What is topping off your wine?

Whether it is a cork or screw cap, you can discuss the benefits and disadvantages of each, but it all comes down to a matter of your taste.  What does the wine taste like?  What closures gives you the best expression of the wine?  What closure lets you taste the wine as the winemaker intended?  These are the questions that matter. 

Find a closure you are behind, that you love and appreciate.  Maybe you want a screw cap when you are in a hurry, or you like the idea of a cork coming out of a bottle and making its distinctive sound....it is what your like and not about history or tradition.  What gives you the personnal taste you deserve. 

The Riesling grape is the perfect place to start investigating how seriously you should start taking wine.

Ultimately, if you want to take Riesling seriously, if you want to investigate what is over the pond, looking at Germany and Austria (the true home of this grape), you must understand certain terms.  Do you like petrol in your wine? Slate? If you do not understand what these terms truly mean, you will not find it appealing when somebody is recommending it to you. This is what the history and foundation of Riesling is about- the minerality and petrol characteristics.  Does this translate well onto a label?  Into a wine recommendation?  No.  Which is why we are seeing more blogs and wine radio programs making wine more approachable.  For me to convince you that the idea of smelling petrol and butane is a good thing, you will have to have an open mind.  The only way to do this, to make wine approachable, is to have an open mind and try.  It is all about what you are WILLING to know.

Yes, you do know more about wine than you give yourself credit for..... You know that

1)     White zinfindel or anything pink in the bottle is based on the red grape.

2)     Kendell Jackson is the winery, not a type of wine.

3)     You can pronounce merlot.

4)     Fume-blanc is not the name of the grape.

5)     It is acceptable to drink what color of wine you want regardless of the meal.

6)     It is recommended to chill your reds at room temperature.

7)     When you have ordered a cabernet that your have shortened the grape name.

8)     French labels do not give you the varietal.

9)     You know a little more about wine because you listen to the Wine Crush.

10)   You may know a little less about wine than others, but do not care... You are going to drink what you like and nt what you are told.

It is that time of year when we all start to plan our vacation.  Where do you want to go and what do you want to see?  For those of you headed out west to the wineries, I have some advice that you may not have heard.

1)     Plan ahead.  Aim for 45 days out, because if you don't, you may not  get to do everything you want to do.

2)     Always, Always, pick one valley.  Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino..choose one direction and focus on that area.  If you plan too many wineries in different valleys, you will spend most of your trip in a car stuck in traffic.

3)     You must give to receive.  Whether you are visiting a small or large winery, walk in with a great attitude.  The attitude that you bring dictates how you will be treated.