Chile’s wine industry spread like a vine
Bottle, like book, can be judged by cover
It seems simple, look at the wine label to get an idea of what to expect after opening the bottle. After all, most of us have become well-versed in label deciphering — calories, fat grams, organic content and so forth. But sometimes with wine, labels can be intimidating. European wines have a reputation for difficult-to-interpret labels. Unless you lived in the region or were an expert, you’d often need to grab a copy of Oxford Companion just to understand the label. But this is changing. Many export-minded European wineries are now making labels easier to decode. I recently bought a...
read moreFeedback is like bubbles in champagne
This week marks Uncorked’s fourth anniversary, and I’m feeling that time certainly flies when you’re having fun. During the past year, this column has touched on a wide range of topics — food and wine pairing, the synthetic versus natural cork debate and which wines are best for cellaring. My aim has been to offer honest recommendations of wines available in Arkansas. But possibly more than the specific recommendations, I hope this column makes wine — an often pretentious and confusing subject — more relaxed and easier to understand. There has been an overwhelming amount of...
read moreWine’s a fruitful topic for books, photos
After spending a week in Napa Valley, Calif., for the Professional Wine Writers Symposium, my reading and writing juices are in overdrive. Guests at the annual event included many of my favorite wine writers – Frank Prial and Eric Asimov of The New York Times, Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, and Bottle Shock screenwriter Ross Schwartz – to name a few. The theme of this year’s symposium was “Telling the Authentic Story,” which reiterates the unspoken pledge of journalists. The following, instead of wine suggestions, are some of the stories from those attending the...
read moreWhat comes first? Chicken, then the wine
A friend called last week wanting to know my recommendations for the best wine to serve with chicken. When it comes to chicken, there is no easy one-wine-fitsall answer. Chicken can be prepared using a wide variety of techniques and flavors and can be as complex or simple as the cook chooses. We grill, roast, bake and fry it — all while adding an array of flavors ranging from delicate herbs, such as rosemary, to robust sauces, like hearty barbecue. That’s a lot to ask of just one wine. The only cautious advice: Consider chicken a light meat and therefore easily overwhelmed by full-bodied...
read moreQuality wines don’t have to cost a lot
In the past several months UnCorked readers have frequently asked, “Can I find quality wines for less than $15?” You may remember last summer an UnCorked column touching on the topic — wines fitting your palate as well as your wallet. The answer now, as it was then, is absolutely — tasty wines with exceptional quality are readily available for $15 or less. But before declaring any wine the next superb bottle for $10, $8 or even $5, keep in mind a few criteria. In this price range, straightforward and simple are the best places to start in assessing the quality of a wine. No matter...
read more