From the category archives:

Wine Education

Vino Italy 2010 Part 2

by Marisa D'Vari7 February 2010
Thumbnail image for Vino Italy 2010 Part 2

Professor Attilio Scienza

Seminar Tasting
"The Italians seem so happy to be here in New York," says a friend, after the Friday night close of the Italian Wine Exchange Grand Tasting. "Why is  that?"

Yes, it’s true – the Italians did really seem happy to be here and have the opportunity to share their wine and the love [...]

1 comment

VINO 2010 Italian Wine Week Part 1

by Marisa D'Vari4 February 2010
Thumbnail image for VINO 2010 Italian Wine Week Part 1

Vino 2010 Italian Wine Week

… so I am on my way to the opening of New York, February 3, 2010
I had spent the opening day (February 3) in the Napa Valley at a conference related to the Masters of Wine (though happily we did have an Italian wine seminar with many examples of great Italian [...]

0 comments

Secrets of Pairing Wine with Seafood at London Lennies

by Marisa D'Vari26 January 2010
Thumbnail image for Secrets of Pairing Wine with Seafood at London Lennies

Awaiting the Tasting
“Now this Volnay would go perfectly with salmon!” says Becky Wasserman, the vibrant American-born French wine importer and head of Becky Wasserman Selections who is giving a presentation to the eager young staff at London Lennie’s, a famous, casual, yet upscale high quality seafood restaurant in Queens that is celebrating its 50th Anniversary [...]

0 comments

Understanding Barolo

by Marisa D'Vari24 January 2010
Thumbnail image for Understanding Barolo

 

“Why is Barolo so expensive!” I remember asking a savvy clerk in my local wine store, fresh from my first class in Italian wines. As an exuberant young student I had been eager to taste the regions I studied, yet the upper-market wines from Piedmont seemed totally out of reach. Even the new vintages were [...]

0 comments

How to Train Yourself to Memorize Varietal Characteristics

by Marisa D'Vari6 January 2010
Thumbnail image for How to Train Yourself to Memorize Varietal Characteristics

White Burgundy Tasting
Imagine yourself at a very elegant restaurant, hosting an important client, or trying to impress a date. You both decide on white fish as an entrée, so you are leaning toward a white wine. And since Chardonnay is such a popular grape, and Burgundy, France, such a respected region, you decide to go [...]

2 comments

Q/A with Kanonkop Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar on 2007 Pinotage

by Marisa D'Vari3 January 2010
Thumbnail image for Q/A with Kanonkop Winemaker Abrie Beeslaar on 2007 Pinotage

 

Kanonkop Abrie Beeslaar
One of the advantages of living in the new millennium – for wine students, at any rate, is the opportunity to compare tasting notes on the Internet and even connect with winemakers. Recently I tasted 2007 Kanonkop Pinotage with an eye on how I would know it was a 2007 South African Pinotage [...]

2 comments

Book Review: About Wine by J. Patrick Henderson and Dellie Rex

by Marisa D'Vari28 December 2009
Thumbnail image for Book Review: About Wine by J. Patrick Henderson and Dellie Rex

 
 
 For whatever reason, I received the book About Wine by J. Patrick Henderson and Dellie Rex over two years ago, yet had been too overwhelmed by my wine studies to open anything that wasn’t Janscis Robinson or Tom Stevenson. It’s only now that I have my diploma from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust that [...]

0 comments

ABCs of Wine: Tasting “Anything But Chardonnay”

by Marisa D'Vari20 December 2009
Thumbnail image for ABCs of Wine: Tasting “Anything But Chardonnay”

Apremont Appellation in the French Alps
 
As a wine educator, one of the most pleasurable aspects of my profession is choosing a theme for a class and introducing students to exciting wines or wine regions I have discovered. And here in Manhattan, this is a special challenge, because in this jaded city most everyone dabbling in [...]

1 comment

WSET NYC Graduation 2009

by Marisa D'Vari16 December 2009
Thumbnail image for WSET NYC Graduation 2009

Marisa D’Vari, seated (L)
… so you can imagine how exciting it was to celebrate graduation from the Wine and Spirits Educational Trust after nearly three years of non-stop study. The event was held at Il Trulli, a fashionable NYC restaurant, and it was great to catch up with former classmates, former grads, and all the [...]

0 comments

Wine Writers – Write on!

by Marisa D'Vari10 December 2009

Ok, so if you review wine at the larger tasting events in Manhattan, San Francisco, London, Hong Kong, you know the gut-wrenching, high-pressured feeling of knowing to take accurate (read time consuming) tasting notes when the world’s treasures are before you. You might have already realized that napkins, leaflets, scraps of paper are not the [...]

