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Penfolds and the Pinnacle of Australian Wine: A Pebble Beach Food and Wine...
I love to participate in tastings where Paolo Basso is lead because, not only is he a pure taster, he is also elegant, clear, and precise in describing the sensory characteristices of the wine "under...
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Characteristics of high-quality wine grapes
As the starting point for the production of a quality wine, it is imperative that high-quality grapes be delivered to the cellar door. I posit that high quality grapes are a funcntion of both what is...
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Nitrogen as a yeast nutrient in alcoholic fermentation
Wine is a result of using yeasts in an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment to convert sugars from pressed grape juice into ethanol in the two-step process illustrated in the figure below. The first...
View ArticleNon-Nitrogen yeast nutrition requirements during alcoholic fermentation
In addition to their utilization of nitrogen as a nutrient during alcoholic fermentation (AF), yeasts synthesize and/or assimilate a number of factors (growth, co, and survival) that help them compete...
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Sulfur taint in wine production: Genesis and exodus
A winemaker is continuously on guard to ensure the earliest possible detection of issues that could have potentially negative effects on the quality of in-process or finished wine. One issue that is...
View ArticleEnzymic oxidation of wine must
In my most recent post, I initiated a series on wine faults with a discourse on sulfur taint in wine production. I continue in that vein with a discussion of must oxidation.Wine oxidizes when exposed...
View ArticleShort- and long-term implications of US-Cuba travel liberalization for...
My friend recently bought a vacation home on the Jamaican north coast and, as a result, we have been making the trek between MCO and Norman Manley Airport with some frequency. On my last trip over, I...
View ArticleI will have some butter with my Chardonnay, please
If you are tempted to address the title statement to your host after tasting the un-oaked Chardonnay served at the party, then you are enamored with diacetyl (butanedione, butane-2,3-dione), an organic...
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Clonal selection in vineyard plantings
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape variety in the world, with approximately 290,000 hectares of the vine planted worldwide in 2010 (Sereno). The grape, which is believed to have originated in...
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Book Review: Oz Clarke's The History of Wine in 100 Bottles
I recently read, and reviewed, what I hold to be one of the most comprehensive and insightful histories of wine written in the recent past -- spanning, as it does, the period from the posited...
View ArticleCabernet Sauvignon clones in France and California
I recently wrote about clones and the mechanisms utilized in France and California for their certification. In this post, I will examine the use of Cabernet Sauvignon clones in the selfsame...
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F&D Kitchen and Bar, a breath of fresh air in Lake Mary (FL)
Acting on a tip from Mark Tudor, one of the founding members of the Heathrow Wine Society, we had dinner last night at F&D Kitchen and Bar, a Gastropub located in the Pelloni Plaza at International...
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1997 Nikolaihof Vinothek Riesling, a wine for the ages
I was unfamiliar with Nikolaihof Riesling Vinothek prior to receiving an offer from Morrell's in May of this year. Having had good luck with Jeremy's suggestions in the past, I ordered a few bottles...
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2011 Benanti Pietra Marina Etna DOC Bianco Superiore at San Francisco's A16
I made a quick jaunt into Davis last weekend, making stops in San Francisco and Napa along the way. On my evening in San Francisco, I dined at A16, the freshly minted James Beard Foundation Award...
View ArticleCorrecting Lukacs' Inventing Wine with Clark Smith's Postmodern Winemaking?
In a previous post, I reported on Isabelle Legereon's issues with modern-day winemaking (as presented in her book Natural Wine) and utilized information from Lukacs (Inventing Wine) to...
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Valtellina: Where the Nebbiolo grape is called Chiavennasca
Nebbiolo, the variety undergirding the Langhe's famed Barolo and Barbaresco wines, is considered Italy's most noble grape, primarily based on its performance in that region. But Nebbiolo shines...
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Valle d'Aosta: Where Nebbiolo is called Picotendro
Nebbiolo has long held a privileged position in the Barolo area but is grown, and referred to by other names, in areas beyond the home of the "King of Wines." The table below shows the names by which...
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Alto Piemonte: Where Nebbiolo is called Spanna
Nebbiolo is arguably Italy's noblest grape, renowned for its iconic manifestations in Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world's best known and most beloved wines.But southern Piemonte, while the home...
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Fabios: Mediterranean cuisine in the heart of Vienna (Austria)
After four wonderful days in Prague, we took a train over to Vienna for the second leg of our vacation. During our scouting out of the food scene in Vienna, we had taken notice of a Two-Michelin-Star...
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Val d'Ossola: Cool-Climate Nebbiolo in Piemonte
The Nebbiolo plantings in Valle d'Aosta and Valtellina are grown under challenging conditions but these pale in comparison to the conditions experienced by the hardy growers who ply that trade in the...
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