Pulling a Winning Lotto Ticket From the Cellar
Aging a bottle of wine is a bit like cheating death, and a bit like playing the lottery. It’s a game I love to indulge in, but even in the excitement there’s a moment of panic every time I take a corkscrew to an older bottle. As a sommelier, I always want to take the utmost care with a bottle that someone might have been saving for a very special occasion. Unfortunately, sometimes you get a bottle that’s clearly been stored poorly. The cork is bone dry and even trying to open
Staying Balanced
Balance in wine is always a bit of a tricky thing to discuss. Does it mean that no one structural element or flavor dominates? If that’s the case, then are we saying that wines with rather extreme characteristics can NEVER be balanced? Obviously, acid pits like Txakoli or Vinho Verde rely on the food you’re having them with for balance, and the same might be true for tannin bombs like some Napa Cabs or Barolos, but even with the latter examples you’d hope that the winemaker w
