Last night I made eggplant parmesan for dinner. Actually I made it back in July and had saved it for pulling out of the freezer one night when I didn’t feel like cooking and last night was one of those nights. Usually I tend to pair Italian dishes with Italian wines, especially when a red sauce is involved. But last night as I looked around in the cellar, I discovered that we were completely out of Italian reds (goes to show you what can happen when you haven’t had a chance to organize your wine cellar in a while). Looking around I spotted my box of Cru Beaujolais wines and I thought to …

In honor of International Grenache Day, I thought it would be worthwhile to spend a little time today talking about the characteristics of Grenache, a grape that has been attracting a lot of attention as of late. Ever since this past summer, when the first International Grenache Symposium was held, people have been getting more excited about Grenache.

A little background about Grenache. Grenache has definitely been around for quite some time. It is the same grape as Cannonau, which is from Sardinia and there is a theory that because the Kingdom of Aragon controlled Sardinia, Cannonau originated there, and then was taken to Spain. Once in Spain, where it is …

Some of you might remember that a few weeks ago there was a social media Cabernet Sauvignon Day where people were supposed to tweet or Facebook about a Cabernet Sauvignon (or Cab-based blend) that they were drinking. Some people even organized parties or events around it and got together to pay tribute to one of the world’s most famous grapes.

Well, following in that vein, today, September 24, is International Grenache Day. I have to say, overall I am a big fan of these days. I think that the opportunity to spotlight a grape is a terrific idea and also a way to make wine even more fun. So in honor of …

I was asked an interesting question at dinner the other night and I thought it might be a good topic to discuss here on the Wines of France blog. We were out celebrating a friend’s birthday and I ordered a bottle of Château Sainte Eulalie rosé (from the Minervois) for the table. When the waitress brought the wine over, she poured a small amount in the glass for me to taste and waited until I gave her the ok to pour the wine for the rest of the table. My friend John watched the exchange and then told me he had always wondered why they did that. He asked if there was a …

Recently I was doing a tasting exercise comparing different packaging materials used for wine. As part of the experience, I invited several of my friends over to participate. I thought they would find it interesting and I was curious as to their opinions as wine consumers about the different types of containers one can now find wine sold in.

The whole experience was pretty interesting, but the most fascinating part occurred when I presented them with an unintentionally oxidized wine. Watching their reactions, it made me realize that a lot of people are not very familiar with oxidation as it relates to wine, and so I thought it would be a good topic …