Articles

The thing about Burgundy, Louis Latour Côte de Beaune Villages 2013

by  |  18-01-2016

There are but a few French region names that elicit such exuberance as Burgundy and more specifically, the Côte d'Or. You can't really go wrong with that name. Even in English, "The Golden Slope" is... more »

Ronan Sayburn on “natural” wine

by  |  14-01-2016

Often people ask, "What's the difference between a Master Sommelier and a Master of Wine?" Well, one certification is about expert wine service and the other about expert wine studies. They both need to know... more »

Meet DO Terra Alta and the 2015 harvest

by  |  13-01-2016

So, where to start with DO Terra Alta? It's probably best to say that they're the most southern of Catalonia's denominations of origin. They're also one of the highest in terms of altitude with elevations... more »

A review of “The Oxford Companion to Wine 4th Ed.”

by  |  11-01-2016

So 2015 saw two big firsts for me. I adopted my first dog (the new star of my personal Instagram as well as his own.) The second was that I bought my first copy of... more »

Who are top wine influencers on social media? No one.

by  |  08-01-2016 ~ 6 Comments

I love it when articles like this one come out listing the top people in wine social media. My reason for loving this is quite simple in that it allows me to use a word... more »

Adrien Vacher – Roussette de Savoie Cuvée Réservée 2014

by  |  07-01-2016 ~ 1 Comment

For Christmas, I don't usually ask for much but this year I said, "Okay, my tasting experience in French whites is flabby on some fronts. Get me a box of the following AOPs..." Said box... more »

The rest of 2016

by  |  05-01-2016

Continued from yesterday, a few more observations about what's to come in 2016 in general and outside of Catalonia. Southern France I just received an email from Michel Blanc in Châteauneuf going on at length... more »

Catalan wines in 2016

by  |  04-01-2016

With the start of January comes that typical moment in the wine world of retrospection, reflection, and prediction. I think that most of this due to winemakers not having much to do in the cellars... more »

Cava versus Champagne

by  |  30-12-2015

With New Year's Eve just around the corner and having slogged through multiple bottles of sparkling wine during the Christmas meals, I felt it a good time to talk about Champagne and Cava. One should... more »

Taking the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 2 – Certified Sommelier Exam

by  |  28-12-2015 ~ 20 Comments

You read up on the differences between the WSET & the Court of Master Sommeliers, you went the sommelier path and you passed the CMS Level 1. Thus, you have arrived. Now, is where it... more »