bouquet
Carmenere, the Lost Noble Grape
Santiago, Chile. It has been some time since my last visit. Today I am joined by friend and fellow sommelier, Monseratt Araya. We are in one of her favorite city spots, Cafe Mosqueto. From our patio table, we have a wonderful view of one of the city’s most popular streets. Calle Monjitas, in the Bellas…
Champagnes for Valentine’s Day
I remember the day I came home from Georgetown University. I was so proud of my MA Degree and wanted to share my joy with my grandparents. When I pulled up to the horseshoe drive, I was greeted by my grandfather who had been working on his roses. After the customary pleasantries, Gramps asked me…
Classic Bordeaux That Won’t Break the Bank
A wise man once said that before one can understand anything properly, one has to learn how to love it. For me, this holds true with both wine and women. It seems that the bulk of my time is spent with the pleasurable task of trying to understand the qualities and complexities of wine and…
Romania Birthplace of the Gods of Wine
Legend has it that the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus (who was initially a Thracian god) was born in Romania. It is no surprise that in antiquity, Plato himself, declared the vineyards of Getae (Romania, as it was known to the ancient Greeks) to be the best in the world. Once the Romans came on…
Discovering the Age Old Tradition of Sicilian Wine
According to Greek Mythology, it was the God of pleasure and wine, Dionysus himself who first brought grape vines to Sicily. As we all know, there is always some basis to both legend and folklore. Archeological evidence places Mycenaean traders, as early as 1500 BCE, cultivating grapes on Sicily’s Aeolian Islands. By the 8th century…
Chateau Cheval Blanc 1947 Perhaps the Greatest Wine Ever Made
Recently my friends and I were at a wine and cheese party when the question arose, “what is the greatest wine ever made?” Though many wines were mentioned, only one prevailed like a Titan rising out of the mists in ancient legends. The 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc is the most celebrated wine of the 20th…
Sancerre “Sacred to Caesar”
From the Medieval hilltop town of Sancerre, we have an incredible view overlooking the Loire River. This is the ancestral homeland of antiquity’s powerful Gaullic Celtic tribe, the Bituriges, “The Kings of the World.” After their defeat at the hands of Julius Caesar, a temple was built on a nearby hillside in the Imperator’s (victorious…
Some French Wines that are a Must Try
Today I am joined by friend and fellow sommelier, Ivelisse Negroni. We are in the small historical town of Samur in the French region of Pays de la Loire. This area is renown for its chateaus and of course, their wine. From our patio table, we have a lovely view of the plaza square. We…
Corsican Wines: Perhaps Europe’s Best Kept Secret
Since antiquity, the island of Corsica has been colonized by one Mediterranean power after another. First the Phoenicians, who gave way to the Carthaginians, followed by the Greeks, Etruscans, and eventually, the Romans. There was a time when even the infamous Barbary pirates controlled this sun-drenched and fertile island. It is also quite interesting to…