Wine Geek Speaks

Red, White and Green Yes, for us American consumers it all started as a cost savings move by value-oriented mass-production wineries. The wines were serviceable – never great, but never bad really. Of course, the perception was bad; it didn’t matter what it tasted like, it was in a box…how …

Beautiful, romantic, and historic, Italy is the site of much lore and, alas, many historical tragedies. Pompeii is a glaring example of such an historical tragedy, and of course the tragic play Romeo & Juliet is known by all – ok maybe this one is fiction (though you can visit …

Earlier this year, a group of California vintners formed an alliance (actually a non-profit company) called The Historic Vineyard Society. The purpose of this group is to bring awareness to Calfornia’s oldest vineyards. Unfortunately, every year, California loses another piece of vinous history; vineyards up to 100 years old get …

Unless you don’t own a television or radio, and choose not to read anything at all, you surely know about the ‘devaluation’ of the U.S. dollar (formerly known as the almighty dollar). Even if you don’t plan on renting a villa in Tuscany this summer, it will still impact your …

Wine is a wonderful thing. And taste is a highly subjective thing. These two tenets are what make selling wine fun: there are no finites and virtually every wine made has a potential fan somewhere (and likely a detractor or two as well). Because of this, we find it interesting …

Sherry is truly one of the world’s noble wines. It has been produced in some form for millennia. Its place in humankind’s history and the colonization of the ‘New World’ is notable: Columbus had Sherry on his sails to the Americas, and it has been written of by the likes …

Having a diverse selection of types, styles and price-points of wines by the glass is a particular draw for a growing number of restaurants. Not just high check-average places, but for all manner of restaurants (have you been to an Olive Garden lately?). Depending on the specific type of restaurant …

If you are serious about serious wine, then you are at least a little bit informed about ‘Biodynamic wines’. BD wines are those produced following the agricultural and philosophical dictums of Rudolph Steiner, a late 19th/ early 20th century agronomist, philosopher, professor, activist and lecturer. Though only a sliver of …

Of course, lots of red wines (and whites for that matter) are a blend of several grape types; Bordeaux and Chianti are two notorious examples of multi-varietal wines. But even ‘varietal’ wines from California, Washington, Chile or wherever frequently have other grapes in the mix. Usually included to ‘soften’ a …

The Wine Geek was in one of his FAVORITE Michigan restaurants recently and during a casual conversation with the owner/manager/wine buyer, the owner stated “we are going to start offering ONLY grower Champagne on our list going forward; no more ‘Grand Marques’.” At the time, we thought nothing of it—this …