by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: A wine medal means a panel of trained judges tasted the wine blind and scored it against others of the same style. Gold goes to wines that are complete across aroma, structure, flavor and finish. Silver marks excellent wines with slightly less depth or...
by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: A wine club is worth it if you want wines you can't buy in stores and a guided way to learn what you like. The main benefits are first access to small-batch releases, curated shipments matched to your taste, member-only events, food pairing notes and...
by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: A wine is likely faulty if it smells musty like wet cardboard (cork taint), tastes flat with a brown tint (oxidation), smells like burnt matches or rubber (sulfur or reduction), smells like vinegar or nail polish remover (volatile acidity), or tastes...
by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Acidity gives wine its brightness and the mouthwatering feel that makes it refreshing. High-acid wines taste crisp and cut through rich, fatty or creamy food. Low-acid wines taste softer and rounder and suit milder dishes. Acidity also makes a wine taste...
by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: A wine tasting flight is a set of small pours tasted side by side. Comparing them shows your preferences quickly: crisp or rich, light or bold, oaked or unoaked, dry or sweet. One glass rarely tells you much. Three or four next to each other make the...
by Bob Landon | Oct 15, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Barrel aging adds flavor, softens texture and builds structure. Oak brings notes like vanilla, toast, spice and coconut, and it lets a little oxygen in so harsh edges round out. French oak tends to be subtle and spicy. American oak is bolder and sweeter....
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: The best questions to ask at a wine tasting are about the grape, how the wine was fermented, whether it saw oak, how sweet or dry it is, what food it pairs with, and how long it will age. Staff expect these questions, and the answers teach you why you...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Viognier is a floral white with peach, apricot and honeysuckle notes. Roussanne is softer and creamier, with pear, honey and warm spice. Both grow well in Texas heat, and both pair well with seafood and spicy dishes because their acidity and aromatics...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: To read a wine label, check five things: the grape or blend (style), the vintage (harvest year), the region (climate and style), the alcohol percentage (body), and extra terms like Reserve or barrel aged (how it was made). Together they tell you roughly...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: To smell wine, swirl the glass, then take a few short sniffs with your nose just inside the rim. Look for aromas in order: fruit first, then flowers, then oak (vanilla, toast, spice), then earth or herbs. Naming even one aroma per wine trains your nose...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Taste wine in five steps: look at the color, swirl the glass, smell it, take a small sip and move it around your mouth, then notice the finish after you swallow. Go slowly and compare wines side by side. That's how beginners learn what they like.Step 1:...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: With Tex-Mex and spicy food, choose wines with bright acidity, ripe fruit and moderate alcohol. Aromatic whites like Viognier and Riesling, dry rosé and sparkling wine cool the heat. For beef fajitas or chili con carne, pick a fruity red like...
by Bob Landon | Jun 12, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Terroir is the mix of soil, climate, sunlight and site that gives a wine the character of where it was grown. In Texas, terroir means hot days that build ripe fruit, cooler nights that protect acidity, and soils like clay loam that hold moisture through...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Wine reflects the place it comes from in three ways: its climate and soil (how ripe and bold it tastes), its traditions (which grapes and methods locals chose), and its food (wines evolve to suit local dishes). A restrained French wine and a bold Texas...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: The grapes that grow best in Texas are heat-tolerant varieties from Spain, southern France, Portugal and Italy. Tempranillo is the state's signature red, and Viognier is its signature white. Mourvèdre, Tannat, Sangiovese, Albariño, Roussanne and Cinsault...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Store wine somewhere dark, still and at a steady 55–65°F. Lay cork-sealed bottles on their side so the cork stays moist, and keep them away from sunlight, heat sources and vibration. Steadiness matters more than the exact number. Bob's tip: if you love...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: The difference between sweet and dry wine is residual sugar, the grape sugar left after fermentation. Dry wines have little or none because yeast turned it into alcohol. Sweet wines keep more. Acidity, tannin and ripe fruit also change how sweet a wine...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Match intensity. Soft, fresh cheeses like brie, chèvre and mozzarella go with crisp whites. Hard, aged cheeses like cheddar, Manchego and Parmesan go with bold reds. Salty blue cheeses go with sweet or dessert wines. When unsure, choose a wine with good...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Serve Tempranillo slightly below room temperature, about 60–65°F, in a large red wine glass. Give young or oaky bottles 20–30 minutes of air. Pair it with grilled steak, smoked meats, chorizo, roasted vegetables or aged cheeses like Manchego.What does...
by Bob Landon | Mar 18, 2026 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Bourbon barrel wine is aged in regular wine barrels first, then finished for a few months in used bourbon barrels. The charred, bourbon-soaked wood adds vanilla, caramel, toffee, smoke and a hint of spice. It works best with full-bodied reds and dessert...
by Bob Landon | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Tannins are natural compounds from grape skins, seeds and stems, plus oak barrels. They give red wine its structure and the drying, grippy feel on your gums and tongue. High-tannin wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat taste firm when young and soften...
by Bob Landon | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Serve red wine at 60–68°F, a little cooler than room temperature. Serve white and rosé at 45–55°F, chilled but not ice-cold. Serve sparkling wine coldest, around 40–45°F. Too warm, and wine tastes boozy and flat. Too cold, and its aromas and flavors shut...
by Bob Landon | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: A wine's vintage is the year its grapes were harvested. Each growing season has different heat, rain and timing, so vintage shapes a wine's flavor and structure. Warm vintages give riper, fuller, fruit-forward wines that are ready sooner. Cool vintages...
by Bob Landon | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Texas wines taste bold and fruit-forward because long, hot, sunny days ripen grapes fully. Cooler nights, especially at high elevation, preserve acidity so the wines stay balanced. Add dry summers, varied soils and heat-loving grapes like Tempranillo and...
by Bob Landon | Dec 16, 2025 | Uncategorized
Quick answer: Stainless steel fermentation keeps wine tasting fresh and pure. The sealed tanks block oxygen and add no flavor of their own, and their temperature control lets winemakers ferment cool, which protects delicate aromas. The result is crisp, bright,...
Recent Comments