Blind Tasting Wine
Blind tasting wine can be more challenging than a 1950s quiz show but also more fun. For many wine enthusiasts, it’s a humbling and educational experience. The Challenge of Blind Tasting …
sommelier
Marnie Old, an embattled sommelier?
In the Daily News (many years ago) a much-talked-about gossip column pointed out that longtime Philly sommelier Marnie Old was battling a budding restaurateur.The owners of the Union Trust steakhouse have …
Private Wine Events
In 2009, the Wine School started offering private wine events. This was the press release we sent announcing this new venture. This was a very successful program, which we still run …
Center City Wine School
The Wine School of Philadelphia was originally located in the Fairmount neighborhood. Our first foray downtown was the second floor of a then-new restaurant. This is the press release that announced …
The Very First Summer Sommelier Program!
This press release announced our very first Accelerated Core Wine Course, back in 2009. Since then, we have offered this program every August, with the exception of 2020. The current list …
What is your favorite wine?
A few years back, while channel surfing, I settled on a television rarity – a program about wine that was informative without being insufferably boring or contrived. From Wine Glass to …
The B’More Roadtrip
I was in Baltimore over Labor Day weekend and thought it would be a good time to have dinner at Charleston. I had worked with Chef Cindy Wolf over a decade …
Wasting Away in Wineville
Margaritas and mojitos usually come to mind first, but wine is every bit a part of the laid-back lifestyle that defines Key West. Sure, it is effortless to wander into any …
The Dark Effect of the Wine Glut
Wine prices are meager right now, which is a great deal for us wine drinkers and sommeliers. Problems come in when the prices are too low. This is happening in the …
Chateau D’Alzon 1949 Saint Emilion
The story behind this bottle is intriguing. Discovered in a basement in Philadelphia recently, it was part of a cache of French wines that had been cellared and apparently forgotten about …
The Wine School vs. Vince McMahon
A blast from the past! When the WWE went against the Wine School… Vince McMahon Issues Smackdown Against Wine SchoolPhiladelphia, PA. Vince McMahon is taking on his oddest foe to date: …
The Sommelier Smackdown
To celebrate the notoriety we’ve garnered thanks to being singled out by World Wrestling megabucks impresario Vince McMahon; we recently held a mano a mano a mano red wine competition featuring three of …
Hot Hot Hot
I preach this to the Wine School’s students every chance I get, but since there are readers of the School’s blog who I haven’t yet had the chance to meet, it …
Rocca Normanna 2007 “Le Sciare” Primitivo
Sometimes you’ll hear a sommelier describe a wine as having “good juice“ and not be quite sure what that means. Cantine Due Palme’s “Le Sciare” provides an answer. Primitivo is so …
Wine Recommendations
Wine ReviewsGood news serves a purpose bigger than just the news itself (wrap your mind around that one after three glasses of Champagne!). It also provides a perfect excuse to pop …
Wine Reviews
If you dream of jumping into the world of wine, now is a perfect time. A wine certification or even a diploma is the smartest way to launch your palate into …