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Three weeks from now,  beginning July 25th, I will be sitting in a hotel conference room, surrounded by like minded wine geeks (and I use the term lovingly because I am one myself) absorbing knowledge like a giddy schoolgirl.  Hopefully, this euphoria will not come just from the fantastic wines that I’ll be privileged to taste, but from the amazing symposiums I will attend.

I will take “A Fast & Deep Dive Deep into California’s Appellations”, taste “The Great Wines of Spain”, travel through “Provence: Ancient Roman Roads to Modern Biodynamics” and “Island Wines: Off the Beaten Path”. 

Other session will aid me in transferring all this information to my students with “A Revolutionary Way of Teaching the Wines of France”  and rev-up my seminars by going “Beyond Classes with Glasses: The Wine Educator’s Tool Belt”.

As you can tell, this is an event that I am looking forward to immensely and I can’t wait to meet all the other 381 attendees, spend three un-interrupted days sitting at those  tables with a row of glasses before me and a world of wine to explore. 

“Who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
John Cotton Dana


 
 
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It's time for another "wine day" and tomorrow, September 24th, will be the 2nd annual Grenache Day.

The joy of having a blog is that it gives one a forum, so in order to promote my belief that to know a grape is to love it, here are some fun and fascinating things you may or may not know about this terrific varietal.
  • It is the most planted "red" varietal in the world
  • Although most of us think of France, particularly the Rhone Valley, when we ponder   Grenache, it's place of birth is Spain, where it's known as "Garnacha".  The Spanish grow much more of it than the French - 3 times more - mostly in Rioja and Catalonia.
  • It has many aliases - Alicante, Carignane Rousse, Canonau just to name a few
  • It is often blended as in the famous "Chateauneuf De Pape!
  • Grenache has also taken up new homes in California & Australia
  • The vines enjoy a hot dry climate, but it can 'sunburn' easily

Typical Flavor Characteristics may include:

Deep Strawberry
Cherry
Cranberry
Black Pepper
Licorice (Anise)
Soft Floral

So now that you know a bit more about this famous, hard working grape, go ahead an find something "Grenache" for tomorrow.  Perhaps a Gigondas (a terrific area) or something New World - but whatever your tipple, relax, enjoy and don'f forget some tunes to go with it!
 
 

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