Grüner Veltliner – a wine worthy of exploration

But here are some off the wall suggestions for foods we eat when we are in a hurry. 

The “reds” of red wines are certainly not uniform in their coloration. 

When the winds of winter blow and flakes of white snow turn to drifts, we often turn to comfort foods to ward off the winter doldrums. Here are some suggestions to match some great wines with those pasta dishes.

Every great wine region has garnered respect for its vintages by growing quality fruit and developing winemakers serious about their craft.   

Decanting: This term describes the removal of wine from its original bottle into a separate vessel

Lugs: the containers into which hand-picked grapes are put so that the fruit can be transferred to the winery.

A big part of the barrel's value is that the wine extracts from the wood lots of those flavor components.

Of the 10000 or so wineries in this country, most are small and family-owned.

When I was a child and my dad and the local cadre of Concord grape growers wanted to expand their plantings, they called a local nursery during the fall, ordered stick-like plants with healthy root systems.

When a winemaker decides to use barrels vs. just stainless steel in his cellar, there are lots of variables he needs to consider.

In the last couple of years, the national consumer magazines, ‘Wine Enthusiast’ and ‘Wine Spectator’ have touted Pinot Gris as a  ‘rising star’ among  California wines. 

One of my favorite mid winter recipes matches a chicken tortilla soup with either a Gewürztraminer or a Traminette. 

While the future of our regional industry likely will be in vinifera [Chardonnay, Riesling] and hybrid [Vidal, Chambourcin] grapes, Concords have served this community’s growers well for many decades. 

Early March always brings the release of ice wines in northeast Ohio.