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My orange wine recommendations for Halloween!
8 minutes read To be irreplaceable, drink beyond Bordeaux. That’s the motto around here, but let’s push it further and say : let’s drink beyond white & red wines! No I’m not talking about rosés… Today, we’re diving into one of the most intriguing wines you might not have tried yet: orange wine! And since it’s Halloween, it’s all about…
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Wine Retreats In The Alps
Some friends ask why Americans ski in Europe, and a large reason is the “après culture”. I mean, who doesn’t love a nice glass of wine after a day of skiing? I know I do, and if you’re here I guess you do too! Imagine combining the crisp, fresh air of the Alps with the refined taste of a locally-produced…
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Unique characteristics of Grüner Veltliner wine from Wachau
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, the main grape varieties in Austria that come to mind are Grüner Veltliner and Riesling for the whites and Zweigelt, Blaufränkisch and Saint-Laurent for the reds. Indeed, Austria is best known for its wines made from indigenous grape varieties, Grüner Veltliner being the most widely planted. Even though Grüner Veltliner can…
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Is Riesling German or Austrian?
Riesling is a white grape with high acidity and susceptible to Botrytis (noble rot). It is very aromatic and the fruit characteristics vary according to ripeness : green fruit and citrus aromas to stone fruit, tropical fruit and dried fruits. It can be harvested and vinified in many ways. Sweet Rieslings can be achieved by interrupting the fermentation or by…
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Grauburgunder vs Weissburgunder
Grauburgunder translates as Pinot Gris and Weissburgunder as Pinot Blanc. These are two different grape varieties. As we will see, they have different flavor profiles and it’s best to know how each one tastes in order to choose your wines accordingly to your taste. These flavor profiles impacts food pairing of course. Last, understanding these differences will provide insight into…
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What is the difference between German Rieslings and French Sauternes?
Although Sauternes is usually considered the best sweet wine in the world, German Rieslings are really not far behind… These wines can seem very similar at first sight, they are both sweet (for the sweet ones of course, German Rieslings can also be dry) with high acidity. So, what is the difference between German Rieslings and French Sauternes? What is…
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Is Sauternes a digestif?
Sauternes is a French sweet wine from Bordeaux. These wines have high acidity and distinctive notes of honey, apricot, citrus zest and dried fruit, from the botrytis. Usually sweet comes at the end of a meal : does this make Sauternes a digestif? Let’s find out! What does Sauternes taste like? The great sweet wines of Bordeaux, Sauternes (or Barsac)…
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What is confit de Sauternes?
Sauternes is a white sweet wine from Bordeaux. It is one of the greatest sweet white wines in the world. However, sometimes, you may come across “confit de Sauternes”. So, what is confit de Sauternes? What is confit de Sauternes? First, let me try to explain what confit is. The word confit derives from a French verb (confire), which means…
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Can I substitute sherry for Sauternes?
Sauternes wines are known to be expensive and for the best of them, prices are through the roof! So finding a substitute can come in handy once in a while. For instance : Can you substitute sherry for Sauternes? What does sherry taste like? Sherry is made from three grape varieties. Palomino produces wines with naturally low acidity that do…
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How would you compare Sauternes wine to ice wine from Canada?
Sauternes and Ice wine are both sweet white wines. The former comes from Bordeaux, in the sub region Graves. The latter is made in Germany and Austria mostly but also in Canada. Are they similar? How could you compare Sauternes wine to ice wine from Canada? Let’s start by defining each type and compare them afterwards. What is Sauternes wine?…
