or how to use a waiter's corkscrew. use the knife on the opener to cut thru the foil/plastic that covers the neck of the bottle. Make the cut at about ¼" down from the top edge of the bottle (or wherever the first ridge is). After a full turn, remove the end of the foil. Hold bottle in left hand. MORE >>

i just read a great article on wine tasting groups. upon my return from napa in february of '06 i joined one such group in nyc that i am thrilled to be able to say i am still a vibrant member of. at our groups core is a non-conformist MORE >>

i just got back from a fabulous impromptu italian wine & pizza tasting with several of my wine tasting group members (and some guests/new members). there were only 7 of us there, and 5 of the 7 can be considered “industry” people (the MORE >>

A quick post. just looked at an offer I got for a reserve Shiraz from Australia. They advertise the shiraz as "extremely limited - 1 bottle per person". What I discovered was interesting. The site DOES allow you to buy more than 1. Maybe this is in fact a very limited wine. MORE >>

I just enjoyed another article written by Laurie Daniel for the San Jose Mercury News. This one titled "Blind tasting Can Be A Real Eye-Opener". but she sheds some light into wine appreciation. like blind tasting for a multitude of reasons. also like blind tasting as a result of an experience from my time working in the lab at a Napa custom crush. MORE >>