Wine News Archives - Page 6 of 6

What are the Major Cool and Warm Climate Grape Varietals?

Cool climate Riesling grapes By Guest Author, Sumun Rahim - Any wine lover who has studied the French concept of "terroir" knows that the same grape varietal can produce vastly different wine depending on what type of soil and in what climate it's grown. Some wines do best in cool, even cold, climates; others are better-suited to warm, sunny weather. Knowing which wines thrive in which climates can help you enjoy local wine more fully when you travel as well as be a guide to help you choose from the selection available at the average wine store. Below is a [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T14:30:53-08:00August 29, 2013|

Golf and the Joy of Surprise Wine by the Glass Lists

One of the items on my husband’s bucket list is to play golf on Hilton Head Island, so when I was able to get a good deal on a weekly condo rental there recently, we jetted off to the South Carolina island covered with long white sandy beaches, swaying palms, pink azaleas, and oak trees dripping with lacy moss. He was happy because he was finally able to play Harbour Town golf course with the famous red and white lighthouse on the 18th hole. He also enjoyed the challenge of Sea Pines Ocean course, Palmetto Dunes and Shipyard. I was [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:34:02-08:00April 10, 2013|

What Type of Wine Do They Drink in Costa Rica?

March 13, 2013 – This past week I enjoyed my first visit to the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Though better known for coffee than wine, since I was in the country to present a paper on the wine supply chain at the NBES academic conferences, I was naturally curious to learn about the types of wine available in Costa Rica. Therefore I made it my mission to investigate wine lists and store selections during my stay. Chilean Wine Dominates, Followed by Argentina and Spain After visiting six restaurants, three grocery stores and four wine shops, I would have to [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:34:21-08:00March 14, 2013|

Why Italians Link Wine to Food — and Recipe for Florentine Beefsteak

This January we are taking 26 Wine MBA and Wine Bachelors candidates to Tuscany for 2 weeks as part of a Winter Intersession class on global wine business. Most participants currently work in the California wine industry, and are excited to learn more about the Italian wine scene. We will be visiting wineries in Chianti Classico, Montalcino, Montepulciano and Bolgheri, and staying in both Florence and Siena. For more information on the tour schedule, see: http://tuscanwinemusings.wordpress.com/ One of the interesting facts about Italian wine is its linkage to food. In fact, in Italy, the experience of drinking wine is not complete without food [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:37:26-08:00January 2, 2013|

What Dessert Pairs Best with Sparkling Wine? Korbel & Bianchi’s Provide Some Answers

Erica Mandl of Korbel Champagne Cellars For the last tasting of the semester at the SSU WineSense Club, we focused on a holiday theme of sparkling wine and dessert. The beautiful Erica Mandl, head winemaker at Korbel Champagne Cellars, led the tasting by introducing five different Korbel bubblies. These were matched to delectable desserts from the new bakery in Rohnert Park, Bianchi’s. How Sweet is Your Sparkling Wine? Erica cautioned that it was important to understand the level of residual sugar in a sparkling wine, in order to determine the type of dessert with which to pair it. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:38:10-08:00December 16, 2012|

Average Vineyard Worker Wages in South Africa – Emerging as a BRICS Country

Sept. 2012 - Several times throughout my wine trip to South Africa I asked winemakers the average wage they paid their vineyard workers. The answer was it depends on the region, as well as whether or not the workers have housing and benefits on the property. In terms of regional pay differences, it appears that Stellenbosch pays the highest wages at 170 Rand ($21) per day for a basic vineyard worker who does not live on the estate. Wineries in Cape Point and the Constantia region said they paid 120 – 150R per day ($15 - $18). In Swartland I [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:38:32-08:00November 12, 2012|

