Wine Education Page | The Grape Grind

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Illustrated posts and printouts to make learning about wine easier!

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A list of resources (websites, books, products) that I have personally used for enjoyment, or while studying wine!

New on The Bulletin…

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...

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...

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...

Old Vines Beyond the Romance

Their effect on wine and the future of vineyardsThere is a lot of romanticism in the world of...

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✨NEW wine in the library - Hi Picpoul!✨ “Pi

✨NEW wine in the library - Hi Picpoul!✨

“Picpoul was an underrated varietal until recently. In our hunt for more obscure grapes, it has become sought after for its food-friendliness and vibrant acidity. It makes a fantastic swap for refreshing whites like Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc when you’re craving something a bit more unique but with similar qualities.”

Care to know more?⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
🔗 in bio - Complete with tasting notes, food pairings, and varieties that are similar (AKA common confusions)!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

I find this wine strikingly similar to Muscadet and need to stock up for summer 🤩

💥 Thanks @liv_eatslocal for this addition to the library 👏🏻

➡️ Have you tasted this wine? Tell us your thoughts and recommendations! ⁣⁣⁣

#winewriting #winewriters #winestudent #varieties #winevarieties #whitewine #winegrapes #frenchwines #whitewinestyles #winetasting #picpoul #picpouldepinet

💭 Would you be able to choose a Native Yeast fe

💭 Would you be able to choose a Native Yeast fermented wine when compared to a Commercial Yeast fermented wine?

Obviously something I had to try blind (thanks to D1 for a lot of background on this as well as the idea). Luckily @greywackevineyards does BOTH! I love this producer and each of these bottles is also surprisingly different.

✨For starters, yeast makes wine! Otherwise a wine is just grape juice!

There are two overall choices with yeast:

🌱 NATIVE (indigenous) - yeasts that are present around the vine (on the skins). These will naturally initiate fermentation.
✔️Unique to the environment
✔️Give more complexity
✔️Attractive marketing (generally for good reason)
✔️Slower to ferment
✔️More inconsistent

🧪 COMMERCIAL (cultivated) - strains of yeast that have been developed in a lab! Winemakers introduce this yeast to initiate fermentation.
✔️ More choice in style (some are more neutral, some are more aromatic)
✔️Quick
✔️Reliable
✔️Low risk

But can you tell the difference? Well…watch and see!

💡I also recommend trying this on your own. Pretty fun side by side.

➡️ Have you had these wines or others with naturally occurring yeast?

#yeast #winemaking #viticulture #wildyeast #naturalwine #winetasting #blindtasting #winestotry #winestudent #winestudy #wineeducation #sauvignonblanc #newzealandwine

Alright, let’s hear it! Give me your most hones

Alright, let’s hear it!

Give me your most honest responses.

I’ll start …

”The most overused word in the wine industry is Terroir. I personally really don’t like this word. I rarely use it. I think Environment is more applicable, easier for consumers to understand, and just sounds better overall. It’s not going anywhere, I know - it’s rooted in tradition…it’s just not my word”

I was listening to the @guildsomm podcast last week with @karenmacneilco which inspired this Q. All perspective is great for conversation and thinking about how we talk about wine. Great episode linked in my stories *go give it a listen!

Also …I agree that everyone has now adopted the word “approachable” and it’s starting to lose it’s flair 🤷🏼‍♀️

Your turn. What is the most overused word in wine?!

#winestudent #winestudy #wset #cms #sommelier #sommstudent #wsetstudent #diplomastudent #winelanguage #winewords

If you have ever wondered… ▪️If Tokaji is a

If you have ever wondered…

▪️If Tokaji is a wine or a region
▪️Why Tokaji is so special
▪️The varying styles of wine it encompasses

…you are going to want to READ THIS ARTICLE!

✍🏻 thanks to contributor Penny Sadler @adventuresofacarryon for this piece!

Penny Sadler is a freelance writer covering wine, food, travel, and lifestyle topics. Currently residing in the Lone Star State, her glass is always full, preferably of something white and sparkling. Her work has appeared in Culture Cheese Magazine, Matador Network, Inside Hook, Alcohol Professor, Vintner Project, and elsewhere.

💥Visit
https://thegrapegrind.com/tokaji

➡️ Tell me what styles of Tokaji you’ve tasted and what you thought!

#tokaji #winesoftokaji #furmint #tokajiaszu #whitewine #winesofhungary #wineregions #winestyles #winetasting #wineeducation

🍌✨Swipe for all things ESTERS! They smell ma

🍌✨Swipe for all things ESTERS!

They smell marvelous. 🤗

➡️ Can you identify these easily in certain wines?
➡️ What would you add to this?

#winetasting #tasting #blindtasting #winestudent #wines #tastingwine #winefactors #winestudy #winestudent #wineinfo #wineeducation #winecompounds #esters #fruitywines

How do you know if a wine is YOUTHFUL?! (vs aged)

How do you know if a wine is YOUTHFUL?!
(vs aged)

🌈VIBRANT LEMON OR PURPLE COLORS
💐PRIMARY AROMAS
🍎FRESH FRUIT CONDITION
🍬CARBONIC MACERATION
✨CO2 “SPRITZ”
(watch the full clip for specifics)

➡️What would you add?
➡️Do you like your wines more youthful or do you like some age?

#youthfulwines #youngwines #freshwines #winetasting #whitewine #redwine #blindtasting #winetasting #winestudent #wineeducation

🍇Grape vs Grape! I do lineups way too much to

🍇Grape vs Grape!

I do lineups way too much to not make this a part of my content!

These two varieties can be easily confused because they are both used in BLENDS. And both are HIGH ALCOHOL.

Sooo ….these are my personal notes to differentiate the two! I know there are exceptions, and I’d love for you to add your thoughts.💭

➡️How do you tell these two apart?
➡️AND What do you want to see next!?

#grapevarieties #redwines #tastingnotes #blindtasting #comparativetasting #lineups #blindwinetasting #winestudent #wineeducation #wines

Take a peek at the newest updated variety in the l

Take a peek at the newest updated variety in the library - HI Vermentino! 🍋🍏🌊

If you need an enjoyable alternative to Pinot Grigio, that’s refreshing, youthful, and food friendly - this might be a variety you want to get to know!

Care to know more?⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
🔗 in bio ✨Complete with tasting notes, food pairings, and varieties that are similar (AKA common confusions)!⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

💥ALSO, I’m thrilled to introduce a new contributor to The Wine Bulletin - Karen Caroe!

More voices on this platform, especially in outlining varieties with additional perspective and passion, is something you’ll be seeing a lot more of here!

✏️ Karen is a wine blogger and event planner based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She holds a WSET 3 Award in Wine and has accumulated several proprietary certifications from the Napa Valley Wine Academy. She is currently preparing to take the Certified Specialist of Wine exam. Karen wants everyone to know about the great wines being produced in the southwest and she can generally be found creating unique wine pairings and hosting tasting parties.

She’s also helping to curate and build the variety library, beginning with this guide!

You can get to know her @wine_of_enchantment and her website wineofenchantment.com

➡️Have you tasted this variety? Tell us your thoughts and recommendations! ⁣⁣⁣

#vermentino #italianwine #italianvarieties #winesofitaly #italianwhites #whitewine #winetasting #winenotes #blindtasting #foodfriendlywines #winestudent #winedescriptors

I’ll go first… I get both tootsie roll and dri

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