If you ever get the chance to attend a wine festival, GO! Sure, tasting lots of wines is fun, but I’ve found that the educational events during the festival weekend or week are highly valuable! Last Winter, I attended the Colorado Springs Wine Festival and the theme was Portuguese wines – a wine production region which was generally unknown to me. Among the Portuguese wines that I tasted was Loureiro.   

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 49: Loureiro (September 28th – October 4th 2019)” →

My husband was raised near wine country and introduced me to wine as a young adult. He’s always had a sophisticated wine palate and can identify quality red wines. He’s not a huge white wine drinker, but there aren’t many red wines that he would turn down. Well, that is, other than Carmenere. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 48: Carmenere (September 21st – 27th 2019)” →

Even as I learn more about wines, I’m still guilty of making assumptions about a varietal based on the sound of the name. The Italian and French varietals innately sound romantic, whereas the Eastern European-originating varietals project a strong and intimidating image in my mind. Zweigelt, Veltliner, Blaufrankisch….none of those are very approachable names in my opinion. So, when I came across Sylvaner, I again approached with caution.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 47: Sylvaner (September 14th – 20th 2019)” →

Sometimes after trying many unusual wine varietals, I find myself questioning, “could I even identify a Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Cab Sauv/Sauv Blanc?” Fortunately, the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program concept works. You’re not inundated with too many varietals in too short of time to forget some of the classics. But to restore the confidence with trainees, I’ve included the common varietals sporadically within the program to offer that reassurance.  Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 46: Pinot Noir (September 7th – 13th 2019)” →

The whole premise behind The 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program and truly the best way to expand your wine palate is to taste more wine. That seems quite easy but it also needs to be a deliberate effort. For optimal results, one should taste only up to a few wines per sitting, not overwhelm ones palate with many different types in a concentrated time frame, take notes on the details of the wine and the tasting experience. Since wine tasting is growing substantially more popular outside of wine production regions, it’s likely that you’ll find a wine tasting venue near your home or in many places that you might vacation. And even better – many establishments recognize that complimentary wine tastings often result in a significant increase of purchases and revenue. Maybe it’s just me but I tend to be more likely to buy a wine that I’ve already tasted and I tend spend a little more money after drinking wine…

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 45: Picpoul (August 31st – September 6th 2019)” →

Whenever I go to a new wine bar, tasting room or wine shop, I’m always looking for opportunities to try new varietals or wines from new regions. A great technique that I have developed is that any time I see a new varietal that I am not familiar with, I add it to a list in my phone. This has helped in developing this schedule for the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program but also encouraged a bit of education on each varietal to better understand the attributes of each wine. Lacrima is a result of this process and a wine that I saw on a wine bar list while visiting Vail, Colorado this past ski season. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 44: Lacrima (August 24th – 30th 2019)” →

When I host private wine tasting events, I walk all attendees through the steps of wine tasting: look, smell, taste, think. Undoubtedly the most challenging step is “smell”. The most common response is “it smells like wine”. I get it – there was a time that wine only smelled like wine to me. Palate development and refinement doesn’t only apply to the taste, but the whole experience. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 43: Torrontes (August 17th – 23rd 2019)” →

I’m slowly but surely realizing that I am an Italian wine girl. Each time I try a new varietal, white or red, I’m blown away! Aglianico was no exception. Along with the excitement and happiness of each new Italian varietal tasting, I’m also a bit disappointed that it’s taken me so long to learn that these fantastic wines are out there and ready to be enjoyed!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 42: Aglianico (August 10th – 16th 2019)” →

Most wine drinkers have an opinion about Chardonnay and that opinion is often polarized. Even within Chardonnay lovers, there are often strong preferences regarding oaked Chardonnay and buttery Chardonnay. So, can you imagine the discussion around canned Chardonnay! 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 41: Chardonnay (August 3rd – 9th 2019)” →

When exploring new varietals, I find that I’m more likely to order a wine that I can pronounce over one that I can’t. This goes back to the historically snooty ambiance around wine tasting and a self-consciousness that I once had with wine. I’ve always found it awkward to point to a menu and say “I’ll have that one” or even worse, attempt to pronounce it and be corrected with the proper pronunciation. For these reasons, I would have never tasted a Zweigelt (pronounced Zvee-gelt) on my own terms before embarking on the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 40: Zweigelt (July 27th – August 2nd 2019)” →

When I think of wines with nutty characteristics (like hazelnut, almond, or walnut), I think of Madeira, Shiraz, and sometimes Pinot Noir. Rarely have I experienced these traits in a white wine!

