Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting

One of the great ways to expand your palate beyond a wine club is by tasting wine with friends.  This is one of the ways Sommeliers grow their wine knowledge, they taste a broad diversity of wines – lots of grapes from lots of regions.  You can pretty easily...
Wine Naming: Grapes or Places?

Wine Naming: Grapes or Places?

Yup, it’s confusing: sometimes a wine is named by the grape used to make it and sometimes it is named by the area that it is grown.  Lots of time, there is no indication of the grape used in this second group – you are just somehow supposed to know. So how...
The 20 Cocktails You Should Know (and Try)

The 20 Cocktails You Should Know (and Try)

There has been a rise of the celebrity bartender and the use of local fresh ingredients.  I think that’s a great thing and offers a chance to have some fun with a cocktail before we head to dinner and wine.  Most of these drinks are not designed to pair with...
The Lowdown on Liquors

The Lowdown on Liquors

While I mostly write about wine, the synonymous liquor and spirits are an important part of professional drinking and it’s worth knowing the basics.  I am just going to cover a few of the major ones, but there are dozens I am not covering including variations of...
Beer Basics

Beer Basics

Beer isn’t considered the classiest drink, but I have to admit after a round of golf on a warm day, it is hard to beat.  You can’t go frat party crazy when doing business golf or at an event, but many times, I’ll have a beer in place of a cocktail.  It’s a...