Sip a Spanish rioja and say,‘Gracias!’

Rooted in centuries of tradition, Spain is a country with diverse and distinctive wines, including an exciting array with excellent value. The Spanish government guarantees the authenticity of its wine by designating each with a region of origin or Denominacion de Origen (D.O.). The laws behind these distinctions define the location, grape used, maximum yields allowed, aging requirements in bottle and barrel and...

Books enhance enjoyment of wine

As with wine, I believe books written about wine also have a shelf life. Some age well, and others don’t. Being a wine geek, most of my reading involves, as you guessed, books written about wine. I love flipping through my old books, one favorite being a used copy of Wines of The World, an immense and progressive book, for the time it was printed in the late 1960s. But much has changed in the international world...

Reunion with chardonnay is delightful

I am first to admit I was one of the many who turned my back on chardonnay in the last several years. It was never my intention but I was trapped in the monotony of predictable styles and flavor. However, a few weeks ago my palate was offered a revival of sorts, with a spectacular French Burgundy. I took to exploring this chameleon of a grape hoping to renew my expectations and once again became a fan of...

Vino with bigger buzz has a price

Wines with high alcohol (13 percent or higher) content have become increasingly popular in the past decade. Their popularity, in part, is due to the high scores the wines receive from critics. Many times wines being reviewed are among hundreds tasted blindly. Of course when the powerhouse high alcohol wines hit the fatigued palate of a taster they generally will stand out in the sea of bottles. Naturally, with these...

Wines to cool the savage summer

This time of year Uncorked seems to have a recurring theme: what to drink in the sweltering summer heat. The urge may be to skip the wine and reach for an icecold hoppy beer, but that’s not the only way. There are plenty of wines fit for summer if you’re willing to look beyond heavy reds. Here are a few to cool off your summer shopping list. THE VALUES 2010 Folonari Pinot Grigio, Italy (about $12 retail) 2010...

Key to picking wine is knowing likes

If you think of how each person has such different likes and dislikes in food, it’s not surprising that we enjoy different wines. Some like the zip of a crisp white wine, while others prefer the smooth softness of low-tannin red wine. The key to finding new wines you like is a better understanding of what you enjoy about a specific wine and being able to discern exactly what you dislike. Being able to articulate...

Rose soothing on a searing hot day

As temperatures reach sweltering levels many readers are asking similar questions when it comes to summer heat and wine. Can you drop a few ice cubes into your wine to give it a quick cool-down? It seems the perfect solution to quickly cool a glass of wine, but it can alter the taste and balance. Wine, unlike other beverages, has a perfect balance of water, sugar, acid, tannin and alcohol. Adding ice disrupts this...

Explore varietals to escape doldrums

When walking the long aisles of a wine shop, you’ve probably had moments of discouragement, not because of an inadequate selection of wines but from the humdrum feeling you experience reading the routine labels one after another — cabernet, cabernet, cabernet; merlot, merlot, merlot; chardonnay, chardonnay, chardonnay. Every once in a while a snazzy label jumps out at you and for a split second you are drawn to...

Wines for summer’s simple supping

As the temperatures rise, summer menus lighten and we look for unique, refreshing ideas and tastes. The following are some of our favorite summer wines, along with food pairing suggestions. Wines from Gruner Veltliner grapes are a great match with fresh herbs. Many of our dishes are simple and fresh during the summer months. Gruner Veltliner offers a balancing act with the herbs’ freshness and the simplicity of...

It’s back and it’s better: Boxed wine

Both popular and scorned in the 1970s and ’80s, boxed wines are making a comeback. Many still associate boxed wines with poor quality in much the same way many of us associated screw tops with cheap wine. And it’s true, an enormous amount of poor-quality wine did come in a box. But with more and more vintners embracing the concept, excellent boxed wines are showing up on the market. No splurges this week, only...