Tune In to Wine with David Kohl : Bordeaux, Burgundy &; Beyond

#wine #chateaumargaux #bordeauxwine. Presenting the elegant & illustrious Chateau Margaux, the iconic 1st growth Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe wine estate. David Kohl relays the deep history of the vineyard from The 12th Century beginnings, up through Thomas Jefferson’s presence during his tenure as Ambassador to France, to modern day stewardship of The Ginestet Family who restored the estate to i...

#wine #bordeauxwine #grandcruclasse Today David Kohl presents Chateau Clos de Sarpe, a “garagiste” wine that was elevated to Grand Cru Classe status in 2012. This wine estate, located in the commune of St. Christophe des Bardes has some of the oldest vines in St. Emilion and produces very small batch/ low yield of Bordeaux from its 3 hectare parcel. While not easy to locate in the USA due to its s...

#wine #bordeauxwine #grandcruclasse Many of the legendary families in Bordeaux actually hail from Ireland. Fleeing England’s religious persecution early in The 1700’s the patriarchs of families such as Barton, Kirwan, Phelan and more settled in Bordeaux and these “geese” founded many of today’s Grand Cru Classe wine estates. Chateau Langoa Barton & its sister vineyard Chateau Leoville Barton a...

Sicily’s arid climate provides perfect conditions for native grape Nero d’Avola to flourish. These wines offer an excellent learning opportunity for those wishing to train their nose to smell different aromas within red wine. Nero d’Avola exudes scents of “faded roses” with tea and spice undertones. #wine #redwine #sicily #italianwine #wineculture

David Kohl presents the Gavi zone within Piedmont in Northern Italy, where refreshing white wines are produced from the native Cortese grape. These mineral rich wines pair perfectly with porcini mushrooms and today we prepare a fresh mozzarella pizza drizzled with truffle oil. #wine #italianwine #whitewine #piedmontwine #wineculture

Sardinia’s history as a wine growing region dates back to The Ancient Greeks. Cannonau is the region’s indigenous red wine grape. Here at The Grape Explorer we encourage the discovery of unique wine grapes so that consumers do not solely rely upon the better known varietals. Cannonau is rich with mineral tone and has been heralded as a benefit for cardiovascular health, in tune with Sardinia’s ren...

Negroamaro is a red wine grape indigenous to Puglia Italy, an area known as “Heel of the Boot”. While this region on The Adriatic Sea is rich with wine growing history dating back thousands of years to The Ancient Greeks, it is often overlooked. Even native Italians focus on their country’s more widely recognized regions. But these offerings from Puglia deserve attention from the industry. Today w...

Serbia’s history of wine production dates back to Roman times. Many vineyards are located within Fruska Gora region nearby to Belgrade. The signature grape known as “Portuguiser” is quite light in style , reminiscent of Gamay. The herbaceous character of Portuguiser pairs perfectly with food and its inexpensive price tag should appeal to adventurous consumers. #wineculture #wine #serbianwine #redw...

The Southern Rhône wine region of France is best known for its Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, but the lesser known Lirac appellation provides tremendous value worth discovering. The red clay soil of Lirac provides fertile conditions for the Grenache grape to thrive . With a retail price that is heavily discounted vs. neighboring Chateauneuf du Pape, Rhône wine lovers will learn to value Lirac’s...

David Kohl recalls his first visit to VCC (Vieux Chateau Certan) in 1990 for a barrel tasting with proprietor Alexandre Thienpont. Sensing David’s enthusiasm for the wine business, Alexandre very generously offered an introduction to Jacques Thienpont and his own Pomerol project Chateau Le Pin, which at that time was valued in the $100 per bottle range. Today of course Le Pin sells for many thousa...

How is Pomerol just like Rock & Roll ? Listen to David Kohls references ! Can you follow all of the references to rock music & rock lyrics ? Just a bit of fun. #wine #tailgate #rockconcert #rockandroll #pomerol #bordeaux

Here at The Grape Explorer our mission is to educate consumers on all types of wine grape varietals , even those which are lesser known by consumers. Northeast Italy’s Friuli region is largely known for its white wines, yet global warming has heated the climate enough to generate an impressive harvest of red wine varietals from the Refosco grape. With aromas of tobacco leaf, crushed herbs & sm...

