The Candid Corker: #18 Wine Tasting Faux Pas

The Candid Corker: #18 Wine Tasting Faux Pas: "Wine tastings are a fun and simple way to sell wine. I get to pour and talk about great new wines and you, the taster, get to try wines hope..."

The Candid Corker: If You Want My Body

The Candid Corker: If You Want My Body: "Over the past three weeks we have covered by looking , smelling and tasting wine. Today we conclude our series on how to properly taste ..."

The Candid Corker: Crossing the Line

The Candid Corker: Crossing the Line: "I have always had a problem with getting too close, too fast with people. After one week of knowing someone I would declare them as my new b..."

The Candid Corker: ABC - Tuscany, Italy Part I

The Candid Corker: ABC - Tuscany, Italy Part I: "Tuscany is at the epicenter of Italy’s current wine quality revolution. This upward movement was spurred by the emergence of the new, inte..."

The Candid Corker: So Tasty

The Candid Corker: So Tasty: "Over the past couple of weeks we have discussed how to taste wine properly by looking at and smelling wine.   Today we will cover how to t..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Dix

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Dix: "It has been a few weeks since anything completely asinine has happened in my store. I was beginning to think the world was really paying att..."

The Candid Corker: Peking Pairing

The Candid Corker: Peking Pairing: "Pairing wine with flavorful cuisine’s can be difficult. May of us can’t understand the flavors involved in such intricate cuisines like Szec..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Alsace, France

The Candid Corker: ABC – Alsace, France: "Alsace is unique in both French history and culture. Because of its position between the continental powers of France and Germany, it has ch..."

The Candid Corker: Take a Big Whiff

The Candid Corker: Take a Big Whiff: "Last week was first in our series of how to use your senses properly to taste wine. We discussed what you are looking at when you observe t..."

The Candid Corker: The Hangover

The Candid Corker: The Hangover: "When suffering 'the day after' it's pretty common to question 'the night before.' Was it really worth feeling this awful? And then there's t..."

The Candid Corker: ABC - Madeira

The Candid Corker: ABC - Madeira: "Madeira is made on the eponymous Portuguese island situated in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 400 miles off of the African coast. Back in ..."

The Candid Corker: Whatchu Lookin’ At?

The Candid Corker: Whatchu Lookin’ At?: "To understand wine you have to understand the senses, and I don’t mean common sense. What I am referring to is sight, smell, taste and touch..."

The Candid Corker: Fatuous Shopping

The Candid Corker: Fatuous Shopping: "Wine Clubs are a wonderful way to learn about wine if you aren’t comfortable with going to wine tastings or educating yourself. It is also ..."

The Candid Corker: A Bona Fide Opinion

The Candid Corker: A Bona Fide Opinion: "Everyone has or has had a best friend at some point in there lifetime. My BFF and I were inseparable in high school. We would go everywhere ..."

The Candid Corker: Cava Uncorked

The Candid Corker: Cava Uncorked: "It has been too long since I have mentioned my favorite subject - BUBBLY! I have said it before and I will shout it from the rooftops if I ..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Neuf

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Neuf: "L-O-V-E Lookers . Just freaking love them. Can you sense my sarcasm, or do I need to type it out for you? I guess I will type it out since t..."

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #17

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #17: "I absolutely love it when people enjoy themselves at a wine tasting! The vino is flowing, people are talking about the wines and everyone ap..."

The Candid Corker: Non Compos Mentis

The Candid Corker: Non Compos Mentis: "In this day and age of technology, it seems if you don't have a Smartphone with all the bells and whistles on it you aren't living right. Ev..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Portugal

The Candid Corker: ABC – Portugal: "The Portuguese people treasured the vine after the Romans introduced them to viticulture. So much in fact the Emperor Domitian had to reduce..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Huit

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Huit: "There are just some things you should know before you call a business and ask for pricing. Like what the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks you want t..."

