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…

Wines For Cinco de Mayo      by Marty Cook Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Cinco de Mayo is an annual Mexican celebration held on May 5.  The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862.  This event is not a federal holiday in…

Wines of Australia and New Zealand     by Marty Cook While we are enjoying our springtime and experiencing budbreak in the Northern Hemisphere, the world “down under” is enjoying their Southern Hemisphere harvest and busily preparing their latest vintage of wines!  And, although this latest vintage cannot possibly be ready for us to sample next Wednesday,…

The Wines of South Africa      by Marty Cook South Africa is a relative newcomer to the American wine scene over the past three or four decades; but that region has a rich winemaking tradition that extends well into the nineteenth century. The South African wine industry is also one of the leaders in doing research…

Pinot Noir    by Marty Cook Our next Wine Wednesday takes place on May 26th at 7:00 p.m. Eastern/New York time, and focuses on Pinot Noir, the red grape whose clusters loosely approximate the shape of a pinecone (the name is derived from the French words for pine and black).  This difficult-to-grow cool climate grape gives winegrowers…

Rhône Whites & Reds      by Marty Cook The Rhône wine region of France has been making wine for over 2000 years.  The area is broken up into the Northern Rhône and the Southern Rhône, and the history and wines of the entire area is well-documented.  The Northern Rhône wines are exclusively red wines made primarily from the Syrah grape, while the Southern Rhône region is…