Gus Clemens on Wine explores and explains the world of wine in simple, humorous, fun posts
Episodes
Random wine facts and hacks 10-25-2023
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnRandom wine facts and hacks 10-25-2023Random notes on wine conundrums, weird facts, and wine hacks.• How do you o...
Wine is history 10-18-2023
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnWine is history 10-18-2023Every bottle of wine is a history. Usually a wine is an expression of a single year. It t...
Texas wine AVAs episode #2 10-11-2023
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnTexas wine AVAs episode #2 10-11-2023Texas wine facts: Texas is the fifth-largest winemaking state, behind Californ...
Texas wine AVAs episode #1 10-4-2023
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnTexas wine AVAs episode #1 10-4-2023Texas wine once was an amusing blip on the wine world radar. There was interest...
Wine geekiness 9-27-2023
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnWine geekiness 9-27-2023It comes with the wine writer territory: people encounter me at the grocery store, in eleva...
The religion of wine 9-20-2023
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnThe religion of wine 9-20-2023Is wine a religion? Wait—I am not suggesting wine will replace my Catholicism—but...
How to pair wine and cheese 9-13-2023
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnHow to pair wine and cheese 9-13-2023You know wine and cheese were made for each other. You also know not all wine ...
Wine ingredient labels 9-6-2023
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnWine ingredient labels 9-6-2023Ingredients and allergy information likely are coming to a wine label near you. Much...
Labor Day 8-30-2023
29 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnLabor Day 8-30-2023Next Monday brings us to the annual bittersweet pivot from the adventures and tribulations of su...
Cheap wine troubles 8-23-2023
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnCheap wine troubles 8-23-2023I hate to break it to you, but the days of good cheap wine are numbered. Very drinkabl...
Wine and health debate continues 8-16-2023
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnWine and health debate continues 8-16-2023Is a glass or two of wine good for you or bad for you? Experts: It is goo...
Big wine 8-9-2023
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnBig wine 8-9-2023Most wine is produced by a small number of large wineries. At the same time, most wineries are sma...
Rise of rosé 8-2-2023
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnRise of rosé 8-2-2023As this gruesome summer of heat domes burns on, incidents of rosé slurping likely have incre...
Old vines celebrated 7-26-2023
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper columnOld vines celebrated 7-26-2023“Old vines”—marketing hype or a real and important thing? For the creators of t...
America’s first AVA 7-19-2023
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.America’s first AVA 7-19-2023American Viticultural Areas attempt to tie wines to places. Ideally, vineyards in ...
Beat the heat with wine 7-12-2023
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Beat the heat with wine 7-12-2023If you live in the southern part of the USA, summer 2023 has been a horror. Recor...
Wine and hot weather 7-5-2023
04 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.John Steinbeck, riffing from Shakespeare’s Richard III, wrote: “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glor...
Wine texture 6-28-2023
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine descriptions often refer to “texture.” What the heck does that mean? There is a texture difference betwee...
Back to basics 6-21-2023
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Back to basics 6-21-2023Arcane knowledge is the bane of wine writers. While we fulminate over nuance differences b...
Wedding Champagne 6-14-2023
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wedding Champagne 6-14-2023Last week we argued Champagne was a poor choice for a wedding reception. Too many peopl...
Wedding bubbly 6-5-2023
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wedding bubbly 6-5-2023June—the wedding month. Time for celebration and Champagne. Well, yes and no.Celebration,...
Wine supply and demand 5-31-2023
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine supply and demand 5-31-2023The U.S. wine industry has been on an historic 50-year run. Demand from Baby Boome...
Wine bottle shapes 5-24-2023
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine bottle shapes 5-24-2023Wine bottles come in various shapes, sizes, weights, and colors of glass. A quick tour...
Same-tasting wines 5-17-2023
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Same-tasting wines 5-17-2023We are privileged to live in a wine time that surpasses all of history for quality, co...
Wente Clone made California chardonnay 5-10-2023
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wente Clone made California chardonnay 5-10-2023If you enjoy California chardonnay, you likely have Charles Wente ...
Mother’s Day 5-3-2023
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Mother’s Day 5-3-2023May is the Mother’s Day month in the United States.The argument easily can be made that e...
Wine myths 4-26-2023
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine myths 4-26-2023Wine can be complicated—hardly a dumbfounding revelation. It does explain why there are some...
Mass production vs great wine 4-19-2023
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.I inadvertently failed to attach the podcast on the original posting.This includes the podcast.Mass production vs ...
Wine and Mexican food 4-12-2023
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine and Mexican food 4-12-2023Beer or margarita is the knee-jerk response to alcohol pairing with Mexican and Tex...
Wine grapes 11,000 years old 4-5-2023
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine grapes 11,000 years old 4-5-2023It is long established that grapevines and wine date back thousands of years....
What is your vinotype? 3-29-2023
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.What is your vinotype? 3-29-2023What type of wine do you like? If you are unsure, there are many online tests to p...
