Classic Wines

Once grapes have been harvested and crushed, an inevitable situation arises: the winemaker must choose suitable vessels with which to contain the liquid. The winemaker chooses what to use based on factors including gape varietal, desired flavor style, ... read more

A couple of weeks ago, I attended UC Davis's Internship and career fair. It was a rather large-scale event attended by almost 200 different companies, and covered the entire floor of the basketball pavilion. Thousands of students from freshmen to gradu... read more

It took about a week and a half for the fermentation to come to a halt. My vat of purple pulp stopped bubbling carbon dioxide, signaling the time to proceed with pressing. Unfortunately, I was suffering a severe time crunch when this happened. My infan... read more

I am no longer unemployed! Yes, that is correct, I have a job. The process required was harder than I had originally imagined. I had to get in some people's faces, leave a steady stream of e-mails, visit many offices, and put myself in somewhat awkward... read more

The grape juice in my closet is officially wine. Actually, it has been wine for a couple months now. To test the progression of fermentation, winemakers use an instrument called a hydrometer. A hydrometer tests the specific gravity of a liquid, which i... read more

Upon arriving in America, early settlers were surprised to find something quite familiar growing in the soils of the new world � grapes. Grapevines can be found all over the world, and quite a few species are native to the Americas. Some or the better ... read more

What the heck is a Salmanazar? Sounds like it could be some kind of ancient Middle Eastern royalty… and one has been sitting on my kitchen counter since I moved into my apartment.A Salmanazar is 9-liter container of wine, the equivalent of 12 regular 7... read more

Wine 101 - Student OrganizationsAh - to be on break for the holidays is quite a relief! I fell off the face of the earth for the last couple weeks, but I feel well accomplished from my pilgrimage in the library. I finished finals last Friday and proudl... read more

So far in my writings, I've been talking an awful lot about my lack of knowledge and experience concerning wine. I still might be a newbie, but I like to think that I know a thing or two. I've been enrolled in a class this quarter called "Introduc... read more

Another fire raged through Malibu last weekend. While I watched from the comfort of my home, enormous airtankers dropped water bombs the size of swimming pools on the angry flames. Serious fires burn through southern California every few years, but thi... read more

Last summer, I worked as an assistant in a small boutique wine store ten minutes away from my house. It was my first real experience in the wine industry, and even though I was only receiving shipments and stocking shelves (meticulously positioning tho... read more

For winemakers, harvest season is a race against time. The bulk of work in creating wine happens during just a few weeks, making it by far the busiest and most stressful time of the year. It is not uncommon for hired hands on vineyards and wineries to ... read more

A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to make a commitment and actually do this. My friends were sick of my constant blabbering, and it was time to prove that I wasn't all talk. Not wanting to be some kind of poseur, I got down to business. It was ti... read more

Meet our new Academic Contributor - Michael Keba...There was a day about thirteen years ago when a noxious odor of rotten eggs radiated from the garage of our small suburban home in the outskirts of Los Angeles. The smell was sucked through the air con... read more