About a year ago I had the good fortune of meeting Jonathan Lutz, owner of the Uptown Kitchen and The Mark Dine & Tap restaurants in Granger and South Bend, Indiana. In the past year not only have his restaurants become wine customers of ours, but more importantly Jonathan and Jenny Lutz have become family […]
Ordering Wine: Sending the Bottle Back

Should you return wine at a restaurant? What are some of the causes of getting faulty wine? And how should you properly send wine back if you need to? Let’s discuss these topics in today’s blog on sending a bottle of wine back…
cork taint, maderization, oxidization, refermentation, returning wine, sending wine backWine Lists: 6 Tips Take the Scare Away. Part II

In this second part of our series on Wine Lists Carl presents his tips and tricks on dealing with wine lists and we walk you through how to order from a wine list. Don’t fear the wine list, read Carl’s tips here…
food and wine, how to order wine, Melka Wines, sommelier, wine listsWine Lists: Striking Fear Into Mankind. Part I

Wine lists are one of the items that can quickly strike fear into a grown person. Restaurant patrons, including many of my friends, dread the thought of dealing with a wine list. In part one of this two-part series we will discuss: What is a wine list? How are they organized? What is a good wine list […]
wine lists, wine pricing, wines by the glassThe Decanting Dilemma

Plain and simple: Wine decanting is a controversial topic. As in most cases with wine, it comes down to your personal palate and enjoyment. In this blog post I break down the why (sediment removal, aeration and presentation) and then teach you how to properly decant. Enjoy!
aeration, decanter, presentation, sediment, wine decantingA Diamond in the Rough

A Review of the 2002 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon When you are as passionate about wine as I am, it’s difficult…well almost impossible…to keep me out of the wine section of any store I visit. Such was the case back in 2007 when I was wandering through the aisles of the wine section of […]
Beringer Private Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, wine discoveries