Wine Knowledge

Lesser-Known Wine Regions (that you should know about):  Michigan

When thinking of Michigan, images of the Great Lakes and the automobile industry may come to ...

How French Winemakers Outwitted the Nazis

French winemakers played an essential role in the French Resistance which aided the Allied troops in ...

Lesser-Known Wine Regions (that you should know about):  England

Historically, England has mostly been known as a major importer of wines but in recent years, ...

Lesser-Known Wine Regions (that you should know about):  CRETE

Winemaking on the Greek island of Crete dates back over 3000 years to the Minoan period.  ...

White Malbec

Recently on a trip to Bonaire I stopped to pick up some wines and happened to ...

Sassicaia

The birth of Sassicaia. When Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta married Marchesa Clarice della Gherardesca in ...

The Science Behind Red Wine Headaches

Do you or someone you know react to red wine – maybe a headache, or facial ...

Who Changed My Wine?

It’s well established that human activity has contributed to an increase in greenhouse gasses in the ...

The Ins and Outs of Wine Buying Clubs

Pictured below: three bottles that I never would have found on my own but discovered through ...

Are varietal-specific wine glasses worth it?

Short answer: yes! But one sentence does not make much of a blog so let me ...

Aging Wines – a Lesson with Petit Syrah

Two bottles drunk in the cooler months earlier this year – one left good memories; the ...

Fleurie 

With summer, we need to seek wines that go with summer foods; foods that are simpler, ...
A B and C Blocks in Blue on a Green Background

The ABCs of Wine Tasting Part III – SIP – SIP – HOORAY!

Since wine is made of 100% grapes, everything you taste comes from the grapes themselves!  That ...
A Large Size Brass Boiler Shot From Lower Angle

Port!

Sherry is not the only fortified wine from the Iberian Peninsula.  Perhaps better known than sherry ...

The ABCs of Wine Tasting Part II – Color and Aroma

It’s time to fill a glass and follow along. Grab your favorite red, white or rose ...

Mexico’s Secret: World Class Wines

How can you resist trying a wine named after, “The first flower that blooms on the ...

Clicquot – The Movie

The Pennsylvania Wine Society isn’t the only group interested in women and wines.  In the coming ...

The ABCs of Wine Tasting Part I – Aroma and Flavor

Wine Speak - What’s It All About?  When I joined the PA Wine Society, I was ...

Wine Labels – Art and Memento

You might be throwing some great wall art away in the recycle bin! I’m talking about ...

Sabering Champagne

The topic of sabering Champagne came up when our table heard the popping of a cork ...
A Watercolor Drawing of a Glass of Red Wine

The Power of Phenols

Wine literature is replete with references to phenols, polyphenols and phenolic compounds, but what exactly are ...
Bigstock Strawberry And Champagne

About Champagne

Champagne was developed in France about 300 years ago from a process involving lots of chemistry ...
Chambourcin Grapes Lehigh Valley Photo

Versatile Chambourcin

It may not be one of the noble grapes, but Chambourcin is worthy of our attention ...
Two Glasses of Pink Italian wine picture

Think Pink: The Expanding World of Italian Rosé

When we think of Italian wines, our thoughts typically trend told bold reds, with perhaps a ...

Mach what? … of Jet Fighters and Champagne

You’re familiar with the popping noise that occurs when a bottle of Champagne is uncorked. There ...

How Long Ago Did Grapes Exist?

Which came first, wine or beer? We may never truly know but scientists and historians generally ...

Fermentation: The Magic That Creates Wine

We all know that fermentation is the secret to wine.  Without fermentation, we’d be drinking grape ...
Domaine de Martinolles Mauzac Grapes in Bucket

Mauzac, an Unusual Grape

I enjoy attending the tastings at the local Wine and Spirits Stores where I encounter wines ...

Georgian Wines

Georgia (the country and former Soviet Republic) is widely considered the “cradle of wine.” Archaeologists have ...
Wines of South America To Malbec and Beyond

Wines of South America: To Malbec and Beyond!  

Mention South American wine varietals and the mind immediately goes to Malbec. The Argentine classic has ...
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Cork Sparkles! 

Have you ever found small crystals on the bottom of a wine cork, glinting at the ...
Chilled Red Wine for Summer by Sheila Rickert

Chilled Red Wine for Summer?

Chilled Red Wine for Summer? Absolutely! Despite Pennsylvania’s unseasonably frosty April temperatures, May brings with it ...
Pet Nat, Sparkling Wines, Unruly Step Child

Pét Nat: Sparkling Wine’s Unruly Step-Child

Among the Champagnes, Proseccos, Cavas and other traditional holiday sparklers, you may have noticed another selection. ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

The Significance of Vinifera Grapes

The banner in the tasting room read, “We Use Only Vinifera Grapes”. While I had heard ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Marsala… is not just for cooking!

The word “Marsala” usually evokes thoughts of an ingredient used in cooking Veal or Chicken dishes. ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Va La Vineyard
in Avondale, Pennsylvania

I am not a religious person.  In fact, I am often unaware of various religious holidays.  ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Unique & Unusual
Gros Manseng

If you are interested in trying unique and unusual grapes but don’t know how to stray ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Wine in The Land of Enchantment

A few years ago, our friend Robert from Pittsburgh visited us in northern New Mexico and ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Merging Two Pleasures in One Wine: Rosé Prosecco

Get ready for more pink in the form of Prosecco rosé!  Last year, the Italian government ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Belated Comeuppance ~ Bordeaux

For those of us with meager or moderate means, familiarity with the First Growth Bordeaux vineyards ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Organic, Sustainable, and Biodynamic Wines – The Differences

You have seen the terms “Organic”, “Sustainable”, and “Biodynamic” in reference to wines; but, what do ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Decanting Wine

You may ask, “Why decant a wine?” and “Does decanting improve a wine?” According to Wine ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

One Sommelier’s Guide to Picking a Good Pink Wine

With the recent popularity of pink wine, and explosion of new offerings coming on the market ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Another Reason for Cork

If there is one wine that gets more scrutiny than others, it must be Champagne, if ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

My Visit to Black Ankle Vineyards

I could have been in California when I ventured to Black Ankle a couple of Sundays ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Sharing COVID-19 Wine Experiences – Drinking #1!

The mandated restrictions imposed upon us in March curtailed everyone’s work and/or social calendar. With plenty ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

New Wines – There is more than Beaujolais Nouveau

I would bet most of us are familiar with “new wine” because of George DeBoeuf and ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Gifting a Birth Year Wine

Recently I attended a christening for my newborn nephew and instead of arriving at the christening ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Terroir

I have many opportunities to chat with Customers throughout the work day in my capacity as ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

“It’s Beaujolais Nouveau Time!”

Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine of the new harvest! The third Thursday of November is ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

TINY Bubbles!

As they rise to a crescendo of delight, the quality of champagne has often been measured ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

How Rose Wines Are Made

Well before the arrival of the Summer Solstice, wine palates begin to shift their seasonal preferences ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Wine Headaches and The Causes

You or someone you know may have complained of headaches presumably caused by sulfites in wine. ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

There’s a Fungus Among Us

“Sweet, rich-textured, flower-scented and smooth.” For many of us, this may cause us to think of ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Going Rogue (AKA Oregon by way of Phoenix… you figure it out)

My wife and I were really looking forward to our Sonoma-Napa wine vacation; nine days of ...
Pennsylvania Wine Society

Our Wine Tour of Tuscany

Some of our favorite wines come from Tuscany so we wanted to take a wine tour ...