by admin | Mar 12, 2025 | Tasting, Wine Education
How does the thin-skinned, unassuming, finicky pinot noir grape create the most expensive wines in the world? Is it the acidity? (No; they’re not any more acidic than other wines) The alcohol level? (No; they can have high alcohol levels under the right growing...
by admin | Mar 10, 2025 | The Wine Explorers Letter, Wine Education
Paris, France February dragged. Grey skies. Cold mornings. Short days. Paris felt heavy. It’s that time of year when the seasons shift, when you start seeing lonely gloves on the pavement—dropped by someone rushing through a morning chill, a midday thaw, and another...
by Lucy | Mar 5, 2025 | Tasting, Wine Education
5 wines that punch above their weight… Looking for quality without paying an arm and a leg for a fancy label? Julien’s here to help… from crisp, layered whites to complex and exciting reds, here are 5 regional styles to check out – and how to find the best examples of...
by admin | Mar 3, 2025 | The Wine Explorers Letter, Wine Education
Hello Explorers, I remember the first time Will and I tasted Finca El Monte in 2023. We were visiting Matías Etchart at his Calchaquí Valley winery for dinner. We started with empanadas, baked in the wood-fired oven, as we always do. Then came pollo al disco—chicken...
by admin | Feb 26, 2025 | Tasting, Wine Education
“I spent $300 on this bottle so you don’t have to“… This week, Julien tastes Napa Valley cult favorite Insignia from Joseph Phelps… Is it worth the money? Julien tells us his pros (dense & composed)… His cons (quite oaky)… and his overall...
by admin | Feb 24, 2025 | The Wine Explorers Letter, Wine Education
“In victory, you deserve Champagne; in defeat, you need it.” — Napoleon Bonaparte. February is that month—the last gasp of winter keeping us from the rush of spring, the warmth, the good stuff. It’s when gym memberships quietly get canceled, when the gray sky...
