Relatable and valuable pieces shared by wine students, industry professionals, and enthusiasts!
Grape vs Winemaker: Where Does One Start and the Other Begin?
Picture this: You’ve just poured yourself two glasses of Cabernet (what a treat!), one from the Margaret River in Australia and the other from Napa Valley in California. You swirl both glasses and really get your nose in there. You sip each and note their differences....
Assessing the Champagne Glass: All you need to know about the coupe the flute and the tulip
Champagne has always been synonymous with festivities, celebrations, and toasts. Recently, however, it is being regarded as so much more than that: a well-crafted sparkling wine to be enjoyed, analyzed and assessed, because sparkling wine, above all else,...
All You Need to Know About Garganega: A Quick Guide
Garganega (pronounced gar- GAN- egg-uh) is a vigorous, thick-skinned, late-ripening white wine grape almost exclusively found in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Garganega wines are best enjoyed when consumed while young and fresh. Garganega is the primary grape...
All You Need to Know About Aglianico: A Quick Guide
Aglianico is a black grape native to Southern Italy. The variety is most famous for the wines it produces in the region of Campania and Basilicata. Wines made from the Aglianico grape were virtually unknown to much of the world just 25 years ago. They have made great...
All You Need to Know About Pinotage: A Quick Guide
Pinotage is South Africa’s flagship red varietal, specifically in Stellenbosch along the Western Cape. A cross between Cinsault and Pinot Noir, Pinotage is favored for its balance of dark fruit, spicy, and meaty flavors. The intentions for breeding Pinotage were pure....
The Rise of Mindful Drinking and What It Means for the Wine Industry
Anyone paying attention to the alcohol industry is aware of the growing rise in non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages. First, there was Dry January, then Sober October, and many are making the change to a permanent fixture in their routine. So, what does that mean...
I failed my WSET Diploma unit. Now what?
How it felt, what I considered, and what I did the second time around.
All You Need to Know About Picpoul: A Quick Guide
Picpoul, also known as Picquepol Blanc, is a thin-skinned white wine varietal found mainly in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southern France, where it's name is used in the name of the region Picpoul de Pinet! Translated from “stings the lip,” Picpoul is prized...
The Many Styles of Tokaji
I’m a big fan of sweet wines made from noble rot or botrytis mold. Complex and unique (they can’t be made every year), a recent trip to Budapest sparked my desire to dive into Hungary's Tokaji wines. Curious about tasting the range of the region beyond the Tokaji...
All You Need to Know About Vermentino: A Quick Guide
Vermentino is a thin-skinned, early-budding, late-ripening grape that thrives in a warm Mediterranean climate. This variety grows primarily in Sardinia, Italy, producing a unique, refreshing dry white wine with citrus aromas of lemon and lime, along with green apple...
Old Vines Beyond the Romance
Their effect on wine and the future of vineyardsThere is a lot of romanticism in the world of wine. An old vine is a perfect example of that. Its significance as a witness to history, culture, and its caregivers, generation after generation, is the epitome of romance....
Build a Blind Tasting Collection for Wine Study!
Every month I keep inventory at my own house for my own “cellar” (a full wine rack tagged and organized by country) and I have a system for pulling and adding new wines for blind tasting. You can follow this system to build up an evolving collection of wines for blind...
Core Contributors
Core Contributors
Oliva Abramson
Olivia is a Washington-based freelance writer with a Level 2 Award in wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She has a passion for all things food, wine, and travel, though her heart belongs to the Pacific Northwest. When she’s not sipping on a glass of Washington Cab., she’s usually bikepacking, crocheting, or chillin’ in the sun with her dog Tater.
Rana Masri
Rana is a certified WSET3 and French Wine Scholar. She is a forever student with a passion for wine stories and converting wine drinkers to enthusiasts following their own wine journeys. Rana comes from the ancient land of wine Lebanon and currently lives in Dubai with her other two passions, her kids.