Wine Weekly

Fans of the WineWeekly rating system, it looks like Vino Joe has been ripped off — by the snobs, no less ! Check out this post on the excellent wine trade blog, Fermentation. It explains that a new publication put together by sommeliers is adding up points for Aroma, Flavor, Structure, Length, and Balance (sound [...]

Kumala — a winery in South Africa — is offering free wine charms to those who successfully complete the Kumala Safari Challenge, which is an 8-question quiz pertaining to facts about South Africa. Offer is valid only in the USA, and the questions are pretty easy. I’ve never had anything from Kumala so can’t comment [...]

Wine Spectator magazine is offering free access to their “subscriber You can try getting free access without giving your email here, but if that doesn’t work, you’ll have to go to the Wine Spectator website and sign up the legitimate way. The access is only good till the end of October, so you’ll want to [...]

Vines, Grapes and Wines – the wine drinker’s guide to grape varieties This book was first written in 1986, and hasn’t been updated since 1992, so it’s a little outdated — and that’s a shame. However, it is still an excellent reference for those interested in learning more about different types of grapes, and at [...]

Tasca d’Almerita makes two very reliable everyday “table” wines from its Regaleali property, one white, one red. This is the white — Bianco — and the 2004 vintage is still fresh and enjoyable. In an attempt to clear up some confusion: Tasca d’Almerita is the name of the winemaking family that owns the Regaleali estate. [...]

When I first started getting into wine, I didn’t even know there were different grapes. Well that’s not entirely true — I knew there was a difference between the seedless grapes I bought at the supermarket, and the “wine grapes” my grandfather grew in the backyard. But that was about it. Needless (or seedless) to [...]

After getting hammered by several wine critics, I just had to get my hands on a bottle and find out what was so awful. After opening the bottle, I understood the problem encountered by the pundits — Lyeth Meritage is a raw, rough-around-the-edges wine that does not immediately show well. Subsequently, the wine was given [...]

Buying a bottle of Malbec can be a somewhat mysterious experience, as the grape — much like Chardonnay — can be so many different things. Think of Malbec as the Peter Sellers of grapes: so many disguises and personalities, and you’re never quite sure which one you will get. Of one thing there is little [...]

Viognier (vee-ohn-YAY) has historically been a fairly rare grape, grown primarily in the Rhone Valley region of France and most famous for a wine called Condrieu (kohn-dree-yuh ). Even as recently as 20 years ago, no more than 100 acres of Viognier vineyards were planted worldwide — the bulk of it still in the Rhone [...]