What's Going On in the World of French Wines

Bonjour! As I write this, I am sitting on a train traveling from Paris to Bordeaux. In my last blog entry I mentioned that I was heading off to France. Well, I survived the adventure of packing and my flight to arrive in France this past Sunday morning. So far I have visited Alsace and Loire for some vlog filming with the Lost in Francelation team, and today I am making my way to Bordeaux for the Masters of Wine Symposium. Traveling by train through France (even with a bunch of luggage) is definitely something I recommend – the trains are very convenient and super fast. And given they have places …

There are few grapes that are as complex and fascinating as Pinot Noir. I’ve often heard it said that there are very few winemakers out there who don’t consider it the Holy Grail of winemaking – making good Pinot Noir is a challenge. Unlike Chardonnay, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir doesn’t seem to accept mediocrity well. It is a grape that is very demanding – some even call it the “Heartbreak Grape.”

What makes Pinot Noir so finicky? Well, for starters, it is a bit of a temperature sensitive grape. It prefers cooler climates and it tends to like limestone soils – two reasons why it does so well in Burgundy. It is also a …

Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time with Wine Internet Superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. I have to admit, I really had no idea how the interview was going to go – but when it was all said and done, this interview definitely ranks at the top of my list. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat and be sure to check out what happens at the end of the interview when I challenge Gary to a cork drop game!

To watch the interview, click here or press the play button on the video at the top right corner

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 …

People always want to know how I got started in the wine business.  I always enjoy telling the story of how I used to sit in the back of the classroom at the International Wine Center, nervous as anything that I would get called upon to read my tasting notes.  A complete novice, I barely knew my Chardonnay from my Cabernet Sauvignon and I probably would not have gotten very far with my tasting notes were it not for the fact that two sommeliers who were sitting next to me decided to take me under their wings.  Luckily for me, one of those guys was Bernie Sun, one of …