Hi, and welcome to What’s in That Bottle. I started this blog because I get excited about sharing knowledge with other curious wine drinkers, inspiring people to taste something new. Wine shouldn’t be intimidating – it should be fun. And it gets even more fun when you know a thing or two about it (though it is true – there are gazillions of things one can know about wine – it’s endless!)

After spending five years at a major wine company as head of PR, I went from knowing almost nothing to becoming a Certified Specialist of Wine, through the Society of Wine Educators exam (which has a national pass rate of 65%, thank you very much).

I learned eye-opening things such as:

– Vintages: they matter! Every year, there is a harvest. And every crop is subject to the whims of the weather. So the vintage – the year the grapes were harvested – matters.  Everyone poo-poo’ed the 2011 vintage in Napa Valley, because there was a drought and the yields were low — but guess what?  The 2011’s in Napa, to me, turned out gorgeous. (Early in my wine job, I put together a tasting for the CEO and a wine journalist without knowing this. Nightmare!)
– Burgundy: if its red, it’s Pinot Noir; if it’s white it’s probably Chardonnay. I mean! So simple!
– Bordeaux: if it’s white, it’s Sauvignon Blanc; if it’s red, it is either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, or a blend of two or more signature grapes from the region (Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and/or Malbec)
– Chablis: it’s a region, not a grape, and that grape is Chardonnay. So if you think you don’t like Chardonnay but you like Chablis ….

I excitedly shared these nuggets with friends and family members, many of whom were amazed and interested.  So I figured I’d let my passion run wild on this blog. I’ll share my own discoveries on a variety of topics and I also welcome feedback and suggestions. Thanks for visiting and here’s to finding out What’s in That Bottle!