Professional Drinking

Dry Rieslings All Rieslings are sweet and Yuck!  Perhaps double yuck and don’t you know sugar kills? That’s how a lot of people feel about Rieslings and fortunately for the rest of us, they are dead wrong.  Rieslings are made in a range of sweetness from...

It’s a little secret of the winemaking business – the makers don’t sell all their wine from their production.  They’ll typically hold back 10-20% of their production for future release.  These sit sleeping quietly in the caves and storage areas of each of...

One of the value plays you might be missing on the wine list is magnums, those large format (and slightly intimidating) bottles.  They look great on display and clearly say that some group had a great time! But it turns out they can be a great value on the wine...

I have worked with hundreds of CEOs and executives over the years in my career as a coach. We've accomplished great things together like building game-changing business models, upending entire markets, and taking companies public. Yet, in all that time, and among all...

I recently attended a wine tasting with all Beaujolais wines and I was reminded of what excellent values these wines represent.  The most interesting trend for me was the development of single vineyard Cru wines - and some of them showed real potential. Enjoy a...

 While champagne is normally considered an extravagant indulgence, it is actually incredible value for money on the typical wine list, especially when comparing to other global class wines you might select.  Smart wine list have been stopping at the...

When having sushi, we are often handed a Sake menu with strange Japanese words and descriptions of elegant flavors.  But how is Sake made and how do you pick one for yourself and your guests? Sake is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting rice.  That’s the...

When we go to a restaurant and are handed the wine list, it can be intimidating, particularly if the list is large and complex.  The fancier the restaurant, the larger the list.  But you can have some fun with a wine list if you know a few secrets. The wine...