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Setting Up for the Super Bowl, IWM-Style
It is no surprise to those who are close to me that I love football. The game is a giant chess match of skill and strategy yielding hundreds of decisions to be made on the field every single play. It’s...
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Conquer the Wine List – Don’t let it Conquer You!
Wines lists can be intimidating. Whether it is a giant collection or a more streamlined selection of wines, it probably includes a whole bunch of items that you are not familiar with. But don’t worry!...
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Hurray for Rosé on Valentine’s Day
This year, Valentine’s Day has a tremendous amount of competition. This past weekend brought us a blustery blizzard with one-to-three of feet of snow here in the Northeast. Monday, the Pope announced...
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The Skinny on the Voluptuousness of Dessert Wines
When you are preparing a dinner for Valentine’s Day, it’s pretty easy to pair wine with your appetizer and main course, but what about dessert? Perhaps you’re serving moelleux au chocolat (a fancy way...
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The Week on Inside IWM, February 11-14, 2013
This week on Inside IWM was dedicated to the celebration of Valentine’s Day–mostly. We began with a piece that looks at the strange, specious history of the holiday itself. Then with the help of John...
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The More, the Merrier–and the Better Informed
Not too long ago I worked with a gentleman here at Italian Wine Merchants named Evan LaNouette. A nice fellow, his heart told him he did not belong in an office; rather, it told him that he belonged in...
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Potato, Putato, Papa, and How to Pair Wines with South American Foods
It’s easy to match your meal with wine when you are having food from a region that is also known for their wine, such as Italy or France. This ease comes from the fact that the winemaking and culinary...
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The Mediterranean Diet, or the Benefits of Olive Oil and Red Wine
Extra virgin olive oil, the secret to health? There is a bevy of new research emerging touting the benefits of the “Mediterranean Diet” and the incorporation of wine – red wine specifically – into it....
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The Ins and Outs of Spitting
RKO illustrates the sniff When I think about what it takes to properly taste any wine, I think of the four steps: swirl, sniff, taste, and spit. My favorite step in the process has got to be the sniff...
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This Week on Inside IWM, March 18-21, 2013
RKO elegantly illustrates how to spit Without a doubt, the post of the week was David Klay’s elucidation on expectoration, “The Ins and Outs of Spitting.” It’s illustrated, and it’s fantastic. Our week...
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Better than Cotton, Aldo Conterno for a Second Anniversary
Milestone wines are not easy to choose. They must possess a specific combination of personal meaning and unique qualities. They must speak to you both in what they represent and in how they taste. And...
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Learning to Love Wine 101: The Horizontal Tasting
Image comes courtesy of Yumsugar.com One of the satisfying things about working the showroom is that it allows me to connect with clients and to get to know their palates well. A lot of times clients...
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Keeping Your Cool and Your Wines Safe in Summer Heat
Hot weather is now upon us—which is a good thing for us but generally bad for wine. Heat and oxygen are the Kryptonite of wine, though in the case of oxygen, it can also be its life force. Without...
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How to Visit a Winemaker (And Make Everyone Happy)
Wine writers give a lot of guidance about how to buy, store, order, consume, analyze, critique and generally enjoy wine. One of the lingering results of the Robert Parker revolution—and one that seems...
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Looking Into a Crystal Bowl and Choosing the Best One
Choosing a wine glass: it’s a more daunting task than one might think. Just a cursory glance at the array of options on Riedel’s site will leave you reeling. With so many choices, it’s hard to decide...
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Celebrate Strawberry Season with Strawberry Granita!
Image courtesy of What’s Cooking in America One of the greatest perks of working in the NYC IWM showroom is the proximity to the kitchen, where one might occasionally receive an invaluable cooking tip...
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This Week on Inside IWM, July 15-18, 2013
The temperatures this week in New York City have hovered in the 90s, making everyone think nostalgically about January’s chill and longingly about white wine…giant swimming pools of cold, crisp white...
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Caught between the Scylla of Quality and the Charybdis of Quantity
Last night I went to a party for a friend of mine who got a book deal. My friend is a big fan of sparkling wine, and her invitation requested us to bring “all the Champagne.” And thus in considering...
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Everything You Wanted To Know About Italian Wine Labels*
At one point or another while carousing through the local wine shop, we’ve all looked at a wine label and said, “What a cool label!” and purchased the wine. It’s human nature to like bright, shiny...
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This Week on Inside IWM, July 29-August 1, 2013
We began the week with a nostalgic remembrance of tasting out of the barrels at Giacomo Conterno, and we ended it with an astute look at reading wine labels. While the former post adds just a little...
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