I’m working on updating my website because I have some fun wine classes coming to Cleveland this spring. Which I’m very excited about!

I have been accepted to the Masters of Wine program. I’m very excited to have been accepted, but also extremely scared. I’m using every moment free I have now studying. After the new year my passport will be getting a work out. I have a number of trips I need to take for classes, educational trips, etc. (Yes, I know, life is hard.)

I do need to note, I’m writing this while watching the Heat vs. Cavs. I usually don’t watch Basketball on TV, but this game is too much to pass up.

So expect a number of updates in the next few days with more information!

I’ve seen wineries put Sweet, Semi-Sweet or Dry on labels. In Germany some change the font on the label or add decorative touches.

The International Riesling Foundation has come up with rules for labeling for customers. It looks at the acid and sugar in the wine. It’s a great idea, but I’ll be curious to see how much this is on wine labels. I still rarely see the “Classic” or “Selection” label options for Germany,

Sadly, I have yet to try a Pinot Noir produced by Weingut Meyer-Näkel, but one can dream, can’t they?

For years I’ve wondered about Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards. Mostly coming to the conclusion that the restaurant needs to pay the fee and a large enough wine list to meet the various levels. But the fact that someone made up a restaurant and won the award just makes this more beautiful.

For a wine book, is a page turner. It’s fact filled and an interesting read covering everything from history, science and the love of wine. The complaint I have is Wallace clearly has various people type casted into certain roles. He does just about everything to make readers love or hate, mostly hate certain people in the wine world. The only thing else he could have done to seal the deal was giving these people a black top hat, cape, and skinny mustache. Specifically, he does this treatment to Michael Broadbent and Hardy Rodenstock. I’m not saying either person was innocent in the affair, but Wallace was overly attempting to manipulate the reader’s opinion.

The other interesting opinion Wallace added was in discussing anything that was expensive, from the highly exclusive tasting held around the world for various cult wines to even just the purchasing of these Jefferson bottles all seemed to have a tone of disgust to amount of money spent. If the author was annoyed by the “rich man’s problem” in the wine world, than why did he write a book on it?

If you can filter out Wallace’s opinions, the book is an interesting read about forgery with bottles and what wineries and auction houses are doing to authentic bottles and the new science available in the lab to verify the wine.

Even with rising prices in food, gas, and the mortgage crisis, Americans are still drinking wine. We are trading down in price, the under $15 price is the key, with a 33.9% rise in the “premium box” segment.

Now having said that, I know enough about beer that there is specific glasses used based on the type of beer one is served. So I am very scared that my husband might find out that Spiegelau is now doing beer specific glassware. I guess the big saving grace is that it’s not Riedel, but I think Riedel owns Spiegelau. Hmm.