Basically it is a question and answer game.  If you get the question correct, you move on to another random corner of the wine world.  If you are incorrect, it spells out why.  Multiple players may participate or one can study on their own.

I use this CD-Rom all the time to make sure I’m sharp with my global wine knowledge. It has three difficulty levels to grow along with you. Super easy to use, and made for everyone from the beginning wine lover to advanced wine professionals.

Install and running is about as basic as it gets.  Just pop it in your computer, add player(s) names and go.

FIND IT HERE

I’ve proclaimed 2010 as “The Year of Happiness”.

Heck, local real estate prices have been on the rise for 8 consecutive months and the stock market has risen nearly 37% over the last year. We certainly have not seen that in a while!

Now is the time to treat yourself (or your Mom!) to something special, and I’m here to offer my own little incentive to do so.  Keep this email as a “Buy one super fun entertaining and informative wine class, get one super fun entertaining and informative wine class free” coupon.*

Each of my 1.5 hour classes cost $250 for up to ten people (do the math, it’s pretty cheap) and includes glassware, printed materials, all wine, and some great memories.

Here is a link to my newly updated “classes” page, which includes videos (the production value is SWEET!) with more info on some of my signature courses.

In addition to those on the website, I also am offering for the first time a “Points vs. Preference” class where we blind taste 88 point wines vs. some that have scored 92 or higher and see what all the hubbub is about, and to put your palate to the test and see if you can taste the difference.

Write me an email for more info or to inquire about available dates.

Finally, I kept the Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles recommendation below as they absolutely thrill all who try them.  Mother’s Day is right around the corner…hint, hint.

Life is short. Rejoice in it!

Mark the Cork Head

www.thecorkhead.com 

Dom Perignon Champagne Truffles 97 points (TCH) FIND IT HERE I kept these in here as a leftover from the last email because they are just so darn amazing.  If you didn’t get them for Valentine’s Day, get them now for Mother’s Day.  I promise you’ll email me and say thanks!       Price: $40.00

The Wine Bible, by Karen MacNeil, Workman Publishing

This friendly read offers personal insight into all things wine, written by a woman who is a self-made superstar in this arena. In fact, in 2004, MacNeil was named “Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year” by The James Beard Foundation and later was awarded “2005 Wine Educator of the Year” by the European Wine Council.

More about education than reference, The Wine Bible acts as the reader’s personal travel guide through the world of wine. From vine to wine and food pairings, with historical and regional vignettes, it covers every meaningful wine subject.

The book is pleasantly approachable for all levels of wine enthusiasts. As such, it has become the default textbook for The Culinary Institute of America’s Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies in the Napa Valley, one of the finest wine education institutions in the world.

FIND IT HERE

First of all, the mere fact that someone enjoys a particular wine does not make it great. It means, and only means, that they like that particular wine. Let me explain with an analogy.

Money aside, one may appreciate the simple pleasure of a VW bus, but it is difficult to argue that a Bentley is not a superior vehicle. The same can be applied to a bottle of wine. Hordes of wine lovers flock to the accessibility of Charles Shaw, but given the opportunity they would jump at the chance to test drive a Chateau Margaux!

For vinophiles interested in the more intellectual side of wine and the inevitable accompanying oenology studies, learning to taste for integration, expressiveness, complexity, and connectedness are the keys to revealing upper crust wines. I look for these components when analyzing each wine I review.

Integration is the way all the moving parts of a glass of wine leave an impression both in the nose and on the palate. When all the structural parts of the wine, such as acidity, alcohol, sweetness, and tannins, seamlessly intermingle with each other as well as with the aromas and flavors of the wine, it is well integrated. Though an overtly oaky wine may be stylistically pleasing to some, it is simply not a marking of great wine unless it has the other components in balance with it.

Expressiveness is defined as a wine that is varietally correct—that it shows the best characteristics of whatever grape it is made from. Cabernet sauvignon grown in the wrong climate will give off just about as much pleasure as biting into a raw green pepper instead of showing voluptuous dark fruits and tobacco notes with the accompanying bold tannins we expect. San Diego’s own Fallbrook Winery just released their new estate wine, 33 Degrees North Syrah, which is one of the most expressive wines I have tasted this year.

Complex wines exhibit a wide variety of flavors and aromas from fruit, non-fruit, and sometimes earth and oak. While fruit and oak may be concepts that are familiar, earth aromas can include minerality, forest floor, or dust while non-fruit categories include petrol, spiciness, and floral notes. The most complex wines exhibit seemingly countless and concentrated aromas within each category it shows. And they change in the glass as the wine is exposed to oxygen and heat.

Connectedness, perhaps the most fascinating aspect when blind tasting, refers to the fact that all great wines exhibit characteristics of the region and vineyard from which its grapes were grown. Trained wine professionals can analyze a few ounces of an unidentified wine and often come up not only with the varietal, but also the year and location from where the grapes were grown. It is often said that wine is made in the vineyard, and this is especially true of the finest wines. Great wines can only be made from grapes that are grown in a vineyard with ethereal characteristics.

The nifty thing about wine is that by shopping around for productions which earned high marks in competitions, many can be found that taste like a Bentley while leaving plenty of change in your pockets for gas…even at today’s prices.

www.thebestcaliforniawine.com

www.greenwinecomp.info

Anyone who enjoys a little time in the easy chair with their favorite glass of vino will find this list of wine-related Web sites an invaluable resource to help further their enjoyment of the world’s greatest beverage.

Best Cellar Management Web site:

www.vinfolio.com

Vinfolio.com was created by a wine collector and has exploded in popularity since its inception in 2003. Some insurance companies value the free online cellar management interface so much, many recommend its customers use it to maintain insurable inventory as protection from theft or fire loss. Any size collection can be easily entered and managed with a few clicks of the mouse. What comes out is an endless array of sortable stats including peak drinking dates, bottle valuation, reviews and more.

Best Wine News:

www.decanter.com

There is no better source of information on the business of wine than Decanter.com. The company also has a monthly magazine, which covers news and reviews of every wine region in the world in depth. Online content includes daily updates with the most recent wine industry news from around the world with links to associated stories. Decanter is based in England and therefore has some content not geared toward the American consumer, a minor drawback that is far outweighed by the newsworthy updates published every day.

Best Wine Store:

www.wine.com

Wine.com is easily navigable, bright and clean, with a huge selection of wine, gifts and accessories. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the Web site is its sortability while searching for wine. Users may filter searches by region, varietal, point scores, half-bottles, kosher and virtually any other meaningful denomination, making shopping for any type of wine a breeze. Customers have the option to pay an annual fee of $49, which covers wine delivery costs for the entire year, with no minimum order size. Wine.com features wine from around the world, giving customers easy access to every day and special occasion bottles.

Best Wine Information Resource:

www.wikipedia.com

If you are looking for information on anything from what grapes grow in Jumilla to how many American Viticultural Areas exist in Oregon, Wikipedia.com is the site to visit. One search will provide diverse and rich content on virtually any wine-related subject. From information on Alexander Valley to the wines of Zimbabwe, if it isn’t here, it just isn’t.

Best Wine Events Calendar:

www.localwineevents.com

When thinking of something fun to do at home or on vacation, LocalWineEvents.com is a one-stop resource for anything happening in the world of wine. If there is an event with wine involved, you’ll find it here. Also, Web surfers will find reviews on wine bars, classes and other wine activities all easily sortable by state and community.

*as printed in San Diego Suburban Newspapers