One of the things I love most about wine is the seemingly endless variety of flavors. Some wines taste like you just bit into a perfectly ripe cherry. Others taste more like a warm berry jam or compote. Some can even remind you of sipping cocoa dusted with baking spice. Part four of this series is all about flavor and how you can translate what your taste buds are telling you into words.
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Along with selling wine, the most satisfying part of my job is helping people learn about wine. I’ve noticed over the years that most folks aren’t confused about wine because they “can’t taste.” They can taste just fine. They feel lost or confused because tasting notes often sound like a secret language, and nobody has given them the codebook.
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The Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose broad tariffs. This eliminates the legal basis for the prior tariff structure.
So, does that mean tariffs are “over”? Sadly not.
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If Cabernet Sauvignon is the rockstar blockbuster grape we all know and love, then Cabernet Franc is the quiet indie-rock journeyman; often more interesting, and always working harder to please. While the grape may play second fiddle to its more famous counterpart, there’s one interesting tidbit we can’t ignore: along with Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc is actually one of Cabernet Sauvignon’s parent grapes, firmly cementing its place in vinous royalty.
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Part 1 broadly discussed why you’d want to cook with wine, so this week, I thought I’d offer more specific examples of how I regularly use wine in the kitchen. Hammond and I splash red, white, or rosé into just about everything we cook, and it’s an essential fixture in our culinary toolkit. In our kitchen, wine is a staple, no different from the salt, pepper, olive oil, herbs, and spices we reach for without a second thought. Here are the wine-related techniques I use most, plus a few others that are always good to have in your back pocket.
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