Wine Wired

With summertime just around the corner, and the oppressive heat soon to follow, my wine choices seem to change.  Yes, I still grab for a big Shiraz or Cabernet with that grilled lamb or steak, but that is more in the evening and honestly not quite as often with the temperatures staying into the 90s […]

Country Club of South Carolina – April 12th  (next dinner is May 10th) Food by Chef Adam Silverman Wine by Dennis Fraley Menu and wine: Warm Potato Blini topped with Creme Fraiche and Alaskan Caviar (Cava Brut, Penedes, Spain, NV) Cobia Cerviche with Grilled Corn and Sweet Potato Vinaigrette (Chenin Blanc / Viognier, California 2010) […]

Today I want to talk to you about a white grape variety that, I think, is extremely misunderstood and underappreciated.  Arguably one of the world’s most versatile grapes, Chenin Blanc, produces wines from the most basic New World table wines to Old World long-lived elegant botrytis affected dessert wines, sparkling wines and even the base […]

I know I usually write about wine, but I had a physician I know ask me a great question yesterday.   He said that he had been to multiple wine and spirits tastings and asked a question about the difference in whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, bourbon, etc.  He was given a “politician” type answer and said […]

Many people mistakenly call all sparkling wines “Champagne,” which is technically incorrect.  That term is reserved for sparkling wine made from the traditional method within the boundries of the Champagne region of France and using only Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.  There are, however, sparkling wines made with this traditional method in other countries and […]

Just the other day I had someone ask me about a pairing with Asian cuisine and my knee-jerk response was Riesling. The person responded by saying, “I don’t like sweet wine.” I have heard this statement about Riesling before. I knew, at that moment, I had to come to the defense of this often misunderstood […]

South Africa’s wine has matured greatly over the last 20 years. This is largely due to a flood of foreign investment monies and foreign winemaking knowledge. One of the early legislative decisions, back in 1973, was the creation of the “Wine of Origin” concept. The country, it seems , has caught up with and may […]

Hello everyone. I just wanted to give you some information on how the USA, and especially California wine laws affect your decisions on purchasing wine. First the distinct “wine growing areas” of this country are called AVAs, or American Viticultural Area. The AVA was created by federal law in 1978 and anyone can petition for […]

As stated in my previous article on Bordeaux, I was invited to sample a friend’s 2008 en premier right and left bank purchases. This is the first of those wines sampled that evening and reminded me of why right bank, merlot heavy, Bordeaux can be so delicious. Without getting ahead of myself, I want to […]

I have been lucky enough to get an invite from a good friend that buys Bordeaux futures, or en primeur. His shipment of 2008 Left and Right Bank wines has arrived and we are chomping at the bit to examine them. Before diving into the information about the Chateaus and wines, I wanted to get […]