It’s all about quality I jokingly say that I have two jobs, as a pastor and as a sommelier.A few months ago I was in Berlin for my second job, as a sommelier. It was time for Berlin Wein Trophy, Germany’s most influential wine competition and the world’s largest international wine challenge under the patronage of the OIV and the …

The wine with many names It has been called the wine of kings and the king of wine. But also the wine of the apostles, the wine that started a war, or the woman opener(!). We are of course talking about Commandaria, the oldest wine still in production. Mentioned in the Guinness book of records and since 2021 included in the …

Prejudice Can a winery that does not grow its own grapes really be called a winery? And can they make good things or is the only thing being produced crowd-pleasingly dime on a dozen wines? I must admit that I was initially a little hesitant and probably mentally had my “nose in the air” when I went to Lynfred Winery just outside …

Vitis Vinifera is the Latin collective name for grapes. It is a plant that easily interbreeds and creates new variations. It is therefore difficult to say exactly how many different grape varieties there are, but it is said that there are more than 10 000 different varieties. One of them, Riesling, has its own birthday!The first time the Riesling grape is …

If you’ve ever had a bottle of Chianti, and chances are you have, you’ve probably noticed the black rooster. The mark that tells you that this is a wine from the heart of Tuscany, a true Chianti Classico.But what is the story behind it? As always, we’re in a fairly intricate world of fact and myth mixed together. But the …

The church and the wine In 1598, Don Juan de Onate leads the Spanish colonists to the upper valleys of the Rio Grande in what will later be called New Mexico. The two friars Fray Gracia de Zuniga, a Franciscan monk, and Antonio de Arteaga, a Capuchin monk, are there to preach Christianity to the Indians on behalf of the …

Noble Knights and a noble Wine What is the connection between one of the world’s oldest wines and the Knights of the Crusades? The image of a knight in full battle gear charging forward on his equally armour-clad horse doesn’t really go together with the gentle sipping of a delicious sweet wine. Rather, one imagines that it is a hefty …

The wedding of the century “Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum” King of Wine, Wine for Kings. This epithet has been given to several different wines over the centuries. The most famous of them is perhaps the Hungarian Tokaji, which according to legend was dubbed the King of Wines by Louis XIV of France. Similarly, the Italian Barolon sometimes goes by this …

Debunking the myth The Berlin Wein Trophy is a wonderful gathering of wine connoisseurs and experts from around the world. One of them is Dennis Doorakkers from the Netherlands. Besides being “The Famous Dutch Wine Guy” and an international recognized wine expert and judge, Dennis is also known as ”The wine can guy”  When we met in Berlin, he generously shared his …

Bubbles, but which ones? Bubbles in the form of Champagne are part of New Year’s Eve.Midnight fireworks are accompanied by popping corks and the new year is welcomed with more or less bubbly drinks. Few things signal celebration and anticipation as much as sparkling wine.But what should you choose? Which of all the bubbly sparkling drinks is the best one …