Fiano, a white grape with a vast Italian history, is known for strong traits of hazelnut and almond. Because it is a very low yielding vine and the grapes produced result in even less juice, wine producers did not dedicate much effort towards Fiano vines until recently. Interestingly, many of the historic Fiano vines are grown alongside Hazelnut plantations.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 39: Fiano (July 20th – 26th 2019)” →

This week’s wine is an exciting one because it’s the first canned wine that I’ve featured in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program! And a red canned wine at that! Canned wine is something that I’ve been passionate about over the past year because, though it may seem to be an emerging trend now, I believe that it will become very standard for most wineries to offer a canned option. If you’re interested in learning more about canned wine, I highly recommend that you check out my blog post, “The Facts About Canned Wine“, or listen to Episode 11 of my podcast, “A Taste of Audio”, available through iTunes, TuneIn or Spotify. Bottom line: the wine that goes into the can is the same wine that goes into the bottle.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 38: Malbec (July 13th – 19th 2019)” →

There’s a few food pairings out there that wine geeks and cork dorks like to challenge themselves with: asparagus, brussel sprouts, cabbage, artichokes, and chocolate (that one might surprise you!). These foods are known to be among the most difficult to successfully pair with a wine due to their strong and bitter attributes. You don’t want a wine that’s too delicate in its flavors and aromas because the food will overpower it, but you also don’t want to pair a strong or earthy wine with these foods because the notes will likely clash. Well, it turns out that Friulano is one of those wines that is among the most successful for these types of pairings.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 37: Friulano (July 6th – 12th 2019)” →

I’m always asking about others’ wine preferences and the most common response that I hear is “I like Cabs”. I’ve learned to either assume that this means “I like full-bodied, fruit-forward, jammy red wines” or I’ll actually ask to clarify and the response typically points in that direction. Since Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is so prominent and accessible in the United States, it’s common to associate Cab Sauv with these traits. However, Cab Sauv is a very diverse grape that has traits that span from earthy to sweet.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 36: Cabernet Sauvignon (June 29th – July 5th 2019)” →

I hate to pat myself on the back, but we are really on a winning streak with these white varietals! I’ve previously mentioned that I don’t do research on the varietals prior to the official tasting, and since I’m in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program alongside my trainees, I’m learning along the way. So, these past few white wine varietals have been really great and refreshing summer wines! Verdicchio was no exception!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 35: Verdicchio (June 22nd – 28th 2019)” →

I would not consider myself a Merlot drinker nor is it a varietal that I would typically order off of a menu. However, I couldn’t have told you why that is the case. Merlot is typically medium-bodied, forward with its flavors of cherry, plum and other dark berries and often has subtleties of earthier traits like tobacco and spices. If you described it to me with those specifications, I’d say that it’s right up my alley. But by it’s actual varietal, “Merlot”, I’d pass. For these reasons, I thought Merlot would be an interesting addition to the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 34: Merlot (June 15th – 21st 2019)” →

When your wine standards are minimal and your exposure to varietals is limited, wine palate growth is unavoidable with each new wine that you taste. I think this has truly been the case specifically for white wines for me. My palate was fairly well refined regarding red wines but I lacked an opinion about most white wines (as long as they weren’t sweet). With each week that we taste a new white wine varietal, I find myself adding it to the list of wines that I enjoy and this week, Aligoté was no exception!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 33: Aligoté (June 8th-14th 2019)” →

