From the category archives:

Wine Education

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

by Marisa D'Vari22 November 2009
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“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 [...]

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Feast at Felidia: Exploring the Bastianich Wine Collection

by Marisa D'Vari5 November 2009
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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, [...]

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Wine Reviews: Exploring Wines from Madrid, Spain

by Marisa D'Vari29 October 2009
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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 [...]

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Organic Wine Experience at Maison de la Region Languedoc-Roussillon

by Marisa D'Vari28 October 2009
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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 [...]

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Tasting Perrier Jouet Champagne with Chef de Cave Herve Deschamps

by Marisa D'Vari23 October 2009
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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 [...]

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Long Island Wines: Blind Challenge Proves They Can Hold Their Own

by Marisa D'Vari19 October 2009
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Quick! Imagine you are presented with a "blind flight" of Sauvignon Blanc wine (or Chardonnay for that matter). Do you think you can pick out a wine from New York’s Long Island against wines from Sancerre or New Zealand? Assume that all wines have the same color, and for the most part, a similar aroma [...]

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Austrian Wines: The Next New Thing?

by Marisa D'Vari16 October 2009
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Michael Thurner
So what is it about Austrian wine that has attracted what seems to be the entire high-end wine-writing community of Manhattan into the quaint Seasonal Restaurant on west 58th street for a tasting – and new news – about Austrian wine?
For one thing, the Austrian wine industry has been struggling for over [...]

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Questions about the Jura? Email me

by Marisa D'Vari5 October 2009
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… so I am off to the Jura, a famed region in France, where they produce wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (like nearby Burgundy) yet ALSO have some very interesting native varietals such as trousseau, poulsard, and savignan. I will describe in my posts over the next week.

Tonight – to celebrate – I went [...]

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Tale of Two Malbecs

by Marisa D'Vari27 September 2009
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Behold the Malbec grape! If you love wine, here is a short quiz.

Malbec is:

1. a fruity, easy drinking, well priced wine from Argentina.

2. one of the 5 allowed grape varieties allowed in a Bordeaux blend.
3. The grape grown in the Cahors, France AOC

If you selected all of the above, you are correct. Yet few people [...]

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Exploring Sauternes & Barsac

by Marisa D'Vari19 September 2009
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Sauturnes … yummy!
Luscious, sweet white wines with exotic, upscale Indian cuisine – who would have imagined it? When I received the invitation to attend a Cru Classes tasting of Sauternes and Barsac (both sweet white wine appellations in Bordeaux, France) with a lunch to follow, I already knew what to expect to eat. We’d start [...]

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Tasting Pinot Noir from Monterey County

by Marisa D'Vari18 September 2009
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monterey
Whether you love or hate the character named Miles in the film Sideways, chances are you do have an appreciation for the Pinot Noir grape. So the question isn’t really if you like Pinot Noir, but a question of provenance. For example, this morning in my blind tasting session with other wine scholars, I received [...]

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Review: Feudo Principi Di Butera Nero D’Avola

by Marisa D'Vari1 September 2009
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Italy is one of the world’s most imported wines, and for good reason – the country boasts more than 1000 different varieties of grapes. Many collectors swoon for their Barolo and Barbaresco, high-acid, long lived wines that pack a powerful…

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A Taste of the Rhone Valley

by Marisa D'Vari31 August 2009
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In these challenging economic times, most of us are only too happy to learn of exciting new regions that offer quality wines at a good value. Last Fall I was lucky enough to visit the Rhone valley in France and…

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Pairing Chateau du Campuget Prestige Viognier at Cafe Boulud

by Marisa D'Vari8 August 2009
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… So did you ever wonder how wine got on a restaurant’s wine list? For many upper end restaurants, the wine list is one of the primary reasons customers come to dine at their establishment. Some very high end restaurants…

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Visiting Chianti Classico

by Marisa D'Vari8 August 2009
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Once upon a time, wine from Chianti was associated with candles and straw wrapping. Savvy wine connoisseurs today know that the quality of wine from the Chianti region of Italy—and the specific D.O.C.G. region of Chianti Classico — has soared….

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Highlights from the Society of Wine Educators Conference

by Marisa D'Vari5 August 2009

… you may be interested to know that I spent the previous week in beautiful downtown Sacramento, taking yet more exams related to my CWE from the Society of Wine Educators and taking in the various seminars and tastings. This…

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Wine Aroma 101 with Max Riedel of Riedel Glassware

by Marisa D'Vari27 July 2009
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“The biggest mistake couples make when they get married is buying too many glasses,” says Max Riedel, during a demonstration of his fine glassware in his company’s Manhattan office. With this tidbit of sage advice, Mr. Riedel, the grandson of…

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Exploring Brane-Cantenac

by Marisa D'Vari14 July 2009
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If you love fine wine, you probably know that the Chamber of Commerce of Haut Medoc classified the best wines in the region into five growths, or classes. To this day, French children are rumored to sing the names of the five First Growths in a nursery rhyme.
Yet what about the prestigious Deuxièmes Crus? Who [...]

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Visiting Winery Cecchi – Castellina in Chianti

by Marisa D'Vari16 June 2009
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… very excited to visit Winery Cecchi in Chianti tomorrow on a special study tour arranged by the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust! According to some pre-study of their web site, the winery started up in 1893 with the founder…

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Chile Comes to Manhattan

by Marisa D'Vari5 June 2009
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Chile – the country – came to Manhattan today with a spectacular tasting at the gorgeous Gotham Hall (love that name – it makes me think that Batman would be swooping down any second). I had been looking forward to…

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