Learning about wine
Wine Q&A: Is a cork better than a screw cap?
The #winequestionnaire section answers your burning wine questions. Have a question? Let me know via email or Instagram. This time it's about cork or screw cap: which is better? Cork or screw cap? It's a question that's been circulating in...
What I Didn't Know About Sherry (Part 2)
Last week I wrote the first part about the developments in the wonderful world of sherry. You can read that here Read back. Today I'll continue with developments in marketing. What can you do if sales are disappointing? Lowering the price is...
Is there also such a thing as tasty prosecco?
For many wine drinkers, prosecco is a brand. The average consumer will therefore know little about its background, perhaps not even where the wine comes from or how it's made. So says Ronald de Groot, editor-in-chief of Perswijn, in his...
The Road to Weinakademiker - Part 3 (Is it Hard?)
Think big. I want to become a Weinakademiker. On September 3, 2018, I started the WSET Diploma Course, which ultimately—if you add a thesis afterward—results in the title of Weinakademiker. In part 3, I'll talk about the first exam and...
The Road to Weinakademiker - Part 1
Think big. I want to become a Weinakademiker. On September 3, 2018, I started the WSET Diploma Course, which ultimately—if you add a thesis afterward—results in the title of Weinakademiker. In part 1, I'll share my first impressions of the...
The Road to Weinakademiker - Part 2 (Geisenheim)
Think big. I want to become a Weinakademiker. On September 3, 2018, I started the WSET Diploma Course, which ultimately—if you add a thesis afterward—results in the title of Weinakademiker. In part 2, I'll talk about the courses at Geisenheim...
Off to the Jura: What is Vin Jaune?
Vin jaune , or 'yellow wine' if you translate it literally, comes from the Jura , the area in eastern France bordering Switzerland. The region no one talks about . The same goes for the wine. Or maybe not? For a long...
Marsala: more than a cooking wine
Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, often used in cooking. In tiramisu, for example, or in rich, caramelized sauces. But hey, I now know that Marsala is much more than just a cooking wine. Is Marsala the Italian sherry?...
What is Crémant: the French bubbly that isn't called Champagne
What is crémant ? Champagne, the queen of bubbles, we all know it. But we also all know you can't drink champagne all the time. Unless you live in a Bitcoin bubble. In that case, I'd crack open a nice...
What is sulfite and what does it do in wine?
Sulfites in wine are a topic of conversation. At first glance, I thought it sounded quite similar to the gluten debate, which thankfully seems to have died down a bit. The sulfite hype began when the EU mandated labeling sulfite...
Wine101: wine words that come up during tasting
"dancing acids provide a great balance" Uhm.... Describing wine isn't easy. It can be so diverse that it becomes difficult to capture your taste in words. And when we talk about taste, are we talking about your personal taste or...
Wine101: What is phylloxera? What is phylloxera? Every now and then it comes up in a conversation with a winemaker or wine seller: phylloxera. "Yes, that was then and there, and all the vines died, and it was a huge...