I can say with confidence that before this week, I would have never ordered a glass of Blaufränkisch from a menu. My reasoning: (1) I couldn’t have told you whether that was a red or a white wine and (2) the spelling of that wine suggests an Eastern European  origin and if it’s anything like Gewurztraminer, I’m out! These are the sorts of natural biases we have towards unknown wines and why we typically find ourselves ordering and purchasing wines within our comfort zone. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 32: Blaufrankisch (June 1st-7th 2019)” →

I used to be very easy-going with regards to white wines. I was once known to buy the 1.5 Liter bottle of Mondavi, any “flavor” was fine, and that would be my porch drinking wine in the afternoons. I always liked Sauv Blanc but Chardonnay was fine and same with Pinot Grigio. Well, one “negative” thing about the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program is that it has made me much more particular about white wines.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 31: Semillon (May 25th – 31st 2019)” →

This was a first. I actually had to go back and re-taste a wine. No…it’s not because I drank the whole bottle and forgot what it tasted like! This wine really baffled me. I couldn’t figure out what made it stand out and how to describe it. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 30: Barbera (May 18th – 24th 2019)” →

If you’ve been following along for more than a minute, I don’t need to tell you that I do not have an affinity for sweet wines. So any word starting with “musca…” immediately results in my reaction of “no thank you!”. However, when I was recently reassured that Muscadet was different, I decided to incorporate this wine into our 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 29: Muscadet (May 11th – 17th 2019)” →

Carignan has been adding subtle requests to my life to be included in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program schedule. I’ve recently been on a French Rosé kick and I keep seeing Carignan as a varietal in the wines. Also, a few months back, I focused my efforts on researching canned wine which connected me with Sans Wine Company and their Carbonic Carignan. When I realized that Carignan was secretly inserting its presence into my wine consumption and education, I knew it needed to be incorporated in the training program.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 28: Carignan (May 4th – 10th 2019)” →

When I am tasting a wine and considering the varietal for my own consumption and palate (versus serving for party or a wine tasting event), I am looking for something unique. If a new wine or varietal is not distinctly different in taste from a common varietal (think Pinot Grigio, Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, you get the idea) and the price difference is significantly higher, I lose interest pretty quickly and categorize that varietal in the “meh” bin. “Meh” doesn’t mean it’s not a good wine, it just means, it’s not that special to me. I’m not unwilling to try anything from the “meh” category again, but I’m less likely to see it on a menu and think “ooo! I think I’ll order an overpriced glass of that and enjoy it!” So, unfortunately, Pinot Blanc got tossed in the “meh” bin. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 27: Pinot Blanc (April 27th – May 4th 2019)” →

Having minored in French at West Point, when it came to “Old World” wines (wines originating from historically traditional wine production regions, ie France, Italy, Spain, mostly European countries), I used to lean towards French wines. I felt like I had slightly more familiarity regarding French wine production regions than any other foreign country simply due to college requirements to know about the country. This didn’t mean I liked French wines – my husband and I traveled to Bordeaux for an anniversary only to learn that we didn’t like Bordeaux’s – but I knew how to pronounce the regions and knew their general locations, so that somehow made French wines more approachable. Of the other Old World regions, Italy and Spain seemed intimidating as the labels were harder to interpret and the grape varietals weren’t recognizable compared to traditional California grapes.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 26: Montepulciano (April 20th-26th 2019)” →

I’m finding that a lot of our unusual or “un-heard-of” varietals are Italian! Cortese (pronounced core-tay-zay) is an Italian white wine grape grown primarily in the Piedmont region. It’s typically used as a blending grape as its sensitive growing nature makes refinement for a single-varietal wine challenging for winemakers. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 25: Cortese (April 13th-19th 2019)” →

If you’ve felt confused about Syrah, Shiraz and Petite Sirah, I’ll clear it up for you here: Syrah and Shiraz are the same grape, Petite Sirah is a whole different, unrelated varietal. Despite its name, Petite Sirah is no small grape, it’s actually quite powerful and big!

