Carignan is a grape varietal from the Rhone Valley in France, not as well known as Grenache or Syrah, it is usually a lesser ratio of the...

Cinsault is yet another Rhone Valley grape used to make thick extracted red wines. As with the other Rhone varietals, Grenache, Syrah,...

Last month, I wrote about Muscat also called Moscato. Last week I wrote about a grape called Melon de Bourgogne, produced in Muscadet, in...

I am on a mission to enlighten people to a variety of wine producing grapes that do not get the attention that they deserve, but produce...

One thing that I love about this project is how I get inspired to write about a grape, and I end up writing about the grapes frequently...

Melon de Bourgogne is rarely seen on the label of a wine bottle. The grape is used in the Loire Valley to produce the wines of Muscadet....

The Loire Valley is one of my favorite areas from which to source wines that win over guests to French wine. Loire wines are perhaps less...

Early in my restaurant career, I worked at a big budget steakhouse in Minneapolis, a couple of them actually. Cabernet Sauvignon...

Malbec is from Bordeaux, France, where it is used as a blending grape in the Cabernet Sauvignon produced in the Medoc and the Merlot...

I find Merlot to be the red Chardonnay in some ways. Merlot is a French word, but not an intimidating one, and like Chardonnay that...

You may have never seen a bottle labelled Petit Verdot, but you may have enjoyed a small amount in a blend. Seeking solo varietal, Petit...

One easy way to impress a food and wine person is to show them something that they have likely not seen in the past. Picpoul de Pinet is...

Absolutely some of my favorite wines produced in the world come from Alsace, on the French German border. The region lies between the...

Often blended with Syrah and Mourvedre especially in the Rhone Valley of France. Grenache stands alone very well. The grape does very...

Summer weather allows me to show more white wines to my guests, simply because it is hot, people who prefer red wines typically, seem to...

Mourvedre is one of the grapes used in the southern Rhone Valley, usually blended with Grenache, and Syrah. Though a small percentage of...

I just wrote the other day about Viognier, and I realized that almost all of my blog posts, thus far, have been about aromatic white...

I love aromatic white wines. Viognier is one of my favorites. I first learned of the grape as the varietal used in the production of...

Sauvignon Blanc is a pretty popular white wine grape varietal, and one of my favorites to show in a compare and contrast style. Sauvignon...

In 1999, I worked in Minneapolis at a Brasserie. I learned several things about France, and French culture. Three have stayed with me for...