Unwined

The best way to learn about wine is to drink it. A lot of it. No, this isn’t us saying “get drunk all the time”, but it does mean that studying wine in a book will only get you so far. At some point, you’re going to have to crack open a bottle and take a sip.If you’re new to wine, we recommend you try wines from varying styles and see which you think. Eliminate any you don’t like, and continue to explore those that taste good. Easy peasy.For those who are a bit more experienced, maybe try various wines in a certain category like 2010 Pinot Noir, or California Chardonnay across vintages.There’s no “right” way to conduct a wine tasting - any theme can be chosen. The only way to do it wrong is if you overthink it, because keep in mind…it’s not what wine you drink, but who you drink it with.

To be honest, Hannah and Kyle weren’t sure what to expect when they asked to do an interview with Adam Knoerzer, a Certified Sommelier. Anyone who is highly knowledgeable is bound to be snobby and standoffish, right?Definitely not true in Adam’s case. Having a background in teaching and a love for many things including languages, he considers himself more of a “wine translator” than a wine educator.Very quickly in the conversation we figured out that he has a very similar viewpoint on wine to our own. One that he hopes to spread throughout more of the city. Most importantly we adored that shared our belief…it’s not what wine you drink, but who you drink it with.

There are thousands of different food pairings for wine out there, but no matter who you ask, cheese is always a safe bet. Who doesn’t like wine and cheese?! (go ahead we’ll wait…)For this week’s Unwined episode, Hannah and Kyle sat down with their new friend, Anaïs who owns Chantal’s Cheese Shop in Lawrenceville, to hear all about her story growing up in France and her journey to becoming a specialty cheesemonger.While we strive to make wine less confusing and complex, we also love making new friends around the city. We’re always looking to meet new people, so if you have any suggestions regarding who we should say hello to, please do not hesitate to let us know!

A hint of cooler breezes in the air, the return of football season, the never-ending smell of Pumpkin Spice Lattes on every street corner… it must be fall.With this new season comes a complete change in the types of foods we eat and how we live. No longer do we think of fruit salads on a hot day. Now we look for chilis and buffalo chicken dip while we watch the game. So why don’t we change up the wines we drink too?This week we talk through the Top 6 wines that you should try this fall and which ones will go best with that Thanksgiving dinner or plate of snacks during the game. Like we always say though…it’s not what wine you drink, but who you drink it with.

No sweet wines aren’t made by fermenting wine and then dumping a bunch of sugar in the bottle right at the end. That would be too easy. Instead they’re either grown or harvested a different way in order to change the chemical makeup of what gets fermented into that nectar of the gods.Even if you’re not a fan of these types of wines, it’s beneficial to understand the category for those out there who do enjoy the occasional glass.

This week we’re focusing all on wines for date nights. Whether that’s the first date (aka “the interview”), you’re meeting his / her family, or a fancy night out on the town to celebrate a special occasion. One thought to keep in mind throughout this entire discussion - more expensive wines don’t mean they’ll be better. If you’re an amateur wine drinker (basically all of us who aren’t sommeliers), you probably don’t have to go above $30. There might be “better” bottles above there, but our amateur taste buds most likely won’t know the difference. (at least to justify the extra $) So, get a good bottle, but don’t go broke doing it. Remember…it’s not what wine you drink, but who you drink it with.

Champagne… it’s the magical drink that lets everyone know it’s a good celebration. But how much do you really know about the “fancy wine” with bubbles in it?

We decided to do something a little different on the show this week and sit down with some new friends - Leah & Ashley - the ladies of Real Talk No Chaser. During our conversation we helped to answer all of their burning wine questions like “can you drink red wine in the summer” and “what wine pairs well when you dip EVERYTHING in ranch dressing?”Basically the four of us spent the entire night laughing and drinking and talking. This is the way wine was meant to be shared - it brings strangers together and makes them great friends.Can you tell that we all had never met before they walked in the door?

Oak is one of those topics in wine that everyone uses to sound smart. Whether they know anything about wine or not, they use this buzzword for instant credibility. But what does it actually do to the wine?

One of the most confusing topics in all of wine is how to choose the right wine to enjoy with dinner. Sure, everyone knows that red wine goes with red meat (a good steak), but what if you’re having Thai food?There are so many different and unique dishes out there, how can you possibly know which wine won’t make you want to spit it out?While these five rules won’t cover everything in the wine pairing world, we promise it’ll at least save you from looking like a fool in front of your boss.

Weekend barbecues, backyard bonfires, and starry night skies… is there anything better than summer? The time spent with friends, family, and other loved ones is some of the most important.But when you go to one of these events, how do you know which wine to bring for everyone? Sure none of you may be sommeliers, but you don’t want to bring something that’s going to clash with the party. It would be like wearing a white dress to a wedding! No one is gonna stop you, but you’ll definitely be the talk of the party. And not in a good way.Hannah brings Kyle 4 different scenarios of various summer events and they talk through what wines might be best to bring. Overarching this whole message keep in mind… it’s not what wine you drink, but who you drink it with.

Sure, if we let grapes sit in a bucket for months on end, they would eventually turn into wine. It wouldn’t taste very good, but it would work. This fermentation process - converting sugars in grape juice to alcohol in wine - is a direct result of the bacteria on the grapes or in most cases yeast that’s added by winemakers. But what does the yeast actually do turn convert everything? It’s not like they have a magic wand…

It would be a safe bet to guess that green grapes make white wines and red ones make red wines. Duh. That’s an easy one.But, what if we were to tell you that red grapes can also make white wines? In fact, some of the most famous white wines in the world are made using red grapes.No it’s not magic, but with one specific step the final outcome of the wine can be totally changed.

Let’s all pretend we’re going to quit our jobs and take up wine grape farming in the hills of Tuscany, Italy. What elements do we need to consider when planting our vineyard? It’s very similar to growing any other plant. They still need (1) soil / nutrients, (2) water, (3) air, and (4) sunlight. It’s all four of these elements that factor in to the “terroir” of a grapevine and impacts the final wine in the bottle.

In the old days, wine was considered religious because grapes left alone would automatically turn into wine without human involvement. We’ve come a long way since then and so has the quality of our wine. While we utilize modern technologies to produce the best wine possible the main process remains largely the same.

Imagine an alien landed on Earth in the middle of Napa Valley, saw a bottle of wine, and asked you what it was? How would you define it? If we’re going to take a crash course to understand wine, it’s best to start by defining what it actually is. “Grape juice with bonus materials” might be a good start, but it doesn’t explain how we get peach, blackberry, or dandelion wine.