Bordeaux & Bourgogne terms to make it easier to understand French wine. Chateau: a country house where wine is made in Bordeaux. Clos: enclosed, walled vineyard in Burgundy, used to protect the grapes from theft. Each parcels could belong to a different person. Climats: small individual plots that have a particular microclimate. In Bordeaux it is called Terroir….
From Dirt to Greatness: Douro Valley, an important Port Wine Region.
Situated in Portugal’s northern provinces, the Douro Valley is home to one of the most popular grapes in Portugal, Touriga Nacional. This grape, together with 50 (yes, 50!)or more other varieties, is used to make one of the most famous fortified wines in the World, PORT WINE. The vineyards or Quintas, are located in Hillside Terraces along the Douro river…
St Emilion: Wine Tasting, “Chateau hopping”
French wines are a national treasure. As such, they are very heavily guarded and regulated. The St Emilion region is one of the best so all the Chateaux are subject to inspections by the government and need to comply with certain rules in order to be classified as the best. St Emilion Chateaux were classified…
What is a Second Label from Bordeaux’s Chateaux? Not to be confused with Second Growth Bordeaux wine.
What is a Second Growth wine? More than 150 years ago, in 1855, Napoleon III ordered the classification of top red wine Chateaux from Bordeaux for the Paris Universal Exhibit. 60 from Medoc where selected as First Growth or Premier Cru plus one from Graves, Chateau Haut-Brion. The selection was based solely on the price of…
…And I made it to Bordeaux!
Since last summer, when I finished my studies at CAFA Sommelier School of Bordeaux, I became curious about going to visit Bordeaux. It sounds like a natural goal to have after becoming a sommelier, right? So I asked our teacher, Rosanna, for advice on places to go and then set my expectations to low so as not…
Bottles to Impress
I recently went to a wine tasting at Vistas Restaurant in Ponce. We tasted wines from Pio Cesare winery. It was hosted by Horreo de V Suarez and given by one of the owners of the winery, Pio Boffa, 4th generation winemaker and grandson of Pio Cesare. This made it extra fun. Thanks to El Horreo de…
Bottles to Impress
Top 100 list from winespectator.com chose Lewis Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from Napa Valley as their #1 pick. This wine is one of my favorites, even though the price tag is high for a new to wine person. It costs about $90 per bottle. What makes this wine great? We can start by saying it has…
Tasting Tricks – grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon
Now comes the fun part. We need to put to test all that we have learned about tasting. We need to practice. This is tough work, I know!:) In order to start developing our wine palate, we need to start tasting wines and we need to memorize its color and aroma. First of all, we…
Wine term of the Week
Tannins are one of the 5 most important characteristics of wine, remember the others? acid, fruit, body, sweetness. In nature, tannins are plant building blocks that protect, preserve and defend the plant from predators. In general, tannins belong to a group of compounds called phenols. Phenols aka tannins are the reason red wine is an…
Bottles to Impress
Quintessa is a red meritage, Bordeaux style blend from Rutherford, Napa Valley, California. Rutherford has the perfect soil for cabernets. The grapes that are used in a Bordeaux blend are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc & Carmenere. This wine is aromatic and well balanced (acids & tannins). Also it has a long finish (once…
New & Trendy Drinks
Whiskey vs Whisky, which is the correct way to write it? Both are correct, the Scots spell it whisky and the Irish spell it whiskey. So, Monkey Shoulder whisky is from Scotland. It is a blend of 3 malt whiskies: Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie. It is smooth, sweet and easy to drink. On the nose you…
How to Taste Wine Like a Pro.
As we have learned, we start by looking at the glass in a 45 degree angle, away from us and over a white surface. COLOR. For white wine: lighter color indicates: younger age, cooler climate, specific grape and darker color indicates: older age, warmer climate, aged in barrel, specific grape. Red wines are the opposite, if…
New2Wine 