A wine vintage refers to the year that the grapes for the wine were harvested. So why should vintage ratings be important in your wine purchase?  Simply, the quality and taste of the wine you drink regardless of the price point is only as good as the grapes that are used.  A particularly high vintage rating is a key indicator of a potentially outstanding wine.  A very low vintage rating usually translates to a marginal wine. You want to allocate your wine purchase dollars intelligently.

Almost by default people purchase a few bottles of France’s Beaujolais Nouveau without thinking that there are many better options. This post provides some thoughts on alternatives based on how your turkey is being prepared and what wines pair with your stuffing and dressings.

Thanks in part to Game of Thrones being filmed in Croatian towns such as Dubrovnik, Split and Šibenik, the country is experiencing unprecedented growth in tourism. Beyond the scenic beauty of these coastal towns the wine scene especially along the Dalmatian Coast offers some memorable highlights with a Californian winery having a special place in the soul of Croatian wines.

There are numerous reasons why one should actively pursue booking wine tours while traveling internationally. After violating one of my principal rules when scheduling a tour that ended up being one of the most disappointing, I feel the need to identify some criteria you should take into consideration. I will also highlight two outstanding tour guides/firms in Croatia and Italy that I cannot more highly recommend.

Many wine purchasers are becoming very aware of both Certified Organic and Certified Biodynamic wines but really don’t understand the nuances of each. We’ll go through a brief outline to identify the commonalities and differences to better illuminate your buying decision.

One of my biggest frustrations when assisting people in purchasing wine is the singular focus on the “rating” of the wine whether on the label neck itself, a shelf talker, or the many downloadable apps for your smartphone.