The Source & Extinction of “Burnt Rubber” Taste in South African Wines

Last week I had the opportunity to attend CapeWine and visit five major wine growing regions in South Africa. During the course of my eight day visit, I realized that the vast majority of the more than 300 South African wines I tasted did not include the telltale “burnt rubber” note that I used to rely upon to identify “South Africa” in a blind MW tasting. Some people also refer to this taste as “eraser or band aid,” but it is a unique note that has plagued South African wines for many years now – especially in reds and primarily [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:38:57-08:00October 4, 2012|

Why Millennials Don’t Read Emails

Last night we had our annual SSU Wine Club Board planning meeting at my house. This is usually a relaxed event where we identify the wineries we want to invite to campus next semester, and enjoy a BBQ dinner with many fun wines. This year’s planning dinner was equally enjoyable, but I was struck by our conversation about how we will promote our educational tasting seminars. “We will market the seminars via word of mouth and Facebook, of course,” said our new VP of Marketing. “Most college students never read emails.” As a college professor, I already knew this, but [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-01T22:40:58-08:00May 29, 2012|

Wine Poetry: How an Ancient Persian Legend Gave Birth to a Petaluma Gap Winery

“As a child growing up in Persia I heard the story of the discovery of wine,” says Pari Azari, “but it is also documented in my Persian cookbook. In fact Omar Khayyám referred to the story in some of his poetry.” Kamal Azari, Pari’s husband and co-owner of Azari Winery, nods in appreciation as he listens to his wife. “Yes, it is this story, plus the fact that I was born in Shiraz, the ancient city in Persia thought to be the birthplace of the syrah grape, that inspired us to start our winery.” Pari then proceeded to tell the [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:26:36-08:00November 28, 2011|

The Ancient Connection Between Women and Wine

Originally published in Wayward Tendrils Quarterly (Vol 18, No. 2, April 2008), Liz Thach, Ph.D. Posted here by request. Most historians now agree that wine was most likely discovered by a woman. However what is often left out of the history books are the ancient stories of the goddesses of wine – most who came into being centuries before Bacchus and Dionysus. Modern technology and carbon-dating has helped us prove that wine from cultivated grapes was being made in what is now modern-day Georgia, in the Caucasus Mountains around 6,000 B.C. There are also reports of wine remains in Armenia, [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:27:18-08:00October 26, 2011|

8 Tips to Increase Online Wine Sales – Lessons from Google

This month even wine business students who had already graduated from Bus 305W showed up to hear a presentation from Google on increasing online wine sales. Fifty Millennials listened aptly to two guest speakers from Google, and many incorporated the tips into their final wine business papers for the semester. "Online wine search queries have increased more than 33% in the past 2 years," announced Google manager, Joe Rosenberg. "In addition, wine searches via mobile phone increased ten times in the same time period." Google colleague, Danny Navarro added, "We see that consumers are increasingly interested in wine online, but [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:28:30-08:00May 31, 2011|

Wine Commercials by Millennials – Which is Your Favorite?

Millennials often wonder why wineries don't use more online videos to advertise their wines. The videos can be produced at a low cost, and if the winery is lucky enough to have their video "go viral," it can attract thousands of potential customers to the winery website. Therefore, with this in mind, our team research project this semester in Bus305W – Introduction to Wine Business was to complete a brand refresh project and create an online video for the updated brand. The target wine brand was Parducci of Mendocino County. CEO Paul Dolan and Marketing Director Kelly Lentz welcomed over 40 students [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-01-05T14:32:56-08:00April 20, 2011|

The Amazing Rubired Grape – Third Most Planted Varietal in California

Have you ever heard of the “Rubired” grape? Last year at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium 2010, I was able to taste some wine made from this grape. However, it is rare to find it used for wine. In general, Rubired is used to produce grape concentrate, but can also be used as a blender in red wines. At this year’s Unified Conference 2011, the audience was amazed to hear that Rubired (17%) is now the third most planted grape in California behind Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) in first place, and Chardonnay (18%) in second place. Rubired is a hybrid [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-02T13:32:13-08:00January 29, 2011|