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  • Konstantine Drougos: Commandaria St. Nicholas: 4,000 years of History in a Bottle...

    Anonymous
    Anonymous

    Commandaria has a rich history dating back to Homeric times when it was a popular drink at festivals celebrating the goddess of beauty Aphrodite who emerged from the sea at Paphos in Cyprus - a scene immortalized by Botticelli's famous painting, "the Birth of Venus".

    A dried grape wine from Cyprus was first known to be described in 800 BC by the Greek poet Hesiod and was known as the Cypriot Manna. Previously…

  • Rod Smith: Parallel Paradigms?

    Rod Smith

              From where I sit the wine world, especially in California, went totally crazy in the 1990s, to the point where it became rather bizarre to me. In retrospect it seems like that might have been part of a general insanity that led inexorably to where we are today. Now, as we seem to be regaining our collective senses, I’m wondering where wine sensibility might be headed.
              That’s not so much a question as a group…

  • Yoon's Blog: A Sommelier's Ultimate Experience

    Yoon Ha

    Last Friday night I had the honor and privilege to provide wine service for eight prominent wine collectors at La Toque.  I had spent a week researching the wines and worked with Chef Ken Frank to create an eight-course menu.  This was show time.  These men had dined at every significant restaurant in the world, experienced the best cuisine, wine and service.  Would I be up to the task?  As a sommelier, this would be the…

  • Yoon's Blog: Germany Day One

    Yoon Ha

    I recently returned from a visit to the Rheinhessen, Nahe and Mosel regions of Germany.  I was a recipient of the Riesling Enrichment Scholarship offered by the Guild of Sommeliers and I’d like to share my experience with you. 
     
    The pace was vigorous with 4-5 appointments daily.  Our days started at 7:30 AM with breakfast and ended well into the evening after dinner.  I landed in Frankfurt on Sunday morning and was…

  • Rod Smith: THE SEVEN AGES OF WINE

    Rod Smith
    Back again, with pleasure. I enjoyed the discussion of manipulation, although I feel we barely scratched the surface of perhaps the most vital topic of the moment and would like to take it up again at some point. Meanwhile, have been pondering another aspect of our favorite subject.
              I recently braved spiders and bats to get a grip on the shamble of crates and loose glass I call a wine cellar. By the time I gave up I…

  • Yoon's Blog: Food & Wine Pairing

    Yoon Ha

    The most unique feature of La Toque Restaurant is the food and wine-pairing program. Every presentation on the menu is paired with a distinct wine, including dessert. I present the wines prior to each course and briefly share with guests some facts about the wine and the pairing strategy. The wine and food program has become so successful that it accounts for 70% of our wine sales mix. I’d like to share with you a pairing…

  • Brian's Blog: Sake Production: The Basics

    Brian Cronin

    To speak of Sake in simple terms is like speaking about the simplicity Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 – it just can’t be done. There are just too many technical attributes that must be considered if you are to discuss the production methods of this great beverage. Sake is by no means simple; it is one of the most difficult, regimented beverages to make.  But, as regimented as it is, we must also…

  • Shayn Bjornholm: The Joy of the Sommelier Shindig

    Shayn Bjornholm

    The Seattle Sommelier Shindig ('96 Magnum of Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares courtesy of The Guild of Sommeliers)

    Please, just humor me for a moment and take a quick peruse of the following wines:

    02 Coche-Dury Meursault AC    96 Château Lafite-Rothschild Pauillac Bordeaux  00 Gaja Costa Russi Langhe Nebbiolo    94 Ridge Monte Bello Santa Cruz Mountains    96 Drouhin-Laroze “Bonnes Mares Grand Cru” Chambolle-Musigny En …

  • Rod Smith: The Elephant in the Cellar

    Rod Smith
              I’ve enjoyed the Syrah discussion, and am pleased to be asked back for another round. This time, I want to see what the nation’s foremost wine geeks think about an issue that I think is vitally important but never seems to be addressed much beyond eye-rolling shrugs and head shaking.
              This elephant in the room—or, if you will, the wine cellar—is viticultural and winemaking practices that subvertly change…

  • Emily Wines: The Ethical Sommelier

    Emily Wines

    Ethics are one of the big grey areas that we in our wine community rarely talk about. The rules are not defined and one must determine for themselves where they set the standard. Below are a series of scenarios. There are no right or wrong answers… although some of the extremes would certainly get you fired and/or ostracized from the sommelier community.

    Drinking on the Job

    As sommeliers, it is obvious that we…

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