by Claire L. Torbeck, Certified Sommelier
I thoroughly enjoyed a 2009 Tronquoy-Lalande last evening. The wine was inky in color thanks to the addition of Petit Verdot in this St. Estephe Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Tight at first, the nose opened up to black cherries, dark berries, tobacco with a hint of French roasted coffee and minerality. The oak structure was present but soft and the oak was well integrated in the wine. On the palate, it still had primary fruit flavors with good structure and soft tannins. The finish was long and all the elements described were evident in the finale. A really good bottle of Left Bank Bordeaux! The media touted 2009 as a great vintage just to turn around in 2010 and claim it as the better of the two. The 2009 vintage had almost perfect weather and growing conditions...
by Danny Klein And Frances Denmark
Many times, I have poured a glass of wine for someone in the wine industry… After a sip, their face lights up and they ask me where the wine is from. I reply, “New Jersey” and their lit-up face goes into puzzlement. “NJ? Yes, really NJ.” I’ve had this experience with many wine “Rock Stars” such as Peter Mondavi Jr, Chuck Wagner and Joel Peterson as well as many others deep in the wine industry. Once the puzzled look leaves their face, they turn to a “well how about that” look as if they thought about it and it makes sense. Bill Heritage was first struck by the wine bug at a 1997 apple and peach convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania. A fourth generation New Jersey fruit farmer, Heritage decided to check out the wine grapes program on the last day of the event. One ses...
by Marla Durben Hirsch
If you live near a wine region or are traveling to one, it may make sense to purchase a local membership wine pass. A wine pass – sometimes called a wine passport – enables you to take advantage of discounts and other offers at local wineries, such as two for one tastings, waived tasting fees if you buy a bottle, or a bonus pour. You can easily recoup the cost of the pass with the benefits it provides. A wine pass may also introduce you to a great winery you had not heard of or a type of wine you haven’t had. But there are ways to get the most use out of a wine pass. Below are some of our recommendations to keep in mind about using a membership wine pass. Do: Check what the wine pass includes before buying it. Are there many wineries participating? Are they ones you are inte...
by Marla Durben Hirsch
Burgundy, France is one of the world’s most outstanding wine regions, and its vineyards are a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the sheer number of wineries can be overwhelming. And at more than 186 miles in size, it’s impossible to see everything all at once. A variety of different tour companies operate Burgundy wine experiences, and there are several ways to break the region down so you can maximize your experience, depending on how much time you have. While you can stay in Burgundy wine country, we’ve used both Lyon to the South and Dijon to the North as our home base to tour this region. Both are wonderful cities worth a few days in themselves. Below, we’ll describe a few of the Burgundy wine experiences we have most enjoyed. We hope you find these suggestions helpful o...
by Marla Durben Hirsch
Going on a wine tour is a great way to learn about the wine in an area. However, these trips vary tremendously; you don’t want to spend money on a tour and end up disappointed. Here are some suggestions to help you choose a wine tour that suits you best. 1) Do your research. Conduct an internet search to find out what tours are offered in the region you wish to visit. Tour sites that aggregate tours and activities, such as Get Your Guide and Viator, can help you start. Don’t limit yourself to just the aggregators, since a lot of tour operators don’t work with these companies. Cast a wide net to start to see what options you have. I usually start by Googling the region I’m visiting to see what options are out there. 2) Narrow down the type of tour you’re looking for. D...
by Bob Mcginn
MSN has the story of Hawskmoor, a steakhouse in Manchester, England, where a diner was accidentally given – and not charged for – a bottle of 2001 Chateau le Pin Pomerol worth the equivalent of $5,772 (US). (He had ordered a bottle in the $300 range … but the restaurant was busy and the wines apparently are kept near each other.) According to the story, “The restaurant eventually realized the mistake and took to social media on Thursday morning to congratulate the diner for his stroke of luck, while simultaneously reassuring the person responsible for the costly error.” The tweet read: “To the customer who accidentally got given a bottle of Chateau le Pin Pomerol 2001, which is £4,500 on our menu, last night – hope you enjoyed your evening!” And: “To the member of sta...
by Grain D'orge Brewery
There is no denying that beer made in a microbrewery has a touch of extra care and is more flavoursome. Well, that’s how beer lovers like to believe. And when it is about microbrewery and great beer it is almost impossible to ignore the importance of Belgium. Each year many beer connoisseurs travel to the Europe for a fantastic Belgium brewery tour. And these breweries are not your usual industrial places, but microbrewery. So let’s first talk about what is a microbrewery and why are they so much loved. In the matter of scale, a microbrewery is comparatively smaller like a home-run business. And yes, that's why they are termed as micro. For instance, an industrial brewery will produce millions of barrels of beer as the yearly production. But a microbrewery will only produce about 15,...
by Morgan Franklin
There is something about the rich and fruity red wine that attracts a lot of fans - both connoisseurs and casual drinkers. As we start to emerge from winter, some will start to leave the red behind in far of a sharp and tangy white wine for summer evenings out in the garden, but those who like a red wine know it’s a drink designed to be enjoyed all year round - not just on chilly winter evenings. Some people like to splash out to buy the very best wines money can buy. They like to spend vast sums of money finding wines that have aged for a long time and those from the very best vineyards. But then there are the rest of us who, either, don’t have the money to shell out for the most exquisite wines, or know you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy the very best flavours red wine has...
by Morgan Franklin
There are a handful of countries that are world renowned for their delicious, rich wines. All wine lovers will be able to reel off some of these heavy hitters in quick succession. Have a think. There will be a few that pop into your head straight away. You’ve most likely already thought of France, Italy, and Spain among others. New Zealand and Australia might be up there too. These five are among the titans of global wine making, and for good reason. For the first three in particular, wine is a major export. For example, France produced a whopping 47 million hectolitres in 2014, Italy an equally impressive 45 million, and Spain 43 million. That’s a lot of wine. These country’s wines have gained strong reputations for being the finest wines in the world, and huge amounts of sales hav...
by Bob Ecker
The State of Chardonnay 2019 By Bob Ecker, Feb. 21, 2019 Word Count: 1265 Napa: According to The Nielsen Company which measures such things, Chardonnay continues to be the largest selling varietal by case value and volume on the market, amongst off-premise food and wine stores. With an 18.7 market share in sales as of September 9, 2018, Chardonnay is the most sold and consumed wine in America. In 2017, California reported 93,452 planted acres and crushed 614,000 tons of Chardonnay. That equals a lot of bottles of Chardonnay. Apparently, the people who keep predicting that Chardonnay will go out of favor continue to be mistaken. “It seems like every year I read about this or that trend being on the rise but after 35 plus years in this business what I still see are people who wa...
