by Ron Kapon
According to Perry Luntz, author of Whiskey & Spirits For Dummies (Wiley), “most people who know anything about bourbon distilling know the story of the Baptist Minister Elizah Craig who established a distillery in Bourbon County, thus giving a name to his whiskey. It’s a good story, but it’s not exactly true. In 1780, as the Ohio Territory was cut into smaller units, the Virginians claimed a piece of it. They named it Bourbon County after the then-current French ruling family to honor the support of the French during the American Revolution. In 1792, when Kentucky became a state, Bourbon County was divided into 34 of the present existing Kentucky counties. (In fact no bourbon is actually made, or sold, in Bourbon County today). One of which, was Bourbon, with its famous whiskey.” ...
by Brian Goodell
Ah, tasting notes. You know, those descriptive words and phrases that are supposed to tell you what a wine will taste like, only the average person can’t make sense out of them. The people who write them mean well. They really do. It’s just that the average person has no idea what a gooseberry actually tastes like, and I, personally, don’t know of anyone who eats pencil shavings. Unfortunately, the language of tasting is what primarily separates the “haves” from the “have nots” when it comes to one’s wine knowledge and having confidence therein. The person who thinks, “I could never say all that stuff, it just tastes like wine to me,” will remain in one segment of the population, while a person who learns to operate in this knowledge and language will cross ov...
by Jane Nickles Nickles
Your Bubbly Personality – by Jane A. Nickles Oh my god…Valentine’s Day is approaching, and you’d better show up with a bottle of bubbly! When stalking bubbles, most people immediately say “Champagne”! It just sounds festive…even speaking the word can put a smile on your face. However, all sparkling wine is not Champagne, of course. So before you automatically reach for the Champagne this February 14th, consider that virtually every major wine producing region in the world has its own variation on the bubbly theme…a bubbly stunt double, if you will. With dozens of sparkling wines out there, you’ll find one for every mood, every occasion, and even every price range. So consider these alternatives, and see which type fits your bubbly personality. French Champagne ...
by Randy Caparoso
No one says appreciation of organic wines is easy. Most stores don't isolate them in "organic" sections, and they're certainly not readily marked as such on most bottles. But they're out there; and there are probably a lot more great ones available to you in the markets than you may think. Why drink organic wines? Like organic foods twenty, thirty years ago, wines produced in organic, biodynamic, as well as vegan and sustainable fashions are emerging out of the fringe elements of commercial taste, and becoming more significant by the day. Like all wines, they give us pleasure as alcoholic beverages, make our food taste better, and sweeten our outlook on life. But exactly what are the differences that make these wines worth our attention, possibly more than non-organic wines? First, ...
by Randy Caparoso
What does a career restaurant wine professional, and Hawai’i native, think of his new home (of one year) in the Rockies? Having opened some thirty restaurants across the country, from Honolulu to New York, Randy Caparoso thinks Denver is as great a restaurant town as any in the U.S. His “discoveries”… RANDY CAPAROSO: No doubt about it, metropolitan Denver, and the industriously growing five counties surrounding it, is one of the most significant in the nation – population nearing 2.5 million (21st in the country) – but not so intricate that even a newcomer couldn’t get the hang of it fairly quickly. It’s like Manhattan in reverse; broad and muscular rather than tight and deep, but still very much negotiable. Only here, you get around by car rather than taxi or s...
by Julie Brosterman
You know the scene. You're with several of your girlfriends - or work colleagues - and you're gathered for a drink after work, a special time to get together and chat and the waiter arrives to take your drink order. Asking what you'll have to drink, the most immediate response from women is "I'll have a glass of wine" followed by the me toos at the table. The waiter without naming the exact wines poured will rattle off that they have a Chardonnay, a Pinot Grigio, a Sauvignon Blanc, etc. etc. No vintage year is mentioned - no prices or size of the pour indicated. There's three of you and you each say Sauvignon Blanc and the server returns with your glasses of wine. A bit later - depending on how long you're going to linger (and whether you have to drive home) someone waives the server and y...
by Eve Bushman
One of the favorite questions people ask at Willi's, over and above "What have you got for me to taste today?" & "Where can we buy these great posters?" is "Who is Willi?" Well, the answer to this question is simply that Willi – abbreviated from William Foster Simpson Browing III, was the patrons much loved quadruped. Willi a true pedigree party animal if there ever was one – he closely resembled the rare breed of 'B' Basset otherwise known as the Swinging Basset Hound – passed away in the mid 1980's having lived the good life squarely on all fours. His tomb lies beneath the paving stones to the right of the door at N° 13, directly below the gas meter. On the 13th of October each year, the bar's birthday, glasses of the finest champagne, Willi's ultimate undoing, are raised and ra...
by Marisa Dvari
Some German wine makers offer you a tutored tasting of their latest vintage, explaining the wines as you both taste in unison. Dr. Franz Werner Michel welcomes guests to his Hochheim estate with a lineup of his premiere Riesling wines and invites them to taste and make notes on their own time. When guests are finished, the discussion begins. "Riesling pure" is the philosophy of the estate, particularly since Hochheim is credited for the worldwide first documentation of Riesling in history some 550 years ago. The Riesling wines are rich in high mineral content due to the soil, and two types of Riesling are made. The first is a classic fruity style with overwhelming richness of elegant fruit and spiciness, and the second is a dry style with good substance and a moderate, harmonious acidity....
by Marisa Dvari
In Germany, the word “schloss” means castle or “manor house.” These are historic structures, many first built during the Roman times near the very best vineyards in the land. The idea was to create a grand estate to showcase the quality of the vineyards and the wine. With wineries in San Ynez, California considered old at twenty, a 650-year-old winery seems very ancient indeed. Yet this is the age of Schloss Schonborn in Germany’s Rheingau region, which goes back to 1349. Owned by Paul Graf von Schonborn-Wiesentheid, it is the largest family owned estate in the Rheingau comprising some 125 acres (50 hectares) of top vineyard sites. The winery has recently been modernized with stainless steel tanks. Many of the wines produced here make their way to Asia and North America so look ...
by Marisa Dvari
“When your first name is Jakob, you have no choice but to go into the family business,” says Jakob Schneider Jr. with a charming smile, the youngest in a long line of Weingut Jakob Schneiders in the Nahe region of Germany. In his mid-twenties, Jakob is an enthusiastic, engaging, strong-shouldered individual who comes across as an icon for the new winemaking generation of Germany, most of whom have been educated in enology and are bringing modern winemaking practices to their family wine estates. Of course, Jakob was lucky enough to have been born into a family that owns two prized hectares of Niederhauser Hermannshohle, one of the most legendary vineyards in the region. In Germany, soil is the key to quality wine, so if all goes according to plan, the family has essentially been given...
