Wine Storage Specialist:

This morning, I picked up a bottle of sherry for dinner tonight.  Not to drink, but to cook with.  But then it struck me: why was I abjuring it from my glass, and banishing a cup to the soup pot and the remainder to a slow death in the cupboard?  Sherry is wine, after all.  Why don't we drink it...

If you didn't already know about it, for the last few days, Dana Point has been playing host to the annual California Wine Festival.  This is a new venue for this event, and it looks like a great one: the whole event takes place beachside on the grass at picturesque Doheny State Beach.  The festival started on Thursday, but don't...

Meet Malbec!  Malbec grapes are a beautiful deep purple color, and they produce a rich, dark wine.  Malbec is commonly used in combination with other grapes to create Bordeaux-style blends, but can stand alone as an exceptional wine as well. The Malbec grape is very thin-skinned, delicate, and easily ruined by frost.  It requires more sunlight than most grapes, and...

No, these terms don't refer to the respective positions you end in before and after wine tasting.  Instead, horizontal and vertical are two different types of tastings, or comparing wines by sampling them.  The best way to judge wines is to compare them side-by-side, and so, a couple of different methods have developed to facilitate the best way to do...

If you haven't yet ventured into Spanish wines, it's time you start.  Spain has more acres devoted to wine grapes than any other country in the world.  They don't produce as much wine as some other countries because of their obsession with quality.  They don't force plants to produce over their natural limits, and they don't overcrowd their vines.  Spain...

If your mom is like mine, there's nothing she'd rather do on Mother's Day than have a chance to relax with her family, minus the laundry and dishes.  And what better way to help her get some me-time than wine?  Wine is a great way to celebrate with your mom, and you don't need to plan an extravagant wine tasting...

As summer approaches, it’s time to start thinking about light, refreshing beverages that are ideal for sipping and savoring on a warm, sunny day.  White wine, rosé, and even some reds are wonderful wine choices, of course, and we’ll be highlighting some especially good choices in the posts to come. But say you’re having a party, or just celebrating a...

16th century wine press I love to cook with wine.  But I admit it, sometimes, pouring a cup or a bottle of perfectly good wine into the cooking pot can seem a little sacrilegious.  Is using your good wine in your food worth it? In a word, yes.  Wine imparts a richness and depth of flavor that is simply hard...

There are a lot of wine accessories and contraptions out there.  It can be tough to tell which ones are just a waste of money, and which can really enhance your wine-drinking experience.  One thing that's not a gimmick?  The idea that different wines should have different glasses. Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with having just the standard four...

Last week, we talked about Claus Riedel's obsession with designing the perfect wine glass.  One of his objectives was to direct the wine to the "correct" part of the mouth so that the right taste buds would make first contact.  Well, that seems logical--we all remember those "tongue maps" like the one below from elementary school science class, right?  But...

Summer is so close that you can practically taste it!  Well, in my case, the tasting is more literal than figurative, because right now, I'm enjoying a chilled glass of rosé and dreaming about the beach.  Rosé is the quintessential summer wine: it's light and refreshing, meant to be enjoyed chilled, and goes perfectly with summer foods like grilled chicken...

Sometimes, even the best-chosen words fall short.  When you're talking about some of the incredible wine cellars that Vintage Cellars has designed in the past, the pictures really are worth a thousand words.  Today, rather than waxing philosophical about wine tasting or discussing at length the benefits of wines from a particular climate, let's take a pictorial tour of some...

When you're shopping for wine, you don't always have a wine expert -or even your computer- close at hand.  But no fear.  There are tons of apps available for your iPhone that can help you pick a bottle.  Check out a few of our favorites: Wine Snob:  Wine snob gives you detailed information about the bottle in your hand.  It...

Well, our last post was about wine-friendly apps for the iPhone.  So it's only fair that this time, we talk about what kind of wine apps Blackberry users should take advantage of.  Droid users, don't feel left out--you're up next! Wine Enthusiast Guide: Called "the ultimate wine companion" by developers, this app contains a database of wine reviews, with 1,000...

This week, we've been highlighting must-have smartphone apps for wine lovers.  We've talked about apps for the iPhone and Blackberry, so this time, let's turn our attention to a few great wine-friendly apps for the Android. Wine by the Bar: This app's motto is "Sip, Scan, Share," and it allows you to do just that with your favorite wines.  Android's...

The back of the bottle loves to promise a world of aromas inside the bottle.  But do you ever sniff, swirl and sip in vain, trying to find the aromas that you know are there, but you just can't seem to sense? Don't feel inadequate: sensitive palates aren't born, they are made.  Although it could be argued that sommeliers and...

One of our most popular posts on the Vintage Cellars Blog has been How to Make Your Own Red Wine Vinegar.  Our readers seem to love the idea of using up bottles of red that are a little past their prime to make something delicious and useful.  But did you know that it's just as easy to make your own...

We've discussed how your can use your leftover bottles of red and white wine to make delicious homemade wine vinegars.  If you've already tried this, you know that homemade vinegars are infinitely better than anything you can buy at the store.  They make better vinaigrettes and sauces, and are just plain tastier.  Homemade vinegar is easy to make and very...

Here on the VC Blog, we've talked about wine vinegars a lot.  We've discussed how to make delicious homemade red wine vinegar and white wine vinegar from those leftover bottles taking up space in your kitchen.  We've also talked about how to then take those tasty vinegars to make individual bottles of flavored vinegars that are equally great to use...

We've all had it happen: the moldy cork, the bug in the glass, the wrong wine.  There are some things that are clear reasons to send back your glass or bottle.  But what about the less obvious problems?  These 5 tips tell you what is--and isn't--ok in restaurant wine service. 1.  Size (and shape) matter.  At family-style restaurants (especially Italian...