Grape of the Night explored a varietal that originated in Spain. In fact, it is known as the native or noble grape of Spain. That grape is Tempranillo. This varietal originated in Spain and was believed to be related to Pinot Noir, however, ampelographic studies have shown this not to be the case. This wine…
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…
Have you been wine tasting up in the Northern part of Sonoma County lately? Maybe on a little wine vacation with friends? Yeah, that’s it……..you’ve been tasting great wine, enjoyed beautiful scenery, possibly had a couple of excellent tasting experiences in some of the local tasting rooms. In general, you have been talking, laughing, meeting…
Who actually first distilled vodka? This is a hot point of contention between the countries of Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The word vodka comes from old Slavic, “voda,” meaning “ water.” The earliest documented evidence that mentions vodka comes from Poland. Dating back to 1405, in the Akta Grodzkie, the court documents from the…
The tradition of wine and viticulture is very old in Switzerland. Dating back to the Roman era, highly prized wines were being produced throughout the country. On a recent archaeological dig, a Celtic tomb dating back to the 2nd century BC was unearthed in Valais. The tomb belonged to woman and among her contents was…
The city of Stuttgart is unusual for a German city. The country’s sixth-largest city spreads across rolling hills, valleys, parks, and of course, vineyards. Long time friend and fellow sommelier, Liesel Braun and I have returned to this wonderful city after spending a few days traveling along the banks of the Mosel River, exploring the…
During our Grape of the Night event, where Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc was the star of the night, we found that there was a key taste in most all of these wines. All of the bottles brought were from Southern France thus giving them some commonality in terroir. This would therefore lead one to believe…