Archive for the ‘Wine’ Category

Roussanne is not a Greek opera singer and Aspiran is not a painkiller

By Darryl Soljan  |  Wine  |  Monday 22nd February 2010

Why do so many people drink only Pinot Noir or Shiraz as reds and Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay as whites? Or all their reds from Australia and all their whites from NZ?

Why haven’t they tried a Gruner Veltiner, let alone a Plavic Mali or a Pedro Ximinez?

Why would most people consider Roussanne to be a Greek opera singer or that Aspiran was a painkiller when in fact they are grape varieties?

When was the last time you bought a wine that came from Portugal, Austria or Croatia?

How is it that wine, a simple beverage created to make life a bit more enjoyable, has the ability to cause angst, increase heart rates and generally paralyze some people in certain situations?

It’s fear people, fear! What we don’t know or understand can make us fearful.

I am going to provide the ‘secret’ – the key that will unlock your fear & open the wide, wide world of wine… (more…)

Great Legs and Old Age

By Darryl Soljan  |  Wine  |  Wednesday 14th October 2009

One of the things I love about working with wine is its ‘mystery’.

Wine is even more mysterious to those who don’t grow it and make it, and as a result I get asked a lot of questions.

Here are three of the most frequently asked questions, and some answers…

1. What are ‘legs’?

I am a ‘leg man’. Of course, legs are the lower limbs of a biped such as a human being, or any of the paired limbs of an animal, that support and move the body! Duh!

Betty Grable, Marlene Dietrich, Angie Dickinson and Jamie Lee Curtis all had great legs that were insured for millions!

However wine “legs” are the streaks of liquid that slide down the inside of the glass after (more…)

Protected: The 7 Secrets

By admin  |  Wine  |  Wednesday 5th August 2009

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How sticky hands can save you from ever washing dishes again!

By Darryl Soljan  |  Wine  |  Monday 30th March 2009

I am multi-tasking.

Seriously.

I am writing this Blog in between loading bins of Malbec & Cabernet Franc into the crusher. Awesome grapes! I have to keep washing the grape juice from my hands to prevent my keyboard going sticky!

However, my ‘multi-tasking’ capabilities, which are substantial (at the gym I catch up with my reading while at maximum pace on the ’step machine’ – see, getting fit AND learning at the same time) are not the subject of this Blog. My sticky hands are. (more…)

Dirty Liars & “Terroirists”

By Darryl Soljan  |  Wine  |  Wednesday 9th July 2008

Terroir (pronounced “tear-wah”)…

I see that word a lot these days. In fact, I think it is used so much it has lost its original meaning.

I think a lot of wineries either deliberately lie about terroir or don’t understand what terroir is.

Marketing people love the word “terroir” which almost guarantees it will be abused!

So what is “terroir” supposed to be?

“Terroir” is a French word that (more…)