JOIE DE VIVREby

In honor of the wonderfully warm weather, we’re going to take a look at one of the most popular white wines in the world: Chardonnay. Chardonnay grapes are among the most planted grapes in the world and, alongside the wine itself, the grapes are also commonly used in the making of Champagne.

Chardonnay grapes were first grown in Burgundy, France—the same region that gave us the Pinot Noir grape. Considering Chardonnay’s popularity it’s not..

It may be blisteringly hot outside but that doesn’t mean that we should only be drinking chilled white wines. Regardless of the season, there’s always a good reason to dip into some tasty red such as today’s wine of choice: Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted wine grape in the world with over 720,000 acres dedicated to its production. Not bad for a wine that’s only been around for a couple hundred years. Its popularity is..

Sauvignon Blanc is a dry and crisp wine that has its origins in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux regions of France. Sauvignon Blanc grapes thrive in warm but not overwhelming hot regions; as a result, a large quantity of the grape is grown in temperate regions such as South Africa, Australia, California, and France.

Flavor profile

Arguably the most unique thing about the taste of Sauvignon Blanc is its “green” flavors. Sauvignon Blanc wines..

Today we’re going to look at one of the more divisive white wines around: Moscato. The intense sweetness of Moscato is the source of much controversy among wine fanatics—some love the sweet notes of the wine, while others find it sickly and extremely off-putting. The source of the sweetness is the Muscat grape. Due to its high amounts of natural sugars, the Muscat grape is one of the few noble grapes that can be enjoyed raw. As a result, wine..

In order to truly enjoy wine, you need to understand it. Crucial to that understanding are the five factors that characterize any bottle of wine. Acidity, alcohol, body, sweetness, and tannins are the first five factors anyone hoping to develop their appreciation of wine must understand. Here’s what they are and how they affect the taste of everyone's favourite tipple.

Acidity

Acidity refers to the overall tartness of the wine. Highly acidic..

Although we have already covered the six original Noble grapes, in recent years the concept of "Noble grapes" has been expanded to include a few more additional grapes that have found favor outside of the traditional European areas of grape production. These grapes are often referred to as the "international varieties" in order to differentiate them from the original six.

Reds

Grenache

One of the most widely grown grapes, Grenache is used to..

I remember the first time I tried to make a pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese. I knew very little about cheese but I did know that “real” pizza is made with mozzarella. So I went to the grocery store and grabbed the first mozzarella cheese I saw. It was packaged in liquid and was extremely soft. I got home, tore it up, put it on my pizza and threw it in the oven. To my dismay, the resulting pie was a soggy inedible mess. I had made a critical..

Today we’re going to look at a red wine that has only started gaining popularity in the last few years: Tannat. Tannat is considered the national grape of Uruguay, where it is grown in abundance. The country's dry climate is ideally suited to this grape, which has proven particularly hardy and resistant to various diseases, pests, and fungus that can devastate more fragile varietals.

Tannat grapes are also grown in France, where the wine..

One of the best aspects of wine appreciation is going off the beaten path and exploring some lesser-known tipples. With that in mind, let’s talk about another hidden gem of the wine world: Verdejo. This wine hails from Spain and is pretty much unheard of outside of the country.

The Verdejo grape orientated in North Africa but was brought to Spain in the 11th century. Verdejo grapes were originally used only in the production of sherry...

Maybe it’s just me, but as the days get longer and warmer I start gravitating away from reds towards crisp white wines. One of my personal favourites is the under-appreciated Chenin Blanc. While not as well-regarded as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc is a wonderful grape in its own right and is known for its versatility. This grape can be used to make wines that cover a wide spectrum of flavors. In fact, Chenin Blanc grapes can be used to make..