At a recent trade show, David Kohl had the pleasure of meeting Ken Takehisa, a master Sake producer from Japan. This proved to be a very intriguing event, as Sake is such a hot topic these days in The USA with top restaurants featuring Sake selections along with their wine list. Always interested in learning something new, David heard that Ken’s range of Sake selections are brewed in the Junmai Ki...

David Kohl believes that The Loire Valley produces an amazing array of wines that are often overlooked & underrated by consumers. Domaine Boutet Saulnier produces “Les Brosses” a single vineyard Vouvray offering of 100% Chenin Blanc that deserves attention. The Domaine is operated by Christophe Boutet,who cultivates a classic Vouvray from the chalky soil composition that perfectly complements...

David Kohl has a passion for educating adventurous wine consumers about unique value oriented discoveries. The Southern Rhône is the perfect hunting ground for this mission, with the region of Beaume de Venise producing both red & white selections that deliver a top experience at great prices. White offerings are traditionally Muscat varietal, infused with dried fruits, floral expression and n...

Although many people believe that Prosecco is Italy’s answer to Champagne, this is not actually the case, since Prosecco is not produced via Method Champenoise. It is in the Lombardy Region, within Franciacorta, that Method Champenoise is applied with fermentation inside the bottle, to produce Italy’s alternative to Champagne. In fact during a blind tasting, many would equate Franciacorta with tru...

David Kohl finds another gem on the impressive by-the -glass wine list at “La Cave Du Vin” wine bar in the emerging Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Austria’s native red grape St. Laurent is a rarely featured selection, many specialty wine shops do not even carry this particular varietal. What a perfectly chilled glass to quaff on a summer evening. #winevideo #austrianwine #chilledredwine...

David Kohl visits “La Cave Du Vin” wine bar with a great vibe, in the emerging Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Here the eclectic wine list is full of some great by-the-glass discoveries, such as the PSI offering from Spain’s mega-cult vineyard Dominio de Pingus. This blend of Garnacha & Tempranillo from the Ribera Del Duero region is produced by Peter Sisseck, one of the top winemaker...

The Valais wine growing region of Switzerland lies along The Rhone River, just north of The Matterhorn within The Swiss Alps, in close proximity to the borders of both Italy & France. Here in Valais, the signature white wine grape is known as Fendant, a varietal which David Kohl has equated with Macon Chardonnay during blind tasting events. The wines of Switzerland are not readily available on...

The Saumur Champigny region of France’s Loire Valley is renowned for its artisan varietals of red wine produced from 100% Cabernet Franc grapes. While the cool northern climate in The Loire Valley has historically posed challenges to the ripening schedule for Cabernet Franc, it is believed that the effects of global warming will provide benefit to the harvest. Adventurous consumers will enjoy disc...

Within France’s Loire Valley, the relatively unknown appellation of Cheverny lies in close proximity to the marquee region of Sancerre. The unique policy of Cheverny provides for a blend of white wine grapes Chardonnay + Sauvignon Blanc , creating a complex profile that expresses honeycomb notes as well as orchard fruits. White Wine aficionados who seek out a Cheverny varietal will enjoy a new &am...

On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, we take the opportunity to salute our troops and to highlight a new star on the winemaking horizon : Sparkling Wine from England. Located near Brighton at the shores of The English Channel, Ridgeview Vineyard was established in 1995 and is situated amidst some of the key training and launch venues for the historic D-Day Operation. Just across The Channel from Ridg...

The Rhône Valley of Southern France provides top values for consumers : Gigondas is a muscular and powerful red wine varietal infused with dark fruits and bold minerality. #rhonevalley #gigondas #valuewine

Cote du Rhône Village wines from France’s Rhone Valley are produced primarily from Syrah & Grenache grapes. The terroir reflects garrique nuances : herbaceous/ peppery notes that are characteristic of regions nearby to Provence. #rhonevalley #provencalwine #garrique

The Mediterranean island of Corsica is an "under the radar" winemaking region in France, producing wines from a terroir infused with volcanic embers. Close proximity to Italy provides influences to Corsican native grapes , which are descended from Italian Sangiovese grape varietals. As a point of interest, Napoleon Bonaparte was born and raised in Corsica, and his family owned a vineyard in Ajacci...