To see a sample of our Wine Map of Italy, please download our Wine Map of Sicily. It’s a fairly large pdf file (551KB) so please be patient. It’s also the freshest slice of Sicilian oenological cartography available anywhere!

It’s a little awkward, but we’re being quiet about the release of our much anticipated Wine Map of Italy for the first week. The company that does our order processing – The Wine Appreciation Guild – has an unforeseen backlog of orders, and we don’t want to compound the problem. Our official email announcement and [...]

note: the release date has been pushed back from the 15th to the 19th due to plant power outages in Upstate NY – sorry! Testing the limits of software, intestinal fortitude, bureaucracy and sanity (in no particular order), the Wine Map of Italy is now being printed and will be available on July 15th 19th. [...]

The Wine Century Club celebrated its 5th anniversary on May 8th. On that day, members throughout the world collectively tasted 314 different grape varieties. The Wine Century Club is for wine adventurers who have tried at least 100 different grape varieties. It currently boasts 779 members from 21 different countries including Australia, the Bahamas, Brazil, [...]

Why does it take so long to make these things? Can’t you just trace a bunch of maps supplied by the regions? I wish it were that easy. Funny enough, very few regions in Italy publish their own maps or really do much to tell the world that they exist. Take one of Basilicata’s newer [...]

“Everybody knows the blackcurrant bush.” -Le Nez du Vin, Jean Lenoir Blackcurrant is the most common flavor descriptor of the most popular grape variety in the world: Cabernet Sauvignon. At least the British think so. American wine writers tend to use the term cassis, which is French for blackcurrant. You may be asking yourself: wait [...]

Pear drop is a term often used by wine writers to describe the flavor of Beaujolais Nouveau. These writers would all be British since pear drops are virtually unknown in North America. They’re a traditional type of candy that the British call boiled sweets and Americans call hard candy. They get their flavor from isoamyl [...]

The Wine Century Club – now 590 members strong – celebrated its 4th birthday last Thursday. To mark the occasion, members worldwide tasted 159 different grape varieties. The list included serious obsurities such as Himbertscha, Incrocio Manzoni and Bukettraube. The club has also started a new level of recognition: Doppel Members, for those who have [...]

pu⋅ri⋅ty [pyoor-i-tee] 1. the condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes, etc.: the purity of drinking water. 2. freedom from any admixture or modifying addition. 3. ceremonial or ritual cleanness. 4. freedom from guilt or evil; innocence. 5. physical chastity; virginity. 6. freedom from foreign or inappropriate elements; careful [...]

Brettanomyces ‘Brett’ is a yeast with many strains that imparts a wide range of flavors. Fairly common, especially in red wines. Considered by some to add desired character to wines when at low levels. Telltale aromas: earthy, horsey, barnyard, sweaty-saddle, manure, leather, smoked bacon, cheese, band-aid, antiseptic (from De Long’s Wine Tasting Guides) I came [...]