Closures are an essential consideration for any wine. A bottle’s closure contributes to how the wine tastes and how it ages. When choosing a closure, winemakers must evaluate how the closure might affect oxygen ingress, flavor, and bottle consistency. For Champagne, however, there are unique factors that impact producers’ decisions around closures. This article will explore the history of Champagne closures, the most…

Last fall, Marta Casas joined fellow wine students for a two-day sparkling wine seminar in Austria, in preparation for the Diploma in Wines from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Following a handful of blind tastings, she heard many stude...

Material other than grapes, or MOG, is assiduously avoided by winemakers. Leaves, bugs, pebbles, sticks, and other debris are removed before grape clusters are processed. But before the prevalence of destemming machines, stems, which strictly speakin...

The needling sensation started in the vineyard at Beaux Frères. I was walking next to winemaker Mike Etzel Jr., scribbling notes as he talked about biodynamic farming, when a tractor pulled up. Etzel ran into a shed, grabbed a carton of a myst...

A cool-climate wine region steeped in Old World tradition, with origins dating to the Roman Empire. A detailed hierarchy of vineyards, with specific soil types that encourage two key grape varieties to flourish under optimal conditions. Wines with te...

There are currently 17 grands crus and 42 premiers crus in Champagne, and negociants work directly with growers to set prices in a completely free market. But the number of grands and premiers crus, the connotations of these terms, and the guidelines...

The wines regarded as the flagships of Hungary are the sweet styles of Tokaj PDO and, increasingly, the dry Furmints from the same region. But their fame often means that wines from the rest of the country are overlooked. In Szekszárd, one of ...

Cabernet Franc has long taken a back seat to its dazzling offspring, Cabernet Sauvignon. So wildly successful has the latter become that for most of the wine-drinking public, the name Cabernet simply means Cabernet Sauvignon. Does anyone know, or eve...

The idea of white grapes in rosé may come as a surprise to some. Surely not! Yet the blending of red and white grapes has a long history, and the practice is still used for many rosés. Combining Whites and Reds Beyond Rosé Making...

What does it take for a wine to be recognized as great? Wines of excellent quality are easily found in the global market. What makes certain wines rise above the others and become iconic? Acknowledgment of outstanding quality by both consumers and in...