I first met DC Flynt back in 2001 when I entered the Master of Wine program. You’d be hard-pressed to find a nicer or warmer wine expert! DC has a background in restaurants, but now works as an importer and distributor. DC has always been passionate about French wine, especially wines from Burgundy. I especially love his answer to question number 10 – it is truly indicative of the down-to-earth wine-lover that he is!

1. How did you get started in the wine business?
In 1966 at 14 I started working in a restaurant as a busboy, and shortly became a waiter. Selling wine to our patrons was …

In some ways, Gamay is the Rodney Dangerfield of the grape world – all it wants is a little respect. For centuries, Gamay has struggled to be seen as a serious contender. In 1395 for example, Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, issued a decree that outlawed the use of Gamay in Burgundian wine. His reasoning was that Gamay was not suited to producing quality wines and that the vine yielded too many grapes.

Over the last 613 years though, it has become clear that while Gamay might not be suited to Burgundy, it is very much suited to the Beaujolais region, as well as several others. And while Gamay might not produce the world-class age-worthy …

For many wine lovers, Thanksgiving isn’t so much about the turkey as it is about the chance to sample the latest vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau. Each year on the third Thursday in November, Beaujolais Nouveau, one of the very first French wines of the new vintage, is released onto the market. Although today the release of Beaujolais Nouveau is still met with enthusiasm, years ago the anticipation of the release date was so great that it became a contest as to who could sample the wine first.

Hype aside, there is a good deal to appreciate about the wines of Beaujolais and there is much more to the region than just Beaujolais Nouveau. While many wine classes …

TRAVELING IN ALSACE

The Alsace Wine Route – storybook beauty

Over the past 50 years, the Alsace Wine Route has contributed to the success of Alsace wines. It has become famous all over the world for the exceptional natural beauty of its scenery, for how easy it is to follow, and for the way it makes the visitor feel close to the region and its winegrowers.
The Alsace Wine Route winds its way from north to south, for more than 170 kilometres, along the eastern foothills of the Vosges. This delightful itinerary runs across a succession of undulating hills, through pretty villages with narrow streets of flower-decked, half-timbered houses, clustered around their church steeple.
Visitors can easily explore the heart of …