What is a Supertaster?
What is a Supertaster?What is a supertaster? Though not exclusively about wine, being a supertaster changes how a person perceives bitterness, a significant component of red wine. The story starts with …
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The Fingerprints of Red Wine Varietals
This is a declassified article from our 2008 Foundation Wine Course. For the real deal, you should check out our Core Wine Program, which is available both in person and virtually. …
The One-Time Wine Show in Atlantic City
Back in 2008, the Wine School was growing super-fast, and I was hungry for more. There were many wine shows at that time (they were super-popular), and I had run a …
Moletto 2004 “La Pisara” Salento
By now, most oenophiles know about the Primitivo-Zinfandel connection. And most would be able to sniff and sip the differences in North American zin and a dark, spicy, mildly tannic Salento …
Jean-Claude Thevenet et Fils 2006 St.-Veran Clos de l’Ermitage Cuvee Vieilles Vignes
A distinctive nose of wet riverbank stones with just the slightest citrus lift leads to a surprisingly generous mid-palate rich with lemon oil. That stoniness and minerality come back on the …
Drinking Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or with some Philly Racists
The Four Seasons In 2010, the Wine School ran a Champagne event at the old Four Seasons that featured a vertical tasting of Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or. Alas, I fear that …
Summers 2005 Charbono, Napa Valley
Yes, the mercury has risen, the muggies are threatening, and the food most of us crave has likely become lighter. So why extol the virtues of a wine of only moderate …
d’Arenberg 2004 “The Laughing Magpie” Shiraz/Viognier, McLaren Vale
Why does Arenberg sell this wine for so little? Why sell a bottle of wine for under $20 when so many people are happy to spend over $30? Even the critics …
Selvapiana 2003 “Vigna Bucerchiale” Chianti Rufina Riserva
Of the seven sub-zones of the Chianti DOCG outside the Classico area, Rufina is the most highly regarded. Tucked into the foothills approaching the regional border with Emilia-Romagna, its production is …
Tomas and Giesen “Munir Bianco” 2006, IGT, Sicilia
Cataratto is one of the most widely planted grapes in Italy. It accounts for over half of Sicily’s vineyard acres and is known primarily for use as a bulk wine grape …
Barbera from the Piemonte
I was always one of those guys unaffected by jetlag, no matter where I was traveling to or returning from. But this most recent trip–my wife and I spent the 10 …
Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 Garnacha, Catalyud
The Wine School is pouring a Garnacha these days that is flat-out charming me: The Las Rocas de San Alejandro 2005 from Catalyud, Spain. Not only is it fabulously fresh with …
Forget Vintage, Take the “Bomb Pulse”
When it comes to wine, scientists are, in fact, using radioactive carbon traces to determine a bottle’s age. Specifically, new research has shown that the amount of radioactive carbon captured in …
Rochioli 2005 Rose of Pinot Noir
This wine would be a beauty, whatever color it was. There are interesting aromas of meat and possibly something even a bit smokey. There’s a great acid balance on the palate …
Renwood 2003 “Old Vine” Zinfandel
Blood-colored with a brick-like rim, this wine shows a nose of rich, ripe blue and blackberries, the expected zinfandel spice, and something almost nutty. The palate is chewy and delicious, with …
Wine Taint in California Pinot Noir
There’s no denying one of Pinot’s wine tasting hallmarks — and the reason many of us love it so — is its discernible funk on the nose. Barnyard stank, dung, smokey …