Thanksgiving is filled with opulence: the food – both quantity and quality – the family, the leftovers, the flavors, the fun… the wine. But the Thanksgiving holiday can be a challenge when it comes to wine selections and what to pour for guests. With so many side dishes, mixes of flavors, and lots of savory […]
The Wonderful World of Lees
Have you ever wondered if there is any value in the lees that you accumulate during the early portions of harvest and wine processing? Have you questioned the various uses associated with wine lees? Then you’re in luck! Consulting subscribers now have access to my recent article, Wine Lees: A Powerful Tool for Winemakers in […]
Som Series: Dinner with Highclere Castle’s Chef
A Note about the Som Series There’s something about that 9-letter word, sommelier, which turns your average wine drinker into a sudden beer drinker at the very mention of their presence. Let’s face it: the world of wine can be intimidating. Sometimes I hear wine discussion and judgment within groups of people and I internally […]
Oktoberfest can be more than Food and Beer
With a lot of strong, German background in my heritage, I have to admit that I love a good Oktoberfest celebration. The biergartens, the meat-based dishes, the music, the potatoes… a sweet remainder that we have turned another season and Fall is in full-swing. On a good Fall day, I’m not denying that it may […]
Tasting Evaluation Dates Set for 2017
I started tasting wines and evaluating my taste perceptions as a graduate student in Dr. Bruce Zoecklein’s lab at Virginia Tech University, in which he routinely evaluated wines by sensory analysis to provide production technique suggestions to winemakers. These early sensory experiences outlined my thought process in how I evaluate wines to this day. In […]
2017 Harvest Production Tactics
Depending on where your vineyards are located, Pennsylvania (PA) is seeing dramatic climatic differences during the 2017 growing season. The weather associated with the growing season ultimately influences grape quality for the current year’s vintage. The northwestern part of Pennsylvania (Erie County) has experienced a hot and dry growing season through September 2017. Andy Muza, […]
