tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-373556822008-07-24T15:57:52.435-04:00David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-47387303636748174102008-07-15T08:12:00.009-04:002008-07-24T15:57:52.469-04:00

What Does "Reserva" Mean for Spanish Wines? Red Reserva wines must spend at least one year aging in cask, and can't be released to the drinking public before the 4th year after harvest. Whites with this tag get at least six months cask aging and are held back at least three years before release.

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-1466067581611715462008-05-21T15:13:00.029-04:002008-05-23T09:43:00.425-04:00

It should have been wonderful: a trip to Washington and a state dinner with Jack and Jackie Kennedy!...all while flying the flag for the family's Charles Krug Winery. Robert Mondavi had been representing the winery for some time as general manager and head of sales and marketing. As part of his business education, he and his wife Marjorie had traveled to France in 1963

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-92368747985555792008-04-10T12:48:00.005-04:002008-04-10T16:22:13.449-04:00

With Passover almost here, it's time to think about GOOD Kosher wine. And forget the Baron Herzogs and the Manischewitz-es. Keep in mind that Mevushal wines, which have been flash pasteurized, can be handled and opened by Goyim and non-Kosher Jews, but frankly, wine that's been heated has been, well, mistreated. So avoid Mevushal wines and try these: Covenant Cabernet 2005 or 2006. From my

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-64217421150722767872008-02-28T07:56:00.035-05:002008-05-07T12:53:54.323-04:00

Visiting wineries is one of my favorite pastimes, and I suspect, since you're visiting this site, that it may be one of yours, too. Usually I go somewhat far from New Jersey to do that - Sonoma or Spain, Sicily or Sancerre. Yet right in my own backyard, or perhaps more correctly my front yard, there's a winery that is remarkably technologically advanced, but also fun, charming and beautiful.

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-40932442332184849572008-02-20T20:44:00.010-05:002008-02-21T17:32:04.943-05:00

"For more than a year now they had been searching: on the highway, near the river, atop oaky knolls that rose abruptly from the valley floor, up wild canyons, and along the spines and scarps of two rugged coastal ranges. What they were looking for was not easily put into words, but the quality of the ideal was absolute and unassailable in their minds. They were searching for...They would know it

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-54583508514034795162008-01-02T12:30:00.000-05:002008-01-07T20:17:08.172-05:00

Look...and ye shall find. Maybe. Start by figuring out how much you want to spend, but first take a few minutes to think through how much wine you want and why. For example, you may want to stock up for a holiday party, or you'd like some bottles for gifts. Or perhaps you just want the convenience of having a case or three in the basement so you don't have to go back to the store every few days.

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-52300764831474053602007-12-18T10:52:00.000-05:002007-12-18T18:53:53.297-05:00

In keeping with my recent themes in Words of Wine, I'll suggest here and now that you take a leap on Christmas and try some new stuff! First, begin the day with Champagne or sparkling wine...and please don't mix it with orange juice, as that is really a waste of two wonderful beverages. I suggest a nice Italian Prosecco such as Casalnova...crisply acidic, whets the appetite, and is relatively

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-5904596042919576052007-12-11T10:17:00.000-05:002008-01-23T14:42:47.735-05:00

Natalie McLean is a damn good writer and knows her way around a bottle and a vineyard or two. Her recent Red, White and Drunk All Over is a fun and educational book, and I've actually just finished it. So unlike talk show hosts, I am not working from the Cliff's Notes version hastily written by an intern who's been up all night turning pages. Gee, I wish I had an intern. Anyway, good as she is

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-13802213097328716542007-12-06T21:14:00.000-05:002007-12-06T21:47:52.478-05:00

"So how's that glass of Seyval Blanc I just poured you? What d'ya think of that Baco Noir? Care to purchase another bottle of Norton? It's on special today only." You've probably never heard these words, unless, perhaps, you live in New York's Hudson River Valley and you get out a bit. And if you want to expand your tastes and wine experience a bit, here's a primer to get you started: Seyval

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-22970371975900250982007-12-04T13:17:00.000-05:002007-12-16T11:27:38.800-05:00

I built this website to help you de-mystify the world of wine, so that you can try new stuff at your local retailer, or order confidently in a restaurant. And this little article should also give you some gumption when you attend your first, or 20th, wine tasting. So - you're invited to a formal wine tasting...and you want to go. After all, it's for a worthy charity that you know, and the buzz

