By Chuck Furuya How does the public learn about wine? While the most obvious answer would seem to be the wine media, what readers tend to forget is that wine publications make larger profits by selling, along with advertising, more copies.
By Chuck Furuya Pairing the right wine with a dish can be quite a revelation. It nurtures the thrill of discovering a complete dining experience.
By Chuck Furuya When I was growing up in the wine industry, the world's standard for cabernet-based red wines was those from Bordeaux, France.
By Chuck Furuya At a Hawaii Food & Wine Festival luncheon last fall, chef Ed Kenney featured an array of fresh, locally grown vegetables. Not only was his presentation wonderfully colorful, it deftly conveyed a "farm-to-table" theme.
By Chuck Furuya I have heard more than one person say they will look to do things differently in 2012 instead of keeping the status quo.
By Chuck Furuya What better way to celebrate New Year's Eve and the prospects for 2012 than with bubbly? Because sparkling wines can be so festive, light and ethereal — full of life and bursting with bubbles on the palate — how can you go wrong?
By Chuck Furuya Christmas, with all of its festive get-togethers, is right around the corner. Time to get in the spirit, and what better way to set the tone than with wine?
By Chuck Furuya Over the past year I have been asked to do a lot of wine presentations. These certainly have been fun, and I’ve left each with a smile because of the new friendships fostered.
By Chuck Furuya If you have been following the wine media, you know 2009 is a sensational vintage for French wines. I was there with my wife, Cheryle, at harvest, tasting grapes alongside some of our favorite winemakers, with pickers working around us. The superb grape quality created pure excitement. The best wines have sensational physiological ripeness and innate complexity coupled with wonderful balance.
By Chuck Furuya In many parts of Europe, 2009 was a special vintage. Not only was quality high, but so was quantity. This is unusual.
By Chuck Furuya With summer in full swing, I asked several wine professionals for recommendations appropriate for warm-weather sipping. Here are their replies:
By Chuck Furuya As a friend once noted, for most wine drinkers the riesling grape variety is the Rodney Dangerfield of grape varieties.
By Chuck Furuya I love touring wine country. One of my latest visits was to Ama­dor County, Calif., in the Sierra Foothills. What a beautiful, panoramic countryside.