Prié Blanc is a lesser known wine variety that also goes by the name Blanc de Morgex et de la Salle. It is a white wine grape indigenous and grown exclusively in the north western Alpine region of Vallée d’Aoste in Italy. This wine region has some of the highest elevations to produce grapes withinContinue reading “January 12th-Prié Blanc”
Category Archives: Monthly Schedules
January 5th-Armenia
When you think of wine, probably the last place that comes to mind is Armenia. The countries that make up the Caucasus region (Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan) were inhabited by humans dating back to 9000 BC. There have been debates regarding which country has been making wine the longest but in 1997, the definitive answerContinue reading “January 5th-Armenia”
December 29th-Sauternes
Sauternes is a sweet white wine made in the southern portion of the Bordeaux region in France. It is made from Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes that are both left on the vine past the normal harvest time until they become infected with Noble Rot, also known as Botrytis. While most fungus is detrimental toContinue reading “December 29th-Sauternes”
December 22nd-Barbera
Barbera is an often overlooked red wine variety that is extremely food friendly. It’s rich, ruby color can be a bit misleading because while it looks more similar to a Syrah, it drinks more like Pinot Noir (think higher acid, lower tannin, and juicy red fruit and earthy notes). It is indigenous to the PiedmontContinue reading “December 22nd-Barbera”
December 15th-Sekt
Sekt is a sparkling wine, most notably made in Germany but the fruit can originate from outside countries. In many cases, the fruit is made into a base wine by standard fermentation processes then it gets shipped to Germany, or the fruit can be shipped prior to undergoing this step also. Once in Germany, theContinue reading “December 15th-Sekt”
December 10th-Pedro Ximenez
For the final installment of Sherry Week, I will be looking at the dessert wine Pedro Ximenez (PX). Like I referred to last night, this wine is sweet because the grapes are left to slightly dehydrate under the sun. This removes water from the grape juice, which concentrates the sugar content. It is then fortifiedContinue reading “December 10th-Pedro Ximenez”
December 9th-Cream Sherry
Cream Sherry (also referred to as Medium Sherry) is our fourth in our Sherry series. Don’t let the name fool you, Cream Sherry does not have cream in it. It starts out as Oloroso but then a touch of the Pedro Ximenez (PX) grape (can be Moscatel in lower quality versions) is blended in. TheseContinue reading “December 9th-Cream Sherry”
December 8-Amontillado
Amontillado is a dry wine that undergoes both aging using both flor (like Fino and Manzanilla) which is then followed by oxidative aging (like Oloroso). Between these two types of aging, the wine is fortified to 17% alcohol. This kills off the yeast in the flor, which can only survive to 15.5% alcohol. These agingContinue reading “December 8-Amontillado”
December 7th-Oloroso
Oloroso wines are made from the same grapes as Fino and Manzanilla but following the fermentation of wine, the fuller bodied barrels will be selected for Oloroso. Once it is fermented, it gets aged by a process called oxidative aging. In this process, the wine is fortified to a minimum of 17% alcohol. At thisContinue reading “December 7th-Oloroso”
December 1st-New World Cabernet Sauvignon
My go to comfort wine is a nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon originating from Red Mountain in Washington State, or from California’s Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Alexander Valley or Sonoma Valley in Sonoma County. There are other great bottles from other countries but these are widely available where I live. The Cabernets of the NewContinue reading “December 1st-New World Cabernet Sauvignon”
A Trip Around the World of Wine in 52 Weeks 