Wine Blog

Let’s chat about Prosecco. Most of us are familiar with the popular Italian sparkling wine. Here in the States it’s synonymous with cocktail parties as an aperitif or as the fizz in those weekend brunch mimosas. However, there is a lot more to understanding the popular sparkler than one might think. From production method to classification, understanding the differences may just shed a new light on Prosecco – and may have you drinking it without the OJ and even with [...]

The Languedoc-Roussillon region is France’s largest wine producing region and vineyard area (300,000 ha), with roughly one-third of all French wines produced here, including 11% of the world’s rosé wine production. To get our arms around this vast region, let’s start by taking a brief look at just the Languedoc wine region. Who The Languedoc AOP is home to more than 2,000 wine producers, 80 co-ops and 450 private winemakers. Arguably, the most notable producer in the region, and the [...]

by Kristy Wenz Several months ago, Wines of Alsace held their annual “Alsace Rocks” Grand Tasting in Chicago, and next month they’ll be returning for the Chicago Wine Fest. So, in preparation of the event, let’s do a quick review of this unique French wine region. Quick Facts: Alsace, France Who Wine making in Alsace spans centuries, with many wine-making families dating back 20 generations. Today, nearly 4,000 winegrowers can be found in Alsace with more than 38,000 acres of [...]

We talk a lot about wine education here for obvious reasons, but there’s also wine for entertainment. Corporate wine dinners, pairing parties, birthday and holiday events, or even at-home dinner parties – each a great opportunity to share a variety of wines among friends and colleagues. But how do you pick the wines? You can do the research yourself, work with your caterer, or to kick it up a notch, and engage the services of a sommelier. Both sourcing and [...]

Francesco Zonin of Zonin1821 Fine Wine & Spirits held a “Sommeliers’ Themed Lunch” in Chicago this month, but this was not an ordinary producer’s tasting. This was an experience. Francesco, a seventh generation Zonin, led a small number of industry professionals on a cultural journey of the senses through a blind tasting and multi-course lunch. “To understand the wine, you must understand the culture,” Zonin said. “Wine is an experience.” Having traveled through and spent extensive time in Italy, I [...]

Kristy Wenz Last month at Bon Appetit’s Chicago Gourmet, the wine seminars hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and the American Wine School featured several sessions on tasting and blind tasting. Wine is often perceived as intimidating, particularly when ordering wine from an extensive list in a restaurant, shopping at the local wine store, and especially when tasting with those viewed as more “in the know.” How many times has selecting a bottle of wine for a friend that [...]

Top 10 Takeaways from the Wine Experts at Chicago Gourmet 2019 Kristy Wenz The interest in wine knowledge and wine education is on the rise. In fact, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), now in its 50th year, has seen year-over-year increases in candidates every academic school year in the past nine-year period, with a near 200% increase between 2010/2011 academic school year and the 2018/2019 academic school year. Here at the American Wine School, one of the oldest [...]

In 2008, I was lucky enough to enter (and win) a wine competition organized by Wines Australia. The winners, there were 5 of us, were treated to an educational journey to Australia to explore the major wine regions from coast to coast. Since that time, I have returned to Aussie land just about every two years to sip their wines and learn more about their terrific wine culture. OK, I will admit it. I have a few favorite relatives living [...]

In recent times, I have found myself looking to lower the amount of alcohol I consume - for no other reason than I can feel myself getting older and believe the time to be concerned about longevity has arrived. In doing so, I work to increase the number of alcohol-free days each month by sipping non-alcoholic beers, wines, and spirits or enjoying low-alcoholic beverages. One might ask why drink at all? The answer is simple: On nights that choose not [...]