We just wrapped up GSM month and, in case you didn’t join us for the adventure, the S stands for Syrah. Syrah is a surprisingly light to medium bodied red wine with many earthier tones. Since we only tasted Syrah a few weeks ago, I chose to introduce Petite Sirah for the purpose of contrast. Petite Sirahs are often on the “boldest” and “fullest bodied” end of the wine spectrum, are typically strongly fruit-forward and rarely possesses prominent earthy traits. “Jammy” is a typical descriptor word that you hear with Petite Sirah.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 24: Petite Sirah (April 6th-12th 2019)” →

We’re rounding out GSM month (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre), and though we’ve tasted each of the varietals individually, this week I chose a different representation of the varietals: a rosé. Rosés only recently became part of my favorite wines when I realized that not all rosés are sweet. I felt a little silly when I discovered this fact though since I’ve been recommending rosés to other consumers, I’ve seen how prominent this belief is! 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 23: Grenache-Syrah Rosé (March 30th-April 5th 2019)” →

I’m sorry if this is the 5,000th time you’ve heard me say this, but the March wines for the 52 Weeks of Wine are GSM-themed, which stands for Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. GSM is known for its fruit-forward traits with soft tannins and balanced acidity. So far, we’ve tasted Grenache, Syrah and a sparkling Shiraz. To be honest, I expected each to have some similar traits to the GSM blend, however, it was shocking to me how different the Grenache and Syrah were to the final output of the blend. So, I’ve been holding out to see what the Mourvèdre would bring to the table and tasting this Mourvèdre revealed where the “oomph” of the GSM originates from.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 22: Mourvèdre (March 23rd-29th 2019)” →

I knew when I decided to have March serve as a focus on GSM (Grenache Syrah Mourvedre), we’d need to (1) break up the red wines with some other options and (2) experience a couple representations of these incredibly diverse grapes. So, this week, we’re tasting a Sparkling Shiraz!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 21: Sparkling Shiraz (March 16th-22nd 2019)” →

Syrah, Shiraz, same grape, different region. Sort of. 

So, traditionally, the grape from France is Syrah, the grape from Australia is Shiraz. And from other regions, it just depends. Technically, California, Washington, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa (where this wine was produced), can label the wine with either Syrah or Shiraz. This is typically consistent with the story that the winemaker wants the wine to tell. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 20: Syrah (Shiraz) (March 9th-15th 2019)” →

In the past, whenever I’ve thought of Grenache, the word “ganache” comes to mind, mostly because the predominately Grenache red wine blends that I have tasted are rich and luxurious like a chocolate ganache. So, this week’s tasting was a bit of a surprise when I poured the Garnacha (a Spanish Grenache) into my glass and saw the lightness in color and body.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 19: Grenache (Garnacha) (March 2nd-8th 2019)” →

If you were following along with the 52 Weeks of Wine at the start of the New Year, you may recall a feature of a wine called “Beaujolais”. Beaujolais refers the product region in France from which these wines originate. Many Old World wine production regions categorize their wines by the region that the wine originated (i.e. Bordeaux, St. Emilion, Penedes) which differs from American wines which we categorize by grape varietal. Beaujolais and specifically, Beaujolais Nouveau (the new vintage of Beaujolais released annually around the third Thursday in November), is typically the Gamay varietal, though often minimally blended with other varietals. This week, we are tasting the Gamay varietal, which by coincidence, is also a Beaujolais Nouveau. 

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 18: Gamay (February 23rd-March 1st 2019)” →

I’m typically a couple weeks ahead in the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program so that I have adequate time to taste the wine, take photos and write the blog post. This week was quite different. I have been dreading the Riesling tasting. Even though I chose a “dry” Riesling, I was confident that “dry Riesling” was an oxymoron. Of all the Rieslings I have ever suffered through tasting, they were so intolerably sweet that I could not tell you a single attribute regarding the flavor. I fully intended to conduct a true and open-minded tasting of this wine, but procrastinated the process until the very last minute.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 17: Riesling (February 16th-22nd 2019)” →

Oh Zinfandel. One of my true loves. I was first introduced to Zinfandel when I was about 24 and never looked back. Just as champagne evokes emotions of excitement and celebration for many, Zinfandel reminds me of a romantic Friday evening, fireside in the mountains after skiing all day.

