What’s a ‘Wine’? V: When to Send Back a Bottle
When you order a bottle of wine at a restaurant, the accompanying ceremony can seem a bit silly and unnecessary. You are presented with a small sample to swirl, smell, sip, and – inevitably – affirm as, “Excellent, thank you.” What’s the point? I mean,…
What’s a ‘Wine’? IV: European Growing Regions
In my past What’s a ‘Wine’? posts we’ve gotten to know some popular grapes and learned some basic wine terminology. But where does it all come from? Who exactly is growing all this wine? The next step is to learn about some of the world’s most…
What’s a ‘Wine’? Part III: Why Bother With Wine Tasting?
One of the most recurring comments I get about wine is “what’s the point of wine tasting? Isn’t it all a bit…silly?” Some of these concerns I addressed in my post Wine Tasting: Less Bullshit Than You’d Think, but I thought I’d go one step further…
What’s a ‘Wine’? Part II: The ABCs of Wine Terms
One of the most daunting aspects of pursuing wine is the dense and often confusing terminology. What is a “bouquet?” Why do I care about “terroir?” And what the hell does a Sommelier do? In the spirit of my first What’s a Wine, here is…
What’s a ‘Wine’? Part I: Getting to Know Your Grapes
I started ‘Sipping With Smoth’ in large part to answer many of the questions I was receiving regarding alcoholic beverages, wine in particular. Thus, in the same vein of my earlier post What’s a ‘Whiskey’? I’m going to start an informational series on the intricacies of wine. Approaching wine…