Archive for October, 2017

Finding Your Wine Tri

October 31st, 2017

Who would you rather have as a customer in your wine shop – the casual wine drinker who buys regularly enough, but really just because wine is an expected part of every social occasion and a frequent hostess gift when they are invited out? Or, the passionately enthusiastic – even obsessive – wine nut who buys […]

Wine Industry News for October 30, 20

October 30th, 2017

More bad news from California, and new bad news from Spain and Portugal, which are dealing with their own fire issues. Also changes to interstate shipping of wine, and more on the shuttering of Amazon Wine. [level-members] Haven’t we had enough bad news? And enough with wildfires? Spain and Portugal are being ravaged at the […]

Food & Wine Pairing: Sausage with White Beans and Ka

October 27th, 2017

This simple but delicious recipe, and variations on it, is a weeknight favorite in our house. And it’s good enough for a weekend meal, too! [level-members] This version on Simply Recipes is a good jumping off point. And since the dish covers a lot of food groups, we frequently pair it with nothing more than […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing – October 26, 20

October 26th, 2017

Why red wine gives you a hangover and what you can do about it. Plus, sommelier as second career, judging a wine’s cellarability, Burgundy’s secret, and more! [level-members] Not that we’d ever encourage anyone to overdo it, but it’s good to know there’s a reason – and cure – for that pounding headache. From kicking […]

Sell Wine Experience, Not Wine Scor

October 25th, 2017

As sentiments of score inflation grow and consumers come to rely on trusted influencers more than market-driven ratings providers, you might reconsider the scores you’re including on your shelf talkers. [level-members] First, it’s not just we who are noticing that scores seem to only go up. An article on Jamie Goode’s Wine Blog is an […]

Let Someone Else Make Your Mistak

October 24th, 2017

As Amazon announces that Amazon Wine is being shuttered, I’m reminded that it pays to let other people make your mistakes. [level-members] You may not have the army of lawyers that the big boys do, and the ability to even attempt to change the legislative landscape as Amazon has done, but you should be hiring experts […]

Wine Industry News for October 23, 20

October 23rd, 2017

More bad wine industry news from California and France. And some semi-comic and completely unfunny grape and wine thievery. [level-members] Now we wait for the other shoe to drop. Will the vineyards that the fire spared produce wines tainted by smoke from those fires? France is set to make less wine this year than in […]

Food & Wine Pairing: Roast Du

October 20th, 2017

I must admit, I’ve never heard of Nollaig na mBan, but this Roast Duck recipe looked too good to pass up. [level-members] That translates to “Women’s Christmas,” which is celebrated in Ireland as a tradition in which “Irish men are required to take on all the household duties for the day.” No matter who is doing the cooking, […]

Wine Stories Worth Sharing – October 19, 20

October 19th, 2017

You’re not the only one suffering on that transcontinental flight. Merlot makes a comeback, a new taste sensation, and a blast from the past. (Well, my past anyway.) [level-members] It’s easy to argue that air travel these days equals suffering. Even your wine suffers in flight. Quaffable but far from transcendent? Merlot finally recovering from […]

The Myth of Snobbery in Wine Marketi

October 18th, 2017

Whatever myths there are about wine, the one about wine’s mystique being a draw once people have gotten over the snobbishness is probably the most damaging. [level-members] This article from the New York Times is interesting enough; the comments are even better. In a nutshell, you have to be aware that even your most avid customers […]