(This article was published October 20 by Wine Scholar Guild) Day one of the Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) study tour of Southwest France, led by Andrew Jefford, was a very special opportunity to spend quality time with the owners/winemakers of three appellations, each providing a different glimpse of the diverse terroir of the region. A…
Author: Kathy Merchant
I am a passionate wine educator and writer.
Diploma graduate of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Scholar, and Certified Specialist of Wine.
Southwest France: Monbazillac, Pecharment and Bergerac
Day one of the Wine Scholar Guild (WSG) study tour of Southwest France, led by Andrew Jefford, was a very special opportunity to spend quality time with the owners/winemakers of three appellations, each providing a different glimpse of the diverse terroir of the region. Chateau Tirecul La Gravière The misty morning launched with great aplomb:…
Making Sweet Music in the (To Kalon) Vineyard
Geneviève Janssens Wine Director for Robert Mondavi Winery and Chairman of the 2017 Cincinnati International Wine Festival Doesn’t every story about the heart-stopping beauty and allure of Napa Valley need to start with a picture of this sign? It announces, with pleasure, “you’ve arrived”! The original sign was installed on June 30, 1950, to welcome…
Fond Remembrance of Margrit Mondavi
It was a gray, chilly February morning in Napa Valley, too dank even for the season’s hearty bright-yellow mustard crop to light up rows of vineyards. Two dozen aspiring and accomplished wine writers braved the drizzly day for a tour of Robert Mondavi Winery (RMW) with Director of Winemaking Geneviève Janssens, and for the opportunity to…
Argentina
If the phrase “Argentine paradox” had not already been coined to describe the country’s tumultuous economic and political history, I would certainly want to lay claim to it. It is essential to grasp the broad outlines of recent history as context for understanding what’s happening today in the Argentine wine industry. The schisms are wide and…
New Realities for Chilean Wine
It’s amazing how long it takes for new realities to pierce the membrane of old truths and commonly held beliefs. That’s Chile in a nutshell. It’s time for the rest of the world to catch up with what’s really happening in one of the world’s most pristine wine growing countries. Entrepreneur Max Morales, owner of…
South America’s (Wine) MVPs
My first wine tour of South America begins today. In every region, everywhere in the world, there are always a critical few people who lead the shift from bulk to quality wines, and show the pathway into global markets. Absent major political and economic deterrents, it’s true that winegrapes can grow reasonably well without much…
South America’s Big Four: Argentina, Brazil, Chile & Uruguay
Rodney Strong Winemaker Rick Sayre: Lucky, But Deserving
Rick Sayre, Chairman of the 2016 Cincinnati International Wine Festival On a warm, sunny Sonoma day in January, Rick Sayre generously spent four hours touring, tasting and telling the story of his journey at Rodney Strong Vineyards. Toward the end of our interview, Rick confessed that he would have preferred to be fishing for…
United States of Wine: Texas
Huh? Texas wine? Isn’t that the home of “Chateau Bubba”? Even though roughly 90% of all wine produced in the U.S. comes from California, today wine is made in all 50 states. It’s perhaps not surprising that Washington, Oregon and New York State (Finger Lakes, Long Island) are the other top producers of quality wine, collectively making up…