Wine
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What is Regenerative Agriculture? This Wine Enthusiast Podcast Tells All!
Just what is regenerative agriculture? It’s not just another trendy buzzword meant to entice consumers. It’s an ancient form of agriculture making its way back into mainstream farming. It’s successful not only in producing and sustaining quality agricultural products, like wine grapes, but it’s also successful in combating climate change, the effects of drought, and…
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How the Fall of the Soviet Union Changed Wine Forever
One of the 20th century’s most seminal moments occurred in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, and communist rule ended across much of the Eastern Bloc. With the fall of communism, agricultural land seized and operated by the state was returned to its original owners. It was among the most significant seismic shifts in the…
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Have You Ever Wondered What ‘Chewy’ Means When Describing Wine?
At first glance, it may seem odd to apply the same textural assessment to wine as one would to a chocolate chip cookie. But if wine can be crunchy, it can be chewy too. “A chewy wine would be overtly structured or concentrated,” says Chris Fladwood, winemaker at Soter Vineyards in Carlton, Oregon. “I’m thinking…
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No, Corkscrew? Here’s How to Open a Wine Bottle Without One
Maybe you rented a vacation house that isn’t fully stocked. Perhaps you’re camping or in the middle of moving and can’t find a single cardboard box labeled “kitchen.” No matter the reason, learning how to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew is guaranteed to come in handy at some point. Many corkscrews function similarly: You…
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California’s Surfing Winemakers Tell Us Their Secret & It’s All About Balance
Whether concerned about our warming climate or a desire to produce fresher wines, California vintners are fascinated by growing grapes as close to the Pacific Ocean as possible for all kinds of reasons. With most vineyards located less than six miles from the shore, the recently approved San Luis Obispo Coast appellation emphasizes this quest.…
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5 Questions With Carlo Mondavi ‘I Never Imagined My Life Outside of the Vineyards’
Imagine growing up in a family whose name is one of the most famous in the entire world. For Carlo Mondavi, grandson of Napa luminary Robert Mondavi, success is about more than what’s in the bottle. “Both my father and grandfather had and still have an immense impact on me,” says Carlo Mondavi, grandson…
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Here’s How to Make a Vermouth Limoncello, Plus 4 Bottles for Every Season
Skip Tognetti, owner, and founder of Seattle-based Letterpress Distilling made arancello (an orange version of the liqueur) as a way to express his Italian heritage while pushing beyond limoncello. “Blood orange is almost ubiquitous in Sicily and part of Calabria,” he explains. “I thought it would be fun as a seasonal thing”—the fruit typically peaks…
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We Gathered 8 of Our Favorite Grüner Veltliners You MUST Try!
Austrian wine has made its definitive statement with Grüner Veltliner. The common cliché is that Grüner is a refreshing white with aromas and flavors of citrus and white pepper. However, in the right hands, Grüner transcends the character of the terroir and the winemaker’s personality. It’s little wonder it has long been Austria’s signature…
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Here Are The Craziest Flavored Beers In The Biz and the Brewers Behind Them
In the early days of Eleven Madison Park, Augie Carton would regularly sit at the bar and order the five-spice duck, a signature dish from Chef Daniel Humm. Adorned with cumin, coriander, lavender, red Sichuan peppercorn, and honey, it would be served with seasonal fruit: strawberries in summer, apples in the fall, figs, and plums…
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One Getaway Changed the Way My Partner And I View Wine Forever!
It’s common in relationships to not fully understand what your partner’s job entails. We’re all busy trying to perfect our own job skills. There isn’t much time left in the day to decipher your SO’s day-to-day job description—or even their formal title. My partner understands I write about wine, but they assumed my job was…