Bottle Shock
I wish that movies with ‘wine’ as their central theme were made more often. It has been 4 years since the release of that classic ‘Sideways’, and now finally in 2008 we once again have reason to swirl our wine in delight.
The movie is called Bottle Shock and tells the true story of how Napa, [...]
Cellar Tips
Ever thought of building your own wine cellar? Or maybe you’re just curious as to how wine should be properly stored. Here are my basic cellar tips for all of the My Wine Cellar family to share…
The ideal temperature to store wine is between 13ºC-15ºC. However, variation in temperature is most critical and for this reason [...]
Nanotech and Wine
I believe that the next age will be the age of Nanotechnology. Nanotech will undoubtedly change our lives in ways that can’t yet be comprehended. Science, medicine, engineering, agriculture, geology all stand to benefit from the technology. Even what we eat… and the wine we drink. That’s right… wine.
‘I believe that nanotechnology will have applications [...]
The Origin of Wine
Ever wondered where wine comes from? Grapes of course J But seriously, where did wine first ‘begin’? Well, let me first say that it wasn’t in France… in fact neither was it anywhere in Europe!
‘I guess you could say wine production has come a long way since 6000BC.’
Archaeological evidence has suggested that wine, made by [...]
The Corkage Phenomenon
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of `corkage´, allow me to explain… If a restaurant or even a bar allows corkage, it means that patrons of the locality are allowed to bring their own bottle/bottles of wine with them paying a small fee per bottle opened.
Growing up and living most of [...]
Summer Sangria
There’s reason to smile… the South African summer will soon be upon us :) It may be obvious that I enjoy a good glass of wine pretty much any day of the year, but on the side I am a secret Brandy lover too. And when these two are combined with fresh summer fruits on a sweltering [...]
Wine Tasting With a Difference
I’ve never been a fan of American TV… except for one particular late night show with the comical Conan O’Brien as host. Late Night with Conan O’Brien is undoubtedly my favourite talk show… sorry Oprah
But it is when Conan O’Brien, the unconventional US wine expert, Gary Vaynerchuk and wine are mixed together, that [...]
Why Wine?
I like wine because it’s alive. Each bottle is different from another, and if you taste it the one day it would have changed by the next.
The trip to your local wine shop is always an interesting one, as there is just so much variety out there. This allows one to experiment with different wines [...]
Wine: A Complex Concoction
Ever wondered what it is that’s swimming around in your wine glass? Quite a lot actually. There are believed to be almost 1000 ‘ingredients’ identified in wine, and more yet to be discovered.
Wine is 85% water with a varying alcohol content that averages 12%. Many different acids are present, tartaric and malic being the most [...]
Gôut de Terroir
Or Terroir for short :) The term that tries to describe the properties of a vineyard with regard to it’s soil conditions and the attributes imparted on the resulting wine. Since I see this word thrown around with reckless abandon, sometimes correctly and more often not, I thought it a good idea to clarify its meaning.
‘As [...]
