Wine Recommendations Page Added

I'm pleased to add a wine recommendations page to the site. Feel free to use this page when you need to find the perfect pairing for a special dinner, gifts for the wine lovers in your life, wines for special occasions, or suggestion of something new and different to try. Provide as much information as you can, and I'll make every effort to get back to you with suggestions within 24 hours.

Cheers!

-Peter

Summertime Sipping and Wine "On-The-Go"

If you're anything like me, you've looked at the calendar today, recognized that it's July 17th, that the summer is half-over, and while you've had a lot of fun, you're not sure exactly where all the time has gone. My summer has been marked by softball games, soccer, my five-year college reunion, moving, sailing, swimming, concerts, and more. However, I find that balancing an on-the-go lifestyle with culinary and wine appreciation can be difficult. While I have no wish to combine wine consumption with athletics, it is nice to be able to have a glass of wine during an evening sail, or at an outdoor concert, or even during a leisurely river tubing trip. To that end, I wanted to make everyone aware of my favorite device for enjoying wine outside the comfort of your home: the GoVino glass.

Since I was first introduced to GoVino while working at BRIX Wine Shop in the summer of 2008, it has been a trusted companion for many a sailing trip, picnic, Tanglewood concert, and river tubing excursion. These glasses are made of shatterproof plastic, but look like a classy, stemless wine glass. Trust me, it's far superior to drinking wine from a Solo Cup. Hopefully this adds to the rest of your summer wine enjoyment!

Killington Wine Festival

The Killington Wine Festival is one of my favorite events of the summer, and is an amazing venue for all wine consumers to explore new wines, and revisit old favorites. Set against the scenic backdrop of Killington's stunning peaks, the festival offers a chance to reconnect with Vermont's natural beauty, and a chance to sample more than 500 wines, between Friday night's Estate Tasting, and the Grand Tasting on Saturday afternoon. 

I've been attending the Killington Wine Festival since I was lucky enough to discover it in 2007, and it is always a good time. I just purchased my tickets to this years festival, slated for the weekend of July 20th-22nd. If you happen to be in the Vermont area, I highly recommend going to one or both of the tastings. Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.killington.com/summer/activities/mountain_events/Killington_Wine_Festival

I'll be posting a recap of the my experiences at the Festival sometime during the week of July 23rd. Cheers!

The Judgment of Paris - A Tasting to Revisit

Recently, I was asked to lead a wine tasting for my girlfriend's book club. About a month earlier, at a spring barbeque, I had half-jokingly suggested that they read George Taber's The Judgment of Paris as their book for the month, saying that I would lead a wine tasting at the meeting if they did. While I'm not sure any of the club's members enjoyed the book as much as I did, Taber's account of the tasting is a must read for all wine lovers, and for historians interested in the history of the wine industry in California. 

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Wine Fashion: Is Syrah the Latest Victim?

Wine, like any other product or work of art subject to consumer demand and preference, is affected by fads, phases, and consumer trends that dictate what wines are fashionable to drink. Some fashions are born of time tested, widespread positive experiences, as evidenced by the inevitable "Chardonnay tax" and "Cabernet Sauvignon tax" that are inherent to most restaurant wine lists in this country. Restauranteurs prey on the fact that most customers are familiar with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, and are likely to order these wines with their meals as part of a desire to remain within a comfort zone. The reality of the situation is that while wine consumption is on the rise within the United States, few consumers want to waste time and energy learning about wine. It is this condition that results in the majority of wine buying decisions being made on the basis on myth, media-driven recommendation, popular culture, and "comfort-zone" experience.

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