On the Road to Wine Knowledge

The Ancona's team prides themselves on wine knowledge and utilizing that knowledge to assist customers in selecting the right wine for the right occasion. Wine is so complex compared to any other agricultural product. There are over 10,000 documented grape varieties and about 230 that are prominent in the fine wine world. Each of these can produce a multitude of different end results based on where they are grown, how they are grown, and who makes the wine.

I don't think I have ever studied anything that has such a broad spectrum of learning--agriculture, chemistry, geography, history, language, and more. The more you know about a wines origins, its character, its value, and its ability to compliment a nice dinner, the greater and more lasting your pleasure.

Before taking a wine course you may have not heard of Counoise, know how to pronounce it, know whether it is a white or a red grape, know where it is grown, and the style it produces?

After taking a wine course, you will come to learn that Counoise is pronounced "Coon-wahz", it is a red grape grown in the Rhone Valley introduced from Spain by a papal officer to Pope Urban V when the papacy was based in Avignon in the mid-14th century. Today it is a key component of many Chateauneuf-du-Pape wines because it's moderate alcohol and tannins coupled with good fruit and lovely aromatics, balances the spicy, strong tannins and high alcohol of Syrah.

The CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine) course through the Society of Wine Educators is the course by which the Ancona's team is learning the spectrum of how grapes are grown and what they ultimately taste like in a glass. The CSW credential signifies a mastery of the core principles and fundamentals of wine and is recognized world wide within the wine industry. Even though there are members of the staff who have taken various courses or have learned on-the-job, we know that continuous learning in this industry will help us keep abreast of change and provide the best service to our customers.

Weekly we will keep you informed of what we have learned as well as new wines that we have tasted. We promise to keep it fun and informative!