I’m not sure I will ever fully understand why some known wines get a make-over largely in name only. A few years ago it was Moet doing away with their White Star Champagne bottling and replacing it with a slightly different iteration (in terms of the style of wine itself) and calling it Moet Imperial Brut. White Star was a really recognized name in the marketplace and today it is still a point of confusion for many looking for the White Star, and being handed the Imperial Brut. Is the wine different? Yes, a bit. But why not roll with the old name? Now it looks like La Mission Haut Brion is making a similar name shift. Check out this brief Decanter article on why the change.  Then tell us, as a consumer, does the reasoning make sense to you? Do you care?

Next up we have an article that three different friends sent to me (from two different sources), to ensure I didn’t miss it: the latest in wine health news reports suggests that women who drink have a better chance of avoiding obseity. Egad, will these studies ever cease? An entertaining read if you, like me, don’t mind another guilt-free reason to keep pouring your nightly glass of wine.

Last but not least, we have a fun Old World vs. New World showdown on The Tasting Docit! On Friday March 19 you and other foodie nerds at WGBH can enjoy the fun for a mere $25. And there will be music to further enrich your tasting experience. Check it out!

Aerators seemed to be The Big Thing over the holidays. Whether considered the perfect gift or the best party trick going, I was entertained to find the original aerator, produced by Vinum, on hand at every holiday party I attended. I even received Metrokane’s Rabbit aerator as a gift! All of this enthusiasm got me thinking: is this little gadget worth all the fuss and, if so, which of these two products is superior?

Pop on over to Wicked Local today to get my take!

Have you experimented with these new aeration tools, i.e. not decanters? Which one have you tried and did it win your favor?

This week there’s a little something for everyone  by way of wine news, regardless of your specific interest in the science behind wine. Some way, somehow, these headlines are sure to hit close to home. Let’s jump right in!

I’m a visual, tactile person so I usually embrace every opportunity to better engage my senses to remember something. In the wine world, that usually means taking my time to engage ALL of my senses as I evaluate a wine. But can aromas be visualized? Do we need them to be?  For better or worse, the folks at Aromicon are taking this idea for a test drive. Check out this article at Springwise to get the scoop!

I couldn’t find my related post about pests in the vineyards (sometime last year, I believe), but there’s a shocking bit of news coming out of UC Davis regarding work to mitigate – or eliminate – the nematode problem perplexing California vineyard managers and winemakers. Apparently the Dept. of Nematology at Davis is being shut down, despite the fact that the problem has yet to be resolved. Wines & Vines didn’t report on the politics or economics or whathave you happening behind the scenes there. But here’s an update on the situation plaguing Northern California in particular. If you know a bit more on this, please weigh in below!

In other news, somehow I missed last year that Boisset decided to ship Beaujolais Nouveau in plastic bottles – to reduce costs of shipping the historic, annual November wine. (I wonder why they chose plastic over bag-in-box…). And, it seems this year Japan is taking things one step further by selling the wine as such – without re-bottling it in glass first. Did you see or hear any further news on this plastic-ization of BN last year – or more recently?

Wow! This has been one heck of a week in wine news. The juiciest news comes by way of Wine & Spirits Daily regarding Amazon giving up their piece of the wine pie. It’s a longer read but I think it’s worth checking out!

Ever experienced a tin-foilesque aftertaste having paired red wine with fish? There is new information this week about why red wine and fish are not such a great pairing. Read more here.

Then, in case you missed this year’s Boston Globe Plonkapalooza, check out this year’s top wine picks!

For those of you looking to stretch your legs and travel the wine world a bit, consider joining Bon Vivant Wine Company (Randolph, MA) as they wine and dine with you at some of Long Island’s best vineyards on November 21. Tickets are available here.

What do you think of Amazon’s decision?

One of the simplest pleasures in life is bubbles. Thank goodness they are all around us, from soap, to a delicate “Top Chef” food foam, to the beach! Remember being a kid and blowing them? You couldn’t help but smile every time you created one, and the bigger, the better. Then there was going to the beach, wading through the foam a crashed wave leaves behind and attempting to capture the remnants in your cupped hands. I still relish the smell of the ocean, transmitted as the waves crash and the mist gets picked up and sent to my nose….

But are these attributes beneficial for the enjoyment of sparkling wine, also?

Head on over to Wicked Local today to find out!

What do you love about Champagne?