Grapevine

Significant strides have been made in the last quarter century by women in the American wine industry who have been given the opportunity to ply their trade. These women have been able to infiltrate the industry based on their proven

The profile and style of the most popular wines have been similar for centuries: a certain balance of fruit and acidity, a mild tannic backbone and an ethereal olfactory impression. However, in the last few decades that profile has seen

In last week’s column we delved into the world of high-end wines and the exorbitant prices they command. My focus was on the La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru bottling, produced by the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, most commonly known by its

What is it that makes a wine desirable? Is it its underlying ethereal essence that sets it apart from others? Is it the prestige of its provenance? The exorbitant price that makes it unattainable to all but a wealthy few?

Last week I discussed the history and development of the Champagne region of France. From the early plantings of the Romans in pre-Christian times through its evolution into a favored sparkling wine in the 17th century, Champagne was subjected to

There are many wine terms tossed around that are useful to describe wine. I’ve referred to a number of them in previous columns. Some of the terms describe style: austere, fruit-forward, bold, flabby. Some describe the inherent components of a

“It’s like putting new wine in old bottles.” I recently heard this time-worn phrase as a politically charged comment on proposed federal legislation. I began thinking of this in the context of wine. The wine industry has evolved more in

I’ve written on numerous occasions that today’s wines are of the highest quality and greatest value in the history of wine. A mere 50 years ago (which is a small sip in the 6,000-year history of wine), poor growing techniques

Over the weekend, I was enjoying a glass of Zinfandel for the first time in a long time. I began to contemplate an element of Zinfandel other than its terroir and unique flavor profile – its place in the grand

Recently, our family came over for dinner (first time in a long pandemic-time) and we were enjoying one of my wife’s new chicken recipes and a bottle of Austrian Grüner Veltliner. My granddaughter noticed the wine bottle on the table