The Candid Corker: Free Advertising

The Candid Corker: Free Advertising: "I get hit up (as do my suppliers and wineries) for free wine daily. Whether it’s for a fund-raiser or an event I can team up with for 'free'..."

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #16

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #16: "I have seen my fair share of dumb during plenty of wine tastings, believe me. However 95% of the time the dumb stuff comes from newbie wine..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France IV

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France IV: "Cabernet Franc, the most important red grape of the Anjou-Saumur and Touraine region, is a close relative of Cabernet Sauvignon. It ripens e..."

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #15

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #15: "You might have noticed that I have a few 'pointers' when it comes to proper wine tasting etiquette. Pointers are a necessary evil, and if my..."

The Candid Corker: Screwed

The Candid Corker: Screwed: "There are many consumers out there with opinions about screwcaps. Some people really couldn’t care if their wine has a cork or not. Some peo..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Sept

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Sept: "Once again I am astonished by the little things that people just do not know about wine. There are so many things that I take for granted th..."

The Candid Corker: ABC - Loire Valley, France III

The Candid Corker: ABC - Loire Valley, France III: "Sauvignon Blanc probably originated in Bordeaux, but it is in the limestone soil of the Centre-Loire, that it shows its best, most character..."

The Candid Corker: Crystalline Clear

The Candid Corker: Crystalline Clear: "Have you ever poured yourself a glass of white wine or looked at the bottom of a cork and saw something that looked vaguely like sand or cry..."

The Candid Corker: Crusty Crud

The Candid Corker: Crusty Crud: "My cousin wrote on my Facebook wall the other day and said “Hey wine lady, what is the purple crud in the bottom of my glass when I pour the..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France II

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France II: "The Loire Valley is as French as France gets. Famous for its natural beauty, magnificent châteaux and picturesque towns, the Loire Valley is..."

The Candid Corker: Sucker Punch

The Candid Corker: Sucker Punch: "Do you like being scammed? Yeah, I don’t either. I have to tell you it happens to retailers almost every day. Whether it is a call from Nige..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Six

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Six: "Have you ever read the back of a bottle of wine and seen things like: Pure exotic expressions of white currant, passion fruit, prickly pear ..."

The Candid Corker: Chardonnay Rut

The Candid Corker: Chardonnay Rut: "Have you ever seen or heard Ron White perform? The man is hysterical! He is and also very correct about worldly issues. You can’t fix stupi..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France I

The Candid Corker: ABC – Loire Valley, France I: "The Loire Valley lies at the geographical and cultural heart of France. The Loire is the longest river in France and the last wild river in ..."

The Candid Corker: Some Days You Spit and Some Days You Swallow

The Candid Corker: Some Days You Spit and Some Days You Swallow: "Many people find the term spit repulsive, but in the world of wine we use that term every day. Spitting can become your best friend at a lar..."

The Candid Corker: Everybody’s a Critic

The Candid Corker: Everybody’s a Critic: "Before we demolished the vino! Recently, I had the good fortune of receiving six bottles of wine in the mail from one of my favorite (my ..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Part Cinq

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Part Cinq: "Some days I can handle stupid, especially if my meds are straight, but some days I don’t get stupid no matter how much I try. I mean how can..."

The Candid Corker: ABC - Tawny Port

The Candid Corker: ABC - Tawny Port: "Last week a guy disagreed with me that Tawny’s taste nutty, and then he had the unmitigated gall to get mad at me about it. I was even tryin..."

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #14

The Candid Corker: Wine Tasting Faux Pas #14: "I have seen some crazy things at our wine tastings over the years. Some things are understandable and some not-so-much. This one is just one..."

The Candid Corker: ABC - Ruby Port

The Candid Corker: ABC - Ruby Port: "Port wine is a completely different animal then regular wine - as you shall soon find out. The grapes, wine making and aging styles are as d..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Quatre

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Quatre: "By now you know I get asked a ton of questions. Some good, some bad and some that just need a little educational support. Luckily this week ..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Quatre

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Quatre: "By now you know I get asked a ton of questions. Some good, some bad and some that just need a little educational support. Luckily this week ..."

