Wine Tasting Classes for Fall
France vs South America Part of the ongoing series of wine tastings devised by the brilliant Alana Zerbe. Take two great wine countries, toss them into a battle royale, and see …
Articles
Wine Tasting 101
Tasting wine is fundamentally different from drinking wine: The goal of tasting is to form an appreciation for the wine and its components. This intrinsically precludes overindulging. If you do, you’ll …
Summer Wine School
Spending your summer in the Italian Riviera, then this isn’t for you. Vacationing in Rioja? Stay put. Touring Sonoma with a winemaker friend? Don’t change your plans. Everyone else, pay attention! …
Getting Started in Wine
Wine is a great hobby; it’s an even better career. The wine trade offers a surprisingly vast tapestry of work opportunities. Unlike other passions, it’s the one vice that pays well …
Bad Cheese Pairings
Pulling off the right wine pairing can turn an otherwise mediocre dinner into a killer experience. The real test is when you find yourself laughing the night away; only later do …
What is Terroir?
the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. Terroir, Oxford Dictionary The concept of “Terroir” has been embedded within …
Cabernet Sauvignon, Explained
Take a look at a list of the best-scored wines globally; browse the web for the most expensive reds in the market, or browse the top-shelf section of your local wine …
What is Wine?
Why do I do this to myself? Why do I ask sommeliers this question? Invariably, I get one of the following three answers. Each time, a little part of my soul …
History of Zinfandel
All About Zinfandel For decades, Zinfandel was considered the all-American grape, an ultimate California wine. But there was always a mystery as to where it originated from. Starting in the 1960s, …
Know Your Wine Bottle
Wine bottles are based on centuries of traditions. The wine trade is deeply beholden to those traditions. Even the largest multinational wine corporation (talking to you, Gallo) won’t mess this those …
Wine Glass Recommendations
Unless you are planning to guzzle directly from the bottle, investing in a wine glass or two may be a good idea. Sure, you could use those little water glasses leftover …
Wines for Beginners
For those of us in the wine trade, it’s hard to remember what it felt like to be a beginner. The nerves. The uncertainty. The fear of being judged. Being new …
10 Tips For Food and Wine Pairings
Eating what you like with a glass of your favorite wine is a great idea; eating should be a singular pleasure. But food and wine pairings are not a solitary affair. …
How to Become a Sommelier
How to Start your Wine Career There are five simple steps to start a career in wine. We will repeat these steps at least two times to give you an idea …
Understanding Tannin
Writers Don’t Understand Tannin When I was a winemaker in California, the very first question a customer asked me was “What is Tannin?” The question was also posed many times when …
Wine Regions of the World
The world of wine is at your fingertips. Here at the Wine School, many of our sommelier programs are founded on the idea the core of wine knowledge is understanding wine …