Writer: Gene Spaziani
Pinot Noir: Varietal Focus
FREEPinot at a Glance Pinot Noir is a heralded red table wine. It is usually made in a dry style that features delicate fruit aromas and flavors. The wine typically has a
Gewurztraminer: Varietal Focus
FREELike the proverbial little girl with the curl, when it’s good, Gewürztraminer is very good; but when it’s bad, it’s awful. This noble white variety with the pinkish grapes can produce spectacular
Grenache: Varietal Focus
FREEIn Spain, where many historians claim the variety originated, this versatile grape is called Garnacha. The rest of the world calls it Grenache … and home winemakers call it a great grape
Marechal Foch
FREEMarechal Foch, named after a famous French general in the First World War, has proven to be a worthwhile red grape variety for many colder regions of the world. Technically identified as
Riesling: Varietal Focus
MEMBERS ONLYA phrase we’ve often heard in recent years is, “A. B. C. — anything but Chardonnay.” As many consumers set down the Chard and start searching for alternative white wines — and as commercial grape growers try to stay up-to-date with the fickle consumer’s wants — the other premier white varieties are gaining status in
Seyval Blanc: Varietal Focus
MEMBERS ONLYThe Seyval Blanc (Seyve-Villard 5276), a cold-climate white grape variety, is the leading choice for many winemakers who live in the chilly eastern and northern regions of North America. This hardy varietal produces abundant crops in cold climates and offers the winemaker an opportunity to make a variety of wines from one grape. Seyval Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc: Varietal Focus
FREEDuring the mid 1980s in New Zealand, when the Cloudy Bay Winery captured the attention of the world marketplace with its version of Sauvignon Blanc, a new era was born. Today, many
Zinfandel: Varietal Focus
FREELearn about Zinfandel and find instructions to make Zin in three different wine styles.
Making Seyval Blanc: Tips from the Pros
MEMBERS ONLYBill Hopkins followed a path taken by many American winemakers. A dairy farmer who saw his business fading in the 1970s — at the same time the wine industry was taking off — he sold off the herd and replanted his pastures to vineyards. Twenty years later he is the proprietor of a small, award-winning