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Jan
2021

This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: January 3—January 8

categories: Wine

Happy New Year and happy weekend to you. What a week it’s been, eh? I don’t know about you but ever since the events on Wednesday, I’ve found it hard to focus on pretty much anything else. So, in case you missed some of the latest happenings in the world of wine and food, I’ve got my weekly round up ready for you—including a piece by yours truly.

And for those of you studying along on my WSET Diploma journey, make sure to take a look at these latest posts: WSET Diploma Tasting—Common Grape Variety , WSET Diploma Tasting—Common Region of Origin, WSET Diploma Tasting—Burgundy’s Chardonnay Spectrum, WSET Theory—Burgundy Chardonnay.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and drink good wine.

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Jan
2021

WSET Diploma Tasting—Common Region of Origin

categories: Wine, Wine World (D3)

I know that the tasting portion of the D3 WSET Diploma Exam can be one of the most intimidating. Indeed, when I took my Level 3, my nerves overtook my tastebuds, and I found myself second guessing my tasting notes the whole time. To help me gain more skill and confidence in those skills, I’ve been taking some tasting classes geared toward WSET Diploma with a Master in Wine in preparation for my exam. And I recently had my partner help me with a blind tasting mock exam, which I’d like to share here.

The goal is to help those of us who are preparing the WSET exams key in on wine evaluation (following the SAT guidelines) as well as how to correctly draw conclusions about the wines tasted and communicate the justification for those conclusions.

Following the WSET taste testing format:

Wines 1–3 relate to Unit D3 of the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines All are made from the same region.
Describe them under the headings below.

Follow along on my tasting notes and see if you can figure out what the common region of origin is. Note: This exam also, for two points, asks examiners to determine the grape variety (but not qualify that determination). I’ve included my deduction in each tasting note below. However, I’ll leave the wine reveals to the very end of the post. Good luck and have fun!

Dreamstime.com

 

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Dec
2020

This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: December 6—December 11

categories: News, Wine

Hello my friends. As I write this, Sonoma has announced we are going into another lockdown—something, in my opinion, we should have taken on board sooner. But despite personal opinion, whether you agree or disagree, I urge you all to be safe and follow the local ordinances of your state and county.

With that out of the way, I’ve got my weekly list of wine-centric news and blogs. So please, scroll away, catch up, have fun, leave a comment if you feel so inclined.

For those of you following along on my WSET Diploma journey, apologies for the lack of posts. I’m hoping to get them going again soon but I’ve been spending a lot of time balancing work and study. Connect with me if you’re in the middle of your Diploma as well—would love to learn how others are tackling this D3 process and what kinds of tips/tricks/info you’d like to see covered here. Always happy to engage.

Signing off—have a fun, safe, and healthy weekend.

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Nov
2020

This Week’s Latest Wine Headlines: November 15—November 20

categories: News, Wine

Here’s my weekly roundup of wine and food—and this week travel—news. Though not all articles included are about the pandemic, I have to admit that, regardless of what’s on this list, the biggest news going into this weekend is certainly how the COVID pandemic continues to affect our lives.

This week is Thanksgiving in the US. I implore you, whatever you decide to do—be safe, take care of yourself, take care of your families and friends, take care of your fellow humans.

Thank you.

 

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Nov
2020

DipWSET Theory: Rhone Valley Overview

categories: Wine, Wine 101, Wine World (D3)

After Alsace, the Rhone Valley is probably my next favorite French wine region. The diversity in terrain, climate, and soils, makes for a whole host of grape varieties and wine styles. Much modern winemaking in my home state of California takes its literal and figurative roots from the Rhone, so the history, along with comparative tastings, are of particular interest to me.

Today, we start with an overview of the Rhone Valley. A lot will focus on signature grape varieties of both the Northern and Southern Rhone, as well as some key terms and facts that will help us moving forward. Because my text doesn’t go into the winemaking history of the region, I’m not going to cover that in detail during this series, though I may drop an interesting anecdote here and there if it is relevant to the material being discussed. If interested, The Oxford Companion to Wine (Fourth Edition), does have a good historical synopsis. And if you’re interested in the California-French Rhone connection, I highly recommend American Rhone: How Maverick Winemakers Changed the Way Americans Drink by Patrick J. Comiskey.

Drainage basin of Rhône River
Drainage basin of Rhône River

Alright, let’s get started.

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