Informal

Wine Wednesday ~ Wines For the Passover and Easter Seasons    by Marty Cook What are you serving this season?  Just as important is the wine or wines that you will pair with that food!  Have a traditional pairing?  Or, need ideas? This seasonal fare is generally lighter fare.  Wines that work are generally light to…

Wine Wednesday ~ “The Joys of Cheap Wine”    by Marty Cook This installment of Wine Wednesday is inspired by the book of the same title by Henry Billings. If you have never picked up a copy of this easily read yet hilarious primmer extoling the virtues of cheap wines, then you are missing out!  So,…

Wines Made from Hybrid Grapes       by Marty Cook We are all familiar with the short list of so called “Noble Grapes” that includes such favorite European or Vitis vinifera grape varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Riesling.  But, what about grape varieties with names such as Seyval Blanc, Chambourcin, Norton, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, and…

by Marty Cook Similar to the way in which many of us consistently seem to buy wines made from the same 15 - 18 grapes, it seems that many of us also tend to choose our European wines primarily from France and Italy.  The interesting thing is that the vast majority of European countries make…