Find Your Inner Sommelier
Free Wine Education!Are you a cork dork who dreams of being a wine geek? Learning about wine comes in many forms, and plenty of free resources exist. There are some excellent …
Wine School
Why Sommelier Certifications Matter
Sommelier certifications are increasingly popular with both wine enthusiasts and professionals. Whether you are curious about wine education or looking to advance your wine career, sommelier certifications can be an intelligent …
Wine & Health through the Ages
Wine must be a magical elixir. Otherwise, how can we explain why a restaurant wine list often turns a CEO into a pouting child? I have seen powerful doctors in bespoke …
Philadelphia Inquirer: Try a slug of this with your pizza
The story was originally published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on May 4, 2008.Inqlings: Try a slug of this with your pizzaAuthor: Michael KleinMike Schmidt hit 548 home runs in his 18 seasons …
Mainline Times: The Wine School of Philadelphia
Originally published in the Mainline Times.“There’s no pressure here,” instructor Michael Alleruzzo said. “We’re just going to sit back and have fun. We’re going to enjoy some great wines…So I’ll be …
Vall Llach 2006 “Vall Llach” Priorat
One of my favorite memories of visiting Priorat with my Wine School students was our time at Celler Vall Lach. A stone –a triangle of iron-shaded black rock– from one of their …
Mastroberardino 2007 “Radici” Taurasi
Mastroberardino produces a range of great wines, but it truly excels with its Aglianico bottlings. The grape is an ancient varietal that dates back to antiquity. It’s sometimes cited as the …
Domaine Pradelle 2010 “Courbis” Crozes-Hermitage
Very little of this wine is imported into the United States, and most of it ends up in the Philly-NYC corridor, which is fine by me. It’s one of the great …
Nugan Estate 2012 “Third Generation” Shiraz, South Eastern Australia
Eight years ago, a juice company from Australia contacted me. They were moving into the wine market, and we’re working on distribution into the US. Could I help them? Sure, I …
Rivetto 2007 “Lirano Soprano” Barbera D’Alba
Rivetto is well known for their Barolo, which is all well and good. Those bottles earn their high price tags, but the hidden gem in the lineup is Barbera d’Alba. Along …
St. Urbans-Hof 2011 Zickelgarten Riesling Spatlese
I tried this wine for the first time almost one year ago. I was at the annual trade tasting for a wine importer. He had just brought this wine less than …
Reserva de la Tierra 2008 Vega Escal
Reserva de la Tierra, a Spanish wine cooperative, has been working with a US importer for several years to craft a bottle of wine for the American market. The result is …
Philly Uncorked: Champange
Philly Uncorked was filmed at the Wine School of Philadelphia by Banyon Productions. Keith Wallace developed, wrote and co-starred in the show. He also co-produced the show with Banyon.
City Paper: The Climb
The story was originally published by the Philadelphia Inquirer on Mar 10, 2010. The ClimbBehind Ladder 15’s Ansill-fied revamp.by Felicia D’AmbrosioWhen word leaked that David Ansill had been hired as chef at …
The Phoenix: Wine, Wit and Wisdom
The festivities began with a sponsors’ reception, and featured speaker Keith Wallace, owner of The Wine School of Philadelphia. “We do charity events all of the time because they are fun,” said Wallace. “The people in Phoenixville are open-minded, and it was an honor to be here.”
Wallace said that people are becoming more and more curious about wine. “I like that so I can give them more information about wine,” he said. “They are enthusiastic and have a lot of good questions.”
Wallace had 125 bottles of wine in tow, and said he usually brings 25 percent more just in case. “We opened almost all of them,” he said. “We try to bring a half a bottle per person, which equals three glasses total. It’s about keeping everyone happy so they can drive home.”