The word “sommelier”, or wine waiter, may have stemmed from the old French words “sommerier”, “somier”, and “bête de somme”. In this old French language, a “bête de somme” was a “beast of burden” a...
The History & Future of Wine in Livermore Valley
Livermore Valley was once one of California’s prime sources of grapes. In 1882, Charles Wetmore planted cuttings of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from Chateau d’Yquem in his Cresta Blanca Vineyard.
Sicily’s Noble Red – Nero d’Avola
Dating from early Greek settlements here, Nero d’Avola is one of Italy’s top five grapes and the most noble of Sicily. It is still known as Calabrese, meaning “from Calabria”, or possibly even de...
The second half of 2013 saw an upsurge in activities for women in wine in South America. In December at the Museo del Vino was the first meeting of the Asociación de Muejeres del Vino del Uruguay (...