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1. BYOB - Six rules to remember
   Brian Gurnham Chief Cork Officer
   BYOB, or bring your own [beverage, bottle, booze, beer] is an acronym for the practice of allowing diners to bring their own bottle of wine to a restaurant. The practice is common in some parts of the United States, and strictly forbidden in others. . . . keep reading
   
   
2. Champagne "Come quickly ! I'm tasting stars!"
   These words uttered by Dom Pierre Perignon, the French Benedictine Monk upon tasting his newly created champagne marked the beginning of the modern h . . . keep reading
   
   
3. Red Wine Making
   The process of making red wine is similar to white wine, with a few important differences that arise from the desire to capture components of the skins of red grapes, (color, aromas, and tannins), in the vinification process. . . . keep reading
   
   
4. Greece - A Phonologist's Dream
   The Eastern Mediterranean, and Greece in particular, was for centuries the cradle of the wine trade. Wine travelled from its birthplace in the Middle East through Greece on its way to Western Europe. Despite challenges over the centuries that have nearly destroyed the country's wine industry, since Greece joined the European Union in 1981, a slow and systematic resurgence in wine production and exportation has been underway. . . . keep reading
   
   
5. Understanding your Wine Profile
   There is perhaps nothing more important in your wine education than learning to understand and refine your wine profile. A wine profile is simply a means of articulating the style of a wine you like. . . . keep reading
   
   
6. Wine Labels from Argentina
   Although Argentina owes much of its oenological success to the European influence from the 1600s onward, its laws in relation to its wine industry, do not adhere to the strict requirements of those of their ancestors. . . . keep reading
   
   
7. The Wine Rite of Passage -- aka the waiter brings you the wine
   Now that you've navigated the wine list, selected a wine that matches your wine profile and budget, the real pressure begins.  Actually, it is pr . . . keep reading
   
   
8. Wine Study Program - Level 1 Plonk
   Coined by the British as the label for the most ordinary of wine, after completing the Plonk level you will have a firm grasp of Plonk when you taste it! In this study program you will learn about the most common grape varieties, basic wine making techniques, the largest wine producing regions in the world, tasting wine, and oh yes, host your first wine tasting party. You will also begin to develop your own wine profile. . . . keep reading
   
   
9. White Wine Making
   Making white wine, and any wine for that matter, combines the skill of the winemaker with nature's ability to produce grapes of the highest quality. In this article we review the process of white wine making, and how technology has introduced itself to this timeless process. . . . keep reading
   
   
10. Negroamaro - A trulli magnificent grape
    Let's begin with the pronunciation - Nay grow ah MAH row, hanging on the MAH. Negroamaro is a grape that is not only fun to say but delicious to drink. A somewhat lesser known grape variety from the Apulia region of Italy, Negroamaro has become increasingly popular in recent times as wine consumers look for big fruit filled reds without the big price tag. . . . keep reading
    
    
11. Touriga Nacional - The Tempranillo of Portugal
    Portugal has the largest population of indigenous grape varieties in the world -- 350 to 500 unique varieties depending on who is doing the counting. Rising to the top in popularity is Touriga Nacional, made famous for its use in the production of Port. Touriga Nacional is a red grape, from the Vitis Vinifera species, and is known for very intense floral flavors, acidity and tannins. This strength in the grape variety comes from its genetic makeup, and the conditions under which it is grown. . . . keep reading
    
    
12. Tannins - What exactly are they?
    “Wow, a lot of tannins in this wine”.  How often have you heard those words without a complete understanding of what tannins are?&nbs . . . keep reading
    
    
13. The Rap on Sweet Wines
    "We do whatever; Hypno, Cris though, I mean whatever; Saracco Moscato it do taste better" -- Kanye West. Hip hop song artists like West, Lil'Kim and Ab-Soul have helped lead the resurgence in sweet wine. Americans have had a love / hate relationship with sweet wines for decades; however in recent years sweet wines have been gaining in popularity. . . . keep reading
    
    
14. Merlot - Cabernet Sauvignon's Fruitier Brother
    With origins in the Bordeaux region, Merlot is the second most planted red grape in the world. The varietal is the main component of the blends emanating from the southwest area in France where it has solidified its standing as a world class grape. Merlot has spread throughout the world and has made its mark on several wine growing areas. Although it may trail Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of popularity, Merlot remains one of the wine world's most important varietals. . . . keep reading
    
    
15. Wine Drinkers Demographics - Do you fit in?
    Brian Gurnham Chief Cork Officer
    Ever wonder how your wine drinking habits fit in with the “norm” whatever that is?  Here are a couple observations that might indicat . . . keep reading
    
    
16. Wine Review - Moscato - How Sweet it is
    2011 Simply Naked Moscato
    In this week's wine tasting review we take on one of the easiest aspects of tasting -- the detection of sweetness, or more correctly residual sugar in a wine. Sweet is one of the few sensory observations that we actually "taste" as opposed to "smell" when tasting a wine. And, as we'll see, the two are often intertwined. . . . keep reading
    
    
17. Petit Verdot - The little big man
    With a literal translation of "little green one", Petit Verdot earns this name from the small, intensely colored grapes with a well-known lethargy in ripening. Petit Verdot has had a long but somewhat inconspicuous history. In fact, the origins of the grape are not well known, and the empathy resulting from its minor role in Bordeaux blends initially resulted in a lack of popularity in other winegrowing countries. . . . keep reading
    
    
18. Tasting Terminology -- Sound like a Pro Part 2!
    In Tasting Terminology - Sound like a Pro Part 1, we introduced a variety of terms used to describe a wine either in a positive or negative light. In Part 2 we continue the theme with terminology from I -- Q. Remember, the best way to get comfortable with the terminology is to drink some wine, record your taste perceptions, and match them to these common descriptors. In no time you'll be sounding like a pro! . . . keep reading
    
    
19. Vineyard to Wine Shelf - Who makes the money?
    Ever wonder how grapes from a California vineyard wind up on the shelf of your local wine shop and how money is made along the way? . . . keep reading
    
    
20. There's a (wine) App for that!
    Brian Gurnham Chief Cork Officer
    Having finally embraced the Apple ecosystem late last year, I thought it would make sense to use my trusty iPad to track my wine collection. Mind you my "collection" hardly warrants mention in the top 10 wine cellars in the United States, but nonetheless I do manage to keep about 20 cases of wine on any given day, just enough to be able to lose track of exactly what I have. . . . keep reading
    
    

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