Best New Wines to Buy

This Month in Your Cellar: Find the Best New Wines to Buy That Go Beyond the Trophy Wine Formula

  MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -DRC -Screaming Eagle -Lafite -Margaux -Liger-Belair -Yquem -Krug Critic Matt Kramer recently praised the “contrarian cellar” in his Drinking Out Loud op-ed. He thinks of a contrarian cellar as the opposite of what you’d normally see in a collection; instead of dust-covered bottles of DRC, you’ll find obscure Quarts de…

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How to Blind Taste Wine Like a Sommelier

How to Blind Taste Wine Like a Sommelier: A Full List of Practice Wines Designed to Hone Your Palate

  MENTIONED IN THIS POST: -2015 Philippe Pacalet Moulin-a-Vent -2007 Santa Duc Grand Grenache 66 -2011 Teso La Monja Alabaster -Chateau Petrus -Joh Jos Prum -2013 Kumeu River Chardonnay Mate’s Vineyard -2009 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fume Buisson Renard -Guigal  Over the past few years, naysayers have been skeptical over whether sommeliers can actually identify wines from…

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Learning how to taste wine takes practice

How to Taste Wine: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Palate for Fine Wine

A single wine can dramatically change in flavor and bouquet as the years wear on and you develop your palate. The first time you try 2010 Château Lafite, you might only taste and smell wine. But as your palate matures, you’ll learn to find more notes, like the scent of oyster that made this estate famous, or the strong black tea flavor hidden in the wine’s layers. If you train your palate well enough, you might even spot the elusive violet top note that the most experienced enthusiasts struggle to find. Learning how to taste wine requires patience and consistent practice, but it will ultimately make your collection more refined and your experiences with wine more enjoyable.

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how to taste polarizing wines

How to Taste Polarizing Wines: Finding Unique and Funky Wines That Suit Your Palate

In 2009, a collector tried a delicious aged bottle of Cayuse from Washington, and immediately signed up for the mailing list. Years later, he finally cleared the list, but his excitement was short-lived. After buying two bottles of 7-year-old Armada and God Only Knows, he found their funky, earthy flavors far too overpowering. The collector…

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