Author Archives: Brandy

Holiday Gift Ideas – Wine Openers

Giving gifts can be stressful. Hopefully this provides you with a few options of openers for your friends, family, and maybe for yourself. Some version of opener is essential to have on hand for all wine lovers. Unfortunately, they can break, or get lost so it is a good idea to have more than oneContinue reading “Holiday Gift Ideas – Wine Openers”

How to Select Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner

Choosing wine for Thanksgiving does not need to be overwhelming. Thanksgiving is all about spending time with loved wines and having a great time together. To pick wine the first consideration should be: what kind of wine do you and your guests enjoy? I always try to think about who will be at a dinnerContinue reading “How to Select Wine for Thanksgiving Dinner”

How to open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine

You may have wondered what the best way to open a bottle of sparkling wine is. Over the years I have seen many people pop the cork and shoot 1/3 of the bottle of wine across the room. This is not my recommended method of opening a bottle. For one thing it is dangerous. IContinue reading “How to open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine”

How to Taste White Wine

If you read the post on tasting red wines then you will see some similar information here, but the post has been revised for white wines. To begin, look at the color. Consider how the color compares with other wines of this varietal that you have had. White wines can be nearly colorless all theContinue reading “How to Taste White Wine”

Will these Wildfires Impact the Wines that I love?

The answer here is tricky. Maybe they will and maybe they won’t. Wildfires seem to be getting more common. In California, the peak wildfire season is also the peak of the grape harvest. Researchers are finding that the closer to harvest that the grapes are at the time of a fire event the more likelyContinue reading “Will these Wildfires Impact the Wines that I love?”

Wine and Halloween Candy Pairing

Pairing wine with any food is a very subjective thing. How a wine works, or doesn’t work will depend on your taste buds, and your personal preferences. These pairings are just for fun so be give them a try and see what you think. Do not be limited to these suggestions! Food and wine pairingContinue reading “Wine and Halloween Candy Pairing”

How Should Wine be Stored?

The proper storage of wine is essential if you are interested in holding on to it for a while. The first thing to know is that wine should be stored at the proper temperature – keep it cool. Somewhere in the range of 45-65°F. Ideally the wine is kept at a fairly consistent temperature withinContinue reading “How Should Wine be Stored?”

Organic Wine

To put it simply, organic wines are made from organically grown grapes with no added sulfites. However, nothing is simple. For this post I am only discussing organic wine in the US. Wines around the world are made “organically” and the regulations for those are different than they are for US producers. Organically grown grapesContinue reading “Organic Wine”

Vegan Wine?

Many people have asked me why a wine is not vegan. Well… it might not be depending on the winemaking practices. If wine is fermented, aged, and bottled without intervention then it is vegan. Grapes, yeast, barrels, and sulfites are all vegan. If on the other-hand, the winemaker takes steps to speed up the releaseContinue reading “Vegan Wine?”