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-90825105281477958472007-11-07T09:05:00.000-05:002007-12-17T07:36:25.173-05:00

There are a lot of websites that show you the basics of understanding wine labels, with arrows pointing to this piece of information and that. I won't duplicate their efforts, and instead I'll try to tell you about some of what's behind it. So I'll start by asking: When you look at a wine label, does the thought of permanently switching back to beer cross your mind? I understand. But you can

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-64240202102724663832007-10-25T16:07:00.000-04:002007-10-29T16:32:05.847-04:00

It's fitting around Hallowe'en time to mention V. Madrone in St. Helena, California, which is back from the dead - or at least it's the reappearance of a "ghost winery" dating from well before 1900. August Hersch, a German immigrant to Milwaukee, came west from that beer and brats town in 1881. When he died in 1894 his widow Frederika offered the property for sale along with 20,000 gallons of "

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-17476306135843026352007-10-19T16:52:00.000-04:002007-10-19T17:09:00.567-04:00

Imagine you own a small hardware store in, say, Cincinnati. A good customer who's also a familiar face walks in and buys some power tools costing a couple hundred dollars. Great so far, right? You ask "Put this on your tab?" He replies, "No, I'll pay cash." Fine; you ring him up, and he plunks down $212...in Monopoly money. This is a problem, because, well, you'd only accept Monopoly money

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-46239558784194152982007-08-07T12:07:00.000-04:002007-10-19T17:29:05.501-04:00

I'm no economist...and most likely, neither are you. But we're both smart enough to understand the laws of supply and demand, I'm sure. So if you're wondering why some wines - a lot of wines, actually - are so damn expensive, the answer is pretty simple: there are a lot of rich folk willing to pay big bucks, and the supply is limited. Of course, there's a lot more to it. To start, it costs a

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-83531070985597600202007-04-02T11:51:00.000-04:002007-12-17T07:43:18.503-05:00

I thought I was hallucinating this morning as I read my daily newsfeed on the wine business. There, staring at me was the lasciviously cherubic and totally mindless gaze of Ms. Paris Hilton, she of recent allegedly driving drunk and then allegedly "driving on a suspended license after driving drunk" fame. Paris was showing significant cleavage as you can see here (as if anyone in the world hadn't

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-30603562744325086612007-03-14T15:29:00.000-04:002007-12-17T19:55:24.920-05:00

NOTE: The editors of Wines & Vines magazine, which I'm fond of, graciously published my rebuttal to an article entitled "Rolland's Mark on Virginia" that appeared in their March issue. This article is a slightly longer version of that rebuttal. Should you care? Maybe - because if you really like wine, well, this one guy might be having a major influence on what you "like," and you may not even

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-32362300079675931512007-02-26T20:47:00.000-05:002007-04-12T10:52:35.586-04:00

The more I kick around wineries, vineyards and wine shops, the more I realize that I really don't know very much. And what I thought I knew, or at least what I believed, is up for challenge. For years, I thought that rose wines were kids' stuff - sweet, with no body or character. Crap, really. Part of this particular snobbery probably came from Lehman High School memories of drinking Mateus Rose,

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-45947901183210162802007-02-01T16:46:00.000-05:002007-04-12T10:58:08.059-04:00

January 22, 2007: I've had two experiences in the last week that demonstrate both how good and how bad restaurant wine service can be, and how you gotta pay attention if you want to avoid paying for Margaux but drinking Boone's Farm. It's unfortunate that this nonsense still goes on...and on. The good was La Griglia restaurant in Kenilworth, New Jersey. While perhaps not the nexis of haute

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-1163196647597838812007-01-01T17:08:00.000-05:002007-02-08T11:51:04.626-05:00

A few years ago, a book entitled The Secret Life of Dogs was all the rage. Well, I just finished A Very Good Year, the story of "The Journey of a California Wine from Vine to Table" and for me this story of the secret life of wine is far more interesting. And that's because it's really not about grapes - heresy, I know - but people. Mike Weiss's book, which was run as a series by The San

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37355682.post-1162998756857296302006-12-01T10:12:00.000-05:002007-02-08T11:55:41.482-05:00

Each day I get a news feed about the wine world from Wine Business, a daily online publication. Today's issue had a compelling piece about the difficulty of successfully completing the Master of Wine program, which confers the right to place the coveted letters "MW" after one's name on a business card...and pontificate about wine in ways you never imagined. There are, in fact, fewer than 300 MWs

David Gaierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18004473655047825498noreply@blogger.com