Aglassofred

In this first look at French varietals, one of our AGOR correspondents will take us several red varietals seen throughout France. I do have to point out that winemakers throughout France place far more emphasis on terroir than they do on the varietals themselves. Enjoy, and stay tuned for the next installment which will cover white wine varietals. ------------------------------- You may be just beginning to learn all the different information and subtleties of wine enthusiasm and education... Read Full Story

The federal government has recognized the Lake Chelan area in north-central Washington as the state's 11th distinct wine grape-growing region. April 28th Source: Associated Press The federal government has recognized the Lake Chelan area in north-central Washington as the state's 11th distinct wine grape-growing region. Ryan Pennington of the Washington Wine Commission said Tuesday that the U.S. Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has approved the area for appellation status. The approval will be... Read Full Story

The federal government has recognized the Lake Chelan area in north-central Washington as the state's 11th distinct wine grape-growing region. April 28th Source: Associated Press The federal government has recognized the Lake Chelan area in north-central Washington as the state's 11th distinct wine grape-growing region. Ryan Pennington of the Washington Wine Commission said Tuesday that the U.S. Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has approved the area for appellation status. The approval will be... Read Full Story

Source: Bloomberg April 30th By Eva von Schaper Half a glass of wine a day may add five years to your life, a new study suggests. Drink beer, and you'll live only 2 1/2 years longer. Dutch researchers followed 1,373 men for more than four decades, noting their eating and drinking habits. Men who had about 20 grams of alcohol daily -- equivalent to a half a glass of wine -- had 2 1/2 years added to their life expectancy at age 50, compared with men who didn't drink at all, according to the... Read Full Story

Source: The Seattle Times April 12th By Paul Gregutt ON MY BIRTHDAY last December, I opened a special bottle from my cellar - a 1969 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Robert Mondavi Winery. No man in America did more to further the quality and enjoyment of domestic wines than Robert Mondavi, and this almost-40-year-old bottle captured his spirit and had a story to tell about the early years of his winery. The back label carried a personal message from Mr. Mondavi: "When I founded the... Read Full Story

By MICHELLE LOCKE Source: The Associated Press Jan 13th When People magazine reported seeing an unopened bottle of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay in the Obamas' kitchen, the California winery fired off a couple of cases to No. 44. Just another gift? Hardly. Winning over the presidential palate is a big deal for the wine industry, leaving vintners - and vinophiles - curious about what's on tap for the next occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. "The one thing that I know about them is that they're... Read Full Story

I apologize for the lapse in original content as of late. We're trying to maintain a steady flow in wine related news articles, but time to write good content has been scarce. As we move into the holiday season, I wanted to raise awareness of boutique wines. The current wine market is dominated by large table wine brands like Yellowtail, Gallo, Franzia, and Fetzer due to their consistent quality (I said consistent, not premium), their competitive pricing, and their wide availability (Franzia... Read Full Story

Eric Asimov made an excellent point in his recent post regarding an absurd retail mark-up on an excellent single vineyard zinfandel from Turley Wine Cellars . The growing taste for wine in the U.S. and abroad is making many consumers pay exorbitant prices for wines that were destined for the market at much lower price points. With so many small producers turning out premium products, it's a constant struggle for retailers to meet the demands of the market. As any economist would predict, this... Read Full Story

October 17, 2008 Source: Decanter Jane Anson The Right Bank harvest in Bordeaux is drawing to a close this week, with most of the Merlots now picked, and the Cabernet due to be finished early next week. In Pomerol, most grapes are now in. Chateau La Conseillante finished on Tuesday 7 October, with Le Pin finishing on Wednesday 8 October and Petrus on 12 October. On the Left Bank, Chateau Mouton Rothschild finished on 13 October. Mathieu Cuvelier, of Clos Fourtet in Saint Emilion, who is due... Read Full Story

Hopefully we can all tell the difference between a red or a white wine, but what about that section of a restaurant's wine list dedicated to dessert wines? I know at some point we've all wondered what makes these wines different. Are they just paired with the restaurant's desserts? Are they made from different grapes? Dessert wines actually describes several types of wines, but the common factor is that they are typically sweeter than regular wines. Both Port, a  fortified wine, and ice wine... Read Full Story