From a viticultural and winemaking perspective, it has thus far been an exceptional year in more ways than we have expected or predicted. Blame it on climate change, El Niño, or star alignment, but many are faced with pre-harvest weather extremes in many parts of North America from downpours to scorching heat and high humidity […]
Dealing with Harvest Challenges Read More »
You can listen to Dr. Joe Schwarcz interviewing me on his Montreal CJAD 800 AM show this Sunday (July 25) from 3-4pm. Topic will be Wine Chemistry and my latest book “Wine Myths, Facts and Snobberies.” Be sure to tune in. You can also listen to CJAD online.
Listen to Daniel on the Dr. Joe Schwarcz Show on CJAD 800 AM on July 25 Read More »
Synthetic corks have been receiving a bad rap in recent years as their performance has not lived up to the hype. These corks were to replace natural corks in an attempt to reduce and eliminate the occurrence of TCA, or what is responsible for corked wine. However, except for very young wines meant to be
Is the Guala Seal closure the future of synthetic corks? Read More »
Interested to learn more about the science of wine and winemaking, how Icewine is made, why Champagne is expensive, why you smell barnyard in some reds or pertol in Riesling, why drinking red wine in moderation is healthful, or how modern science is helping sleuth out counterfeits? Do you really need to decant wine before serving?
WINE MYTHS, FACTS & SNOBBERIES now available to order! Read More »
For all you Norton lovers, there’s now a Riedel glass specifically designed for this varietal. See https://glassware.riedel.com/c-1467-norton-grape-of-missouri/p-485-norton-glass
Norton Riedel Glass Read More »
Some people seem to possess extraordinary abilities in smelling and tasting the multitude of aromas and flavors in wine; they are often referred to as “expert tasters” or “supertasters” because they are ostensibly endowed with an extremely discerning nose and palate. But are they born supertasters or do they acquire these special skills in their development years? Here we look to science to help us sniff out the facts on wine tasting skills.
Do (Wine) Supertasters Exist? Read More »
Ah! Those bad sulfites; they’re such an easy target. What else can people blame for headaches after drinking red wine? After all, there is even a regulation that requires the mandatory mention contains sulfites on all wine sold in the U.S. So there must be some health concerns with sulfites. But why is that not
Do sulfites in (red) wine really cause headaches? Read More »
I get asked this question quite frequently, as of lately, particularly in light of recent studies linking bisphenol-A (BPA)—the plastic used to line beverage containers and tin food cans—to cancer. The latest research from the Université de Sherbrooke in Québec, Canada and published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology reports that BPA can adversely affect development
Should I be concerned about plastic carboys? Read More »
Check out my answer at http://ezinearticles.com/?id=3332891
As I set about to run some trials in disgorging and adding dosage to riddled bubbly—two critical steps in the méthode champenoise (aka traditional method) production of bottled-fermented sparkling wine—I was reminded of an interesting question asked by an attendee at my seminar at the last WineMaker Magazine Conference in Napa Valley: “Why not simply
Riddling in the Méthode Champenoise Read More »
