What is a fortified wine? Don’t feel bad if you don’t know…many wine drinkers are confused by the term. The simple answer is a fortified wine is a wine that has had a distilled spirit, such as brandy, added to it to increase the alcohol content and to enhance the wine’s flavors…
Everyone here at Tiedemann On Wines.com wishes you and your families a safe and happy 4th of July. May you enjoy the long weekend with those you love and enjoy some great wines!
Did you ever wonder what is in the glass of wine you are drinking? We know wine is made from grapes and yeast, but perhaps you did not know there is a long list of other ingredients that wine can contain. Winemakers can use as many as 60 different products to remedy issues or increase the flavor of a wine…
I am aware that I have written a lot on wine and cheese in the last months but with summer upon us I think it is a terrific topic to cover thoroughly. One important item we haven’t discussed yet is charcuterie (typically pronounced “shahr-ku-tuh-ree” in the U.S.) which is the art of preparing and assembling cured meats and other meat products…
Often at wine events, or in general conversation, I am asked to explain the characteristics of wines. I find this a little maddening at times, as there are so many terms to choose from and I will be the first to admit I do not know a third of them…
I know this is my fourth wine and cheese blog this year, but I think it is a great topic with lots to learn, especially with the summer almost upon us. As I have said before, Mrs. Tiedemann and I really enjoy just having cheese as a meal sometimes. In this article I am going to discuss pairing Merlot with cheese…
Here we are at the end of May and summer is upon us. I am ready for a lot of deck time with my family and friends, and of course, a glass of wine or two. There are actually two answers to the question: Should I change my wine with the season? The first answer is: absolutely. The second answer is…
Happy Memorial Day weekend and Happy National Wine Day! Be safe and raise a glass of your favorite wine to celebrate.
As some of you know, Mrs. Tiedemann and I are deep into discussions on opening a small wine bar as a part of our LEX 530 Event Center. I am in the process of writing a full-blown business plan for the 530 Wine Bar project. A portion of the project includes researching wine bar customer analytics and what they drink. So far, my research indicates…
I am sure a number of wine folks have heard the term “corkage fees,” especially the ones who have traveled to major metropolitan markets. What is a corkage fee? It is the fee a restaurant charges its customers for bringing their own wines (BYOB) when dining, rather than ordering from the restaurant’s own wine list…
Several weeks back I posted a blog article titled “The Wine Industry is Changing.” The article did not paint a rosy picture of the wine industry then or in the future. Along comes the coronavirus pandemic and things have gotten worse. Before I get into the current Napa Valley situation let me share a couple of interesting facts with you…
Last week’s blog was my Part II article on pairing wine and cheese. I am a big wine and cheese fan so it was great fun writing those blogs. I have three to four favorite cheese wines: they are Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. In today’s blog I want to discuss Riesling and cheese…
In my February 19, 2020, blog article I wrote Part 1 on pairing wine and cheese. In that article we looked at three different cheeses, all favorites of mine and I hope yours as well. This week I will cover three different cheeses that are also on my favorite list. We’ll explore Swiss, Gouda and Blue Cheese and make some suggestions on wines to pair with each…
As I have mentioned a number of times in my blog over the past years, most wines sold in the U.S. are made for immediate consumption. Usually they should be consumed within 24 months after purchase. Even though the wines are made to consume at an early age they still need to be kept…
We know these times are troubling. We hope you are staying home where it’s safe. We hope you are enjoying catching up on your reading, binge-watching TV shows and movies with your loved ones, and opening up some of those more special bottles of wine to enjoy. Stay safe friends…
In the last 24 months there have been some major changes in the wine industry. If you are a wine drinker some of these changes might affect you and me in the coming year. In 2018 wine sales in the U.S. peaked after 25 years of annual growth. Sales figures are being released now for 2019 which show wine sales were down 0.9% over 2018 sales…