1 comment

Review: Jennifer Rosen’s book “Waiter, There’s a Horse in My Wine”

by Marisa D'Vari3 December 2009

Let’s face it, sometimes reading the back of a bottle of wine is simply not enough. We’ve all had the experience of tasting a wine so incredible we want to know everything about it at once: the name of the grapes, the style of wine, and why it tastes so much more incredible than any [...]

0 comments

Review: Jennifer Rosen’s “Wine Teasers” Card Deck

by Marisa D'Vari3 December 2009

Educators often remark that the best way to learn a new skill is to have fun as you do so. This seems to be the theory behind Jennifer Rosen’s Wine Teasers Wine Game, which is a pack of fifty question cards one can whip out in a moment’s notice to disarm any self-described wine snob [...]

0 comments

Book Review: The Cork Jester’s Guide to Wine

by Marisa D'Vari3 December 2009

Curious to learn everything about wine — and have fun doing so? Your local bookstore’s shelves groan with thick, wordy volumes about wine, but if you really want a fun, readable, quick study of wine basics — and to laugh out loud while reading it — look to Jennifer Rosen’s The Cork Jester’s Guide to [...]

0 comments

Uncorking Chablis

by Marisa D'Vari3 December 2009
Thumbnail image for Uncorking Chablis

If you are just getting interested in the world of wine, you are probably wondering how California Chardonnay is different from Chardonnay in other areas of the world. This grape actually finds its fullest expression in the Chablis region of France, about two hours from Paris. And if you have ever ordered Chablis in a [...]

0 comments

Book Review: Red, White, and Drunk All Over

by Marisa D'Vari1 December 2009

Like most people, I’m sure you think the life of a wine writer is exciting, yes? And romantic. And you are quite right — the life of a professional wine writer is something to be admired. And what are the qualities that make for a professional wine writer, you might ask? Of course, they are [...]

0 comments

For Guests: How to Choose a Thanksgiving Day Wine for Your Host

by Marisa D'Vari22 November 2009
Thumbnail image for For Guests: How to Choose a Thanksgiving Day Wine for Your Host

 
“Oh, how thoughtful!” says your host, looking at the bottle of wine you hold in your hand.
You stand there, in the doorway. Is that smile forced, you wonder? Or is it overly sincere, one of those “I so lucked out with this guest’s gift” types of grins?
Either way, you are offering what you think is [...]

0 comments

Feast at Felidia: Exploring the Bastianich Wine Collection

by Marisa D'Vari5 November 2009
Thumbnail image for Feast at Felidia: Exploring the Bastianich Wine Collection

Wine Media Guild Members flank Lidia
Of course you know that the private dining room at Felidia is one of the best in town. And the cuisine is supurb. Yet did you know that Lidia and her son, restauranteur Joseph Bastianich also make wine?

On November 4 2009 they treated the Wine Media Guild to their collection, [...]

0 comments

Wine Reviews: Exploring Wines from Madrid, Spain

by Marisa D'Vari29 October 2009
Thumbnail image for Wine Reviews: Exploring Wines from Madrid, Spain

Michael Aptein

 
Madrid is one of the most sophisticated regions in Spain in terms of gastronomy and art, so you can imagine it must be the center of wine as well. Yet why is it that we seldom hear of the Vinos de Madrid D.O? Apparently, The D.O. of Madrid has been producing wines since the [...]

0 comments

Organic Wine Experience at Maison de la Region Languedoc-Roussillon

by Marisa D'Vari28 October 2009
Thumbnail image for Organic Wine Experience at Maison de la Region Languedoc-Roussillon

 

 

You’ve heard of the Languedoc-Roussillon – of course you have. Believe it or not, it is the largest wine growing region in France, larger than several countries put together. And if you haven’t tried their wines for a while, you are in for a treat. The reds are incredibly delicious and vibrant, made traditionally from [...]

0 comments

Tasting Perrier Jouet Champagne with Chef de Cave Herve Deschamps

by Marisa D'Vari23 October 2009
Thumbnail image for Tasting Perrier Jouet Champagne with Chef de Cave Herve Deschamps

Perrier Jouet

 
“On Valentines’ Day I would always buy boxed sets of Perrier-Jouet Champagne with matching glasses so my guests would have a memoir of the evening,” said a well-connected restaurateur at a recent lunch to celebrate past and present vintages of the House of Perrier-Jouet Fleur De Champagne Portfolio.
Of course, you know the House of [...]

0 comments

← Previous Entries