrating regions (I’m looking at you, Burgundy). Taken in the original context, the Mitchell’s […]
Wine, Words & Wednesday, No. 65
Today’s words come to us from François-Marie Arouet, aka, Voltaire. Who was Voltaire? Other than some guy you had to study in Western Civilization, Voltaire was an 18th century French Enlightenment writer. His ideas on civil liberties and religious freedom influenced both the American and French Revolutions. Voltaire was a major pain in the back-sides of both the French […]