Author Archives: Daniel Braun

Customers have been asking me recently how to make sangria with white wine. Many people don’t even know this is a possibility and they are missing out if they like sangria. I find the white versions to be much more refreshing in the Hawaiian heat. Just like red sangria, there are many different versions to […]

Do you know how to open Champagne? The pressure is on, literally. Read more to learn how to open a champagne bottle at home safely and efficiently.

A question that I frequently get as a fine wine retailer is how to store wine to keep it from going bad and/or lasting longer. The single greatest danger to wine from the time that it is bottles to when you drink it is poor storage. Wine ages best when resting between 55-60 degrees F. […]

If you are looking for a special bottle of Scotch for yourself or as a gift might I recommend an independent bottler rather than straight from a distillery? I know it sounds strange, but let me explain. There are a few bottlers that purchase barrels directly from a distillery and then age it themselves. In […]

Living in Hawaii I tend to assume that whatever is popular right now was popular somewhere trendy on the mainland about 10 years ago. I am stoked that it seems that rosé aka blush wine has finally hit it’s stride out here. The days of cloyingly sweet White Zin are behind us and hello light/crisp/refreshing/floral […]

A question I often get is how I find the amazing new stuff. Apart from the obvious tasks of tasting and keeping up with trends through media, there is another area I keep my attention too. Quality is not something that happens by mistake. Quality over time is directly tied to individuals with exacting standards […]