This week’s wine of the week, the Clairette de Die “Cuvée Impériale” from La Cave de Die Jaillance is a blend of 90% Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and 10% White Clairette. I realized when I was doing the write-up of the wine that we haven’t really discussed the grape variety Muscat here on the blog and that this was a good opportunity to do so.

According to Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine (which is probably my all-time favorite wine book), Muscat Blanc à Petits Grain is possibly the oldest known grape variety in the world. We believe it was established in the Mediterranean by the Greeks and there is some evidence that …

Eric Asimov has a very interesting article in last week’s New York Times about Bordeaux. I think his columns are excellent and thought-provoking. This one, entitled “Bordeaux Loses Prestige Among Younger Wine Lovers,” is no exception.

In the article Asimov asserts that “While the drop stems from far more competition in the lower-priced market, it also reflects a shift in the demographic of Bordeaux aficionados. For young Americans in particular, Bordeaux has become downright unfashionable.”

Wow – now that’s a statement that makes me stop and think, especially about the “unfashionable” part. What exactly makes a wine unfashionable and who dictates what wines are “in” or “out”? And more …

I was asked the other day if I give the wines I chose for the Top 50 list points. When I said that I don’t like using a point system, the natural follow-up question was “why not?”

It’s a good question and a valid one. Most wine critics do like to use some sort of rating system, something that, I’ll be honest, I tend to shy away from. There are all kinds of esoteric discussions around wine ratings which usually end with the argument, well, people just seem to love them. And it is true – we do love ratings and they can have their place. Restaurants get stars, movies get …

I have had the good fortune recently to join up with some other wine professionals in the Raleigh-Durham area for a monthly tasting group. One of my fellow tasters is Max Kast, the sommelier at Fearrington House, an inn and restaurant located in Pittsboro, North Carolina. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend checking out Fearrington House – it is an amazing place and they have an incredible wine list. Max was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions. I think you will enjoy reading what he has to say. Cheers!

Like many of the major wine regions we have discussed here on the blog, the Rhône Valley has a rich history of wine production. Since there is so much to cover, I thought it would be a good idea to split the Rhône into three parts. In Part I, we will cover a little bit about the Rhône Valley as a whole and then in Part II explore the Northern Rhône and in Part III, the South.

The Rhône Valley is located in the southeastern part of France. Above it to the north lie Beaujolais and Burgundy, and to the south are the regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Provence. The region follows along …