Franz Prager, co-founder of the Vinea Wachau, had already earned a reputation for his wines when Toni Bodenstein married into the family. Bodenstein’s passion for biodiversity and old terraces, coupled with brilliant winemaking, places Prager in the highest echelon of Austrian producers. Smaragd is a designation of ripeness for dry wines used exclusively by members […]
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Olivier Bernstein’s seven grands crus and three premiers crus have a wealth of old vines, which are fundamental to the quality of his wines. All Bernstein vineyard plots, save one, are at least 40 years old; most are between 60 and 80 years old. While officially acting with négociant status, Olivier and his team take […]
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Tamara and I had some unexpected free time to visit wine country in May while we were in California. We visited some great wineries in Sonoma and Napa. I wanted to spend more time in Sonoma this time as I had previously spent more time in Napa. Plus, we have been on a long-standing Pinot […]
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Does Beaujolais Age Well? It depends… One of my favorite wines to drink year round in Hawaii is Cru Beaujolais. Cru Beaujolais is not exactly the same thing as Beaujolais Nouveau or Beaujolais Village. They are all part of the catch all region of Beaujolais and they are mostly made from the grape called Gamay […]
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On Kauai it is totally legal to bring your own bottle of wine into a restaurant. Most restaurant corkage fees, the price charged to bring your own bottle, is between $20-$30. I have not had any issues or attitude with bringing my own bottle into any of the places on the North Shore. Some places […]
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In the aftermath of the recent Bordeaux seminar we helped organize with Vintus I have been wondering what to share about the experience. We tasted some very good wines at a variety of price points. What lingers with me the most, as with most good wine experiences is the notion of terroir. My favorite of […]
Continue readingWhat color is Bordeaux? Bordeaux can be white, red, or even rosé! No wonder you may be confused. Bordeaux wines are generally blends, but not always. There are many grapes permitted in Bordeaux, but the most common for red wines is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The most common white grapes are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. […]
Continue readingWhat is Burgundy wine? Burgundy is a famous wine growing region in France. White burgundy generally refers to the Chardonnay grape from the region in France called Burgundy. There are other white grapes sometimes found in Burgundy such as Aligote and rarely Sauvignon Blanc, however, white Burgundy is almost always Chardonnay. Red Burgundy generally refers […]
Continue readingWhat a gamble buying older vintages of wine can be. And, what a reward when it pays off! I have a great customer who always likes to ask me what I have in with age. Being a retailer in Hawaii, I typically only have access to current releases. Sometimes I can get library released wine […]
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