Another reason I love Zinfandel is because I have had the privilege of introducing so many people to this beautiful wine! Because of the reputation White Zinfandel had many years ago, many people assume Zinfandel is a sweet, pink, cheap wine. So, when I meet a Cabernet Sauvignon lover, I’m always excited to hear their response regarding Zinfandel!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 16: Zinfandel (February 9th-15th 2019)” →

I try to be as honest and truthful with my reviews of the 52 Weeks of Wine varietals and though I’d love to glam up how Albariño was such a special and unique wine, I’d be lying if I didn’t just come out and say it: it tasted like a Pinot Grigio to me. That’s not a bad thing! I like Pinot Grigio! However, it just didn’t really stand out as anything special.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 15: Albariño (February 2nd-8th 2019)” →

I have to admit, I was quite excited to taste this Chenin Blanc! Before the holidays, I tried a white wine blend that was Viognier and Chenin Blanc and I absolutely loved it! So, I was curious to deconstruct the wine and taste the varietals independently to learn the characteristics of each. I’ve employed this same concept for the 52 Weeks of Wine Training Program for the month of March: we’re deconstructing GSM’s (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) and tasting the respective varietals independently to learn more about what builds such a smooth and luxurious wine!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 14: Chenin Blanc (January 26th-February 1st 2019)” →

Nebbiolo. You’ve probably heard of it, seen it on a wine menu, but if you’re anything like me, you didn’t know what to expect. So, one night when we were making homemade smoked pizza on the Traeger, I thought it might be a good night to give this Nebbiolo a try.

Maybe it’s a sixth sense or just a coincidence, but lately, I’ve been quite effective on my random dinner and wine pairings. I mentioned last week that I prefer not to research the varietals before a tasting out of concern that knowing too much will bias my tasting experience. So, this week, I took a gamble in hopes that the acidity of our homemade pizza sauce would compliment this unknown wine. And boy, did it!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 13: Nebbiolo (January 19th-25th 2019)” →

I have to admit I get a little nervous before I taste some of these white wines that I am unfamiliar with. I got a burned on Gewürztraminer a month back and so I have set my expectations low on the unusual white varietals. To lay it out there, I have a hard time enjoying sweet wines and highly floral wines. I could combat this anxiety by researching the varietals before I taste but I truly enjoy going into a tasting completely blind. So this is the sacrifice I make…hah…first world problems!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 12: Soave (January 12th-18th 2019)” →

It’s the last week of the year! That feels so frightening and exciting to say, but don’t you worry, it’s not the last week of the 52 Weeks of Wine! And the New Year brings even more excitement for the 52 Weeks of Wine: the ability to subscribe to a monthly wine box delivered to your door with free shipping!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 10: Beaujolais (December 30th 2018-January 4th 2019)” →

At a recent wine tasting event in my home where guests brought a bottle to share, I tasted a white wine that my friend Megen brought – a Chenin Blanc and Viognier blend. The majority of the wines for the tasting were sweet whites and red wines so this white wine blend went mostly unnoticed. I was shocked! I couldn’t get over how much depth that this white whine had while still being incredibly smooth. Despite my encouragement for others to try the wine, the party ended and the wine was still 3/4 full (oh darn, I guess I’ll just have to help polish that one off tomorrow)!

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 9: Viognier (December 22nd-29th 2018)” →

Gewürztraminer. I usually just mumble that word through my teeth very quickly in hopes that no one will question what I’m saying. Our neighbors have advised me to think of “girls are meaner” with the pronunciation, but apparently the ACTUAL pronunciation is “Gertz-Tra-Meener”. You can say it however you like.

Continue reading “52 Weeks of Wine – Week 5: Gewürztraminer (November 24th-30th 2018)” →