The Candid Corker: in•ter•pre•ta•tion

The Candid Corker: in•ter•pre•ta•tion: "I love customers who describe the way a wine tastes by the name of the wine. It’s like defining a word and using it in the definition. You c..."

The Candid Corker: Let Me Say This

The Candid Corker: Let Me Say This: "As a somewhat young (everything is relative) retail wine guru I have endless people offering their advice on how to operate my store to thei..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Part Trois

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - Part Trois: "I am a firm believer in, if you ask, you shall receive and the same goes for, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Whether your Candid Corker or..."

The Candid Corker: Unconscious Customer - The Mold

The Candid Corker: Unconscious Customer - The Mold: "Over the past month I have been keeping tabs on a specific customer that just started coming into my store. From the first time she came in ..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Austria

The Candid Corker: ABC – Austria: "I <3 Austrian wines! The vine has been cultivated in Austria since at least 700 B.C. so they have a tad bit of knowledge and experience i..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Deux

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell – Part Deux: "As a retailer I get asked many questions. I am a firm believer that there are no stupid questions. No really! I do believe that, contrary to..."

The Candid Corker: A Rosé by Any Other Name

The Candid Corker: A Rosé by Any Other Name: "Dear readers, you are in for a treat today! You will not believe what just happened to your Candid Corker. It is a doozy, so get yourself a ..."

The Candid Corker: #13 Wine Tasting Faux Pas

The Candid Corker: #13 Wine Tasting Faux Pas: "It has come to my attention that many of you have not been to a wine tasting. I am not sure what rock you have been living under since the 1..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Piedmont, Italy II

The Candid Corker: ABC – Piedmont, Italy II: "I am not sure if you have caught on by now to the fact I love wine ... I get bored easily so drinking the same thing EVERYDAY is just absurd..."

The Candid Corker: Put a Cork in It!

The Candid Corker: Put a Cork in It!: "Did you know some people open a bottle of wine and they only have a glass or two a night leaving wine in the bottle? GASP! Absolute madness,..."

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The Candid Corker: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: "There is one question that drives your Candid Corker up the wall above all others: Is it good? Everyone who has shopped in my store (or any ..."

The Candid Corker: Finger Lickin Good Ya’ll

The Candid Corker: Finger Lickin Good Ya’ll: "Spring is in the air, and there is one thing on everyone’s mind. It’s time to barbeque! Did you think I was going to say something inappropr..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Piedmont, Italy I

The Candid Corker: ABC – Piedmont, Italy I: "Piedmont is one of my favorite areas in Italy for wines both red and white (for some reason I love cold climate, high elevation wines). The ..."

The Candid Corker: #12 Wine Tasting Faux Pas

The Candid Corker: #12 Wine Tasting Faux Pas: "As a wine blog reader, you’ve probably been to a wine tasting or two in your time. If you haven’t, let me tell you that it is subjective and..."

The Candid Corker: Top 10 Reasons to NOT Give up Wine for Lent

The Candid Corker: Top 10 Reasons to NOT Give up Wine for Lent: "Every Lent we see a trend in the Wine Biz. People for the most part stop buying wine and I assume it is because they gave up drinking booze ..."

The Candid Corker: Tasty Conundrums

The Candid Corker: Tasty Conundrums: "I live a charmed life. Last week I had the pleasure of attending two big wine tastings. Yes. I get to taste wine all the time but not like t..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Southern Rhône, France II

The Candid Corker: ABC – Southern Rhône, France II: "As I mentioned in my last segment of ABC - Southern Rhône, Southern Rhône is one of my favorite regions for wine. Whether you like white, re..."

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Friday – 6

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Friday – 6: "Its Friday my peoples AND Mardi Gras is almost over with Fat Tuesday right around the corner on March 8. I love to cook and not just your re..."

The Candid Corker: Get Me Out of Here!

