Articles
How to taste wine
Wine tasting refers to the process of its analysis according to a specific system as well as the assessment of the quality level. For beginners, wine tasting can seem like a difficult task, as all wines may seem very similar to each other. Special preparation is required to distinguish one wine from another, and most importantly, to determine the quality level of a sample; this can be gained under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
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The impact of various agrotechnical practices and products on grape quality in 2019
The problem of climate change on Earth has been topical for half a century. The wine industry is, of course, no exception: winegrowers and winemakers around the world are increasingly faced with this problem. It arises even in regions where several years ago, it was difficult to imagine that this issue could create difficulties in growing grapes and producing wine. For example, in 2019, in the Champagne region (France), the yield at some wine estates decreased by almost 20%; one of the main reasons for this was the extremely high summer temperatures. The air temperature reached 43℃, which resulted in grape berries shrivelling and, thus, a decrease in their mass. This led to a reduced harvest.
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Stage 1 Assessment. My successful preparation experience
Having graduated from the Austrian Wine Academy (Weinakademie Osterreich) WSET Diploma programme, having written and defended a thesis on the topic of “Brettanomyces in wine, a fault or not?” with flying colours, I acquired the title of Weinakademiker. At that time I believed I wouldn’t proceed with my wine education any further. However, a number of people, including Masters of Wine, told me that I should try to enroll in the MW programme.
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Behind the scenes of Decanter
April 29 – May 03, 2019, more than 280 wine experts from all over the world, including 70 Masters of Wine and 23 Master Sommeliers gathered in London (UK) to judge at the largest and the most influential wine contest, Decanter (Decanter World Wine Awards – DWWA 2019). The contest has been held annually since 2004, and it has become a tradition to invite the best wine experts of the globe to it. In January 2019 I also received an invitation to take part in this event as a judge, which was a great honor to me.
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