The Candid Corker: Get Me Out of Here!: "It’s intimidating to look at a bottle of wine and a waiter’s wine key for the first time and think “How am I going to get that cork out of t..."

The Candid Corker: #11 Wine Tasting Faux Pas

The Candid Corker: #11 Wine Tasting Faux Pas: "Before I go off on my latest run-in with an Unconscious Customer let me just state this is the first time I have ever meet one of this calib..."

The Candid Corker: This One No, That One Wait, This One

The Candid Corker: This One No, That One Wait, This One: "My God, how do indecisive people ever get anything accomplished? It’s just a bottle of wine not a Jeopardy question. Sure, that bottle might..."

The Candid Corker: ABC – Southern Rhône, France I

The Candid Corker: ABC – Southern Rhône, France I: "Southern Rhône is one of my favorite regions for wine, specifically Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines they produce are seductive and voluptuous..."

The Candid Corker: Size Matters

The Candid Corker: Size Matters: "As a retailer, companies always want to sell me their products. I get endless catalogs in the mail, and I’ve found that there are literally ..."

The Candid Corker: Rate This!

The Candid Corker: Rate This!: "Wine ratings, I loathe wine ratings. It is a standard for consumers that cannot think for themselves. I have never understood why consumers..."

The Candid Corker: What’s With the Makeup Man?

The Candid Corker: What’s With the Makeup Man?: "I am as guilty as the next person for being in my own world some days, but sometime things happen to this Candid Corker and I have to put m..."

The Candid Corker: Corked Issues

The Candid Corker: Corked Issues: "There is nothing more disappointing than a corked bottle of wine. It taints not only the palette but the consumer’s impression of that parti..."

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Friday – 4

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Friday – 4: "Happy Friday my fellow wine aficionados! As usual I have some wonderful Friday suggestions for you. I love eggs, Champagne and groovy Indie ..."

The Candid Corker: Dependable Me

The Candid Corker: Dependable Me: "Go into a grocery store and that is where marketing comes into play. Go into a fine wine retail shop and that is where passion comes into pl..."

The Candid Corker: ABC (Anything But Chardonnay/Cabernet Sauvignon) –...

The Candid Corker: ABC (Anything But Chardonnay/Cabernet Sauvignon) –...: "There are hundreds of different grape varieties in the world, and I have been lucky enough to taste most of them. Whether it is 100 percent ..."

The Candid Corker: Out of Stock

The Candid Corker: Out of Stock: "Since I’m a wine professional, you probably assume I have endless amounts of vino in my wine cabinet. This is not so. Like any working gal, ..."

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Vendredi – Part 3

The Candid Corker: Trois Suggestion Vendredi – Part 3: "Guys, where you aware that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner? Well, in fact it’s Monday, but why not surprise your sweetie pie with ..."

The Candid Corker: Prosecco Uncorked

The Candid Corker: Prosecco Uncorked: "As I mentioned the other day, I am a self-proclaimed Super Bubbly Freak! I love all that bubbles but only IF it is a quality wine. I am not ..."

The Candid Corker: Champagne Uncorked

The Candid Corker: Champagne Uncorked: "I am a self-proclaimed Super Bubbly Freak!  I love it all. Cava, Prosecco, sparkling wine, Champagne – basically, anything with bubbles..."

The Candid Corker: Say What (sā wät)?

The Candid Corker: Say What (sā wät)?: "I have a son, let’s call him Gage; he is in Kindergarten. He is learning how to read, write and some basic mathematics. It’s amazing how qui..."

The Candid Corker: It’s All Greek to Me

The Candid Corker: It’s All Greek to Me: "Your husband calls you at 1p.m. to let you know he has invited a couple you don’t know over for dinner….TONIGHT! What was he thinking? The C..."

The Candid Corker: Some Like it Hot

The Candid Corker: Some Like it Hot: "One of the benefits of being me is that I get to taste wine almost daily. I know it must sound like a dream come true to many of you, and I’..."