Wine questions answered #2 3-22-2023
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine questions answered #2 3-22-2023Answers to your pressing wine wine questions.• Port wine can still be made b...
Wine’s love-hate relationship 3-15-2023
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine’s love-hate relationship 3-15-2023Wine has a love-hate relationship to oxygen. Not enough oxygen when it is...
Wine questions answered 3-8-2023
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Today’s humorAn ironing board is just a surf board that gave up on its dreams and went to work. Wine time.Wine q...
Finally, rain in California wine country 3-1-2023
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Finally, rain in California wine country 3-1-2023After suffering desiccating drought for years, California found i...
Glass and its alternatives 2-22-2023
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Glass and its alternatives 2-22-2023Glass wine bottles have enjoyed a long and storied run since they were adopted...
What is wine? 2-15-2023
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.What is wine? 2-15-2023What is wine? For many, that question was answered thousands of years ago. Wine is grape ju...
Champagne’s rise 2-8-2023
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Champagne’s rise 2-8-2023The land was sheep country, too far north for grapes. The local wine was mediocre, pawn...
Wine sales statistics 2-1-2023
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine sales statistics 2-1-2023Which of these statements about the wine industry is correct?Demand decreases, the i...
Wine is the most interesting drink 1-25-2023
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine is the most interesting drink 1-25-2023Wine is the world’s most interesting alcoholic beverage. You expect ...
Wine drinking tips 1-18-2023
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine drinking tips 1-18-2023As life semi-returns to pre-Covid normal, we return to restaurants and order wine. We ...
Pressing wine questions 1-11-2023
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Pressing wine questions 1-11-2023As we hurtle into the new year, answers to pressing wine questions.• What does ...
Optimism 1-4-2023
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Optimism 1-4-2023New year. No matter if you look back on 2022 with a sigh of satisfaction or you are grovelingly t...
Start the year with wine good news 12-28-2022
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Start the year with wine good news 12-28-2022Let’s end this year and begin the next on a high note. A Japanese s...
Christmas summer 12-21-2022
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Christmas summer 12-21-2022It is high summer in South America. Time to hit swimming pools and beaches while wishin...
Five key winemaking decisions 12-14-2022
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Five key winemaking decisions 12-14-2022There are five terms you often will find in reports about wine. Understand...
Napa agonistes 12-7-2022
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Napa agonistes 12-7-2022Once upon a time Napa Valley was a place of pastoral legend. Blessed with the bucolic beau...
Wine world disruption 11-30-2022
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine world disruption 11-30-2022The pandemic shook the wine world—as it did everything in the world. More to the...
Paso Robles 11-23-2022
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Paso Robles 11-23-2022When you think quality California wine, Napa and Sonoma leap to mind. Today, a sound argumen...
Thanksgiving 2022 11-16-2022
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Thanksgiving 2022 11-16-2022Some people are intimidated by wine choices for the big Thanksgiving family feast. The...
Everyday, commodity wines 11-9-2022
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Everyday, commodity wines 11-9-2022November and December are the heaviest wine-buying months of the year. People n...
Cheap and sweet 11-2-2022
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Cheap and sweet 11-2-2022The recent death of Fred “Two Buck Chuck” Franzia, gave me pause to think about what ...
Wine and Halloween candy 10-26-2022
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine and Halloween candy 10-26-2022Every few years I recklessly throw caution and good judgment to the wind and co...
Champagne boom 10-19-2022
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Champagne boom 10-19-2022As the leaves don new colors and the great harvest feasts and festivals approach, the dem...
Decanting 10-12-2022
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Decanting 10-12-2022Decanting wine is a strategy you often find recommended. Here are some of the whys and whens.T...
Wine metaphysics 10-5-2022
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine metaphysics 10-5-2022Are wines made in the vineyard or the winery? The answer is both, but today more wine pr...
What does chewy mean in wine? 9-28-2022
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.What does chewy mean in wine? 9-28-2022What the heck do wine writers mean when they describe wine with adjectives ...
Fermentation vessels 9-21-2022
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Fermentation vessels 9-21-2022Winemakers have a choice of fermentation vessels—wood, stainless steel, and concre...
Wine’s glass bottle blues 9-14-2022
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine’s glass bottle blues 9-14-2022Winemakers are among the most conscientious stewards of the environment. When...
Bright side of wine crisis 9-7-2022
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Bright side of wine crisis 9-7-2022Winemakers have a mandatory character trait: resiliency. They certainly have ne...
Pinot noir, chardonnay blends 8-31-2022
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Pinot noir, chardonnay blends 8-31-2022Many great wines are blends. Red Bordeaux is a blend of cabernet sauvignon,...
Italian classification system 8-24-2022
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Italian classification system 8-24-2022Buying wine can be intimidating. How do you know if the wine is any good wi...
Sparkling stemware 8-17-2022
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Sparkling stemware 8-17-2022The proper Champagne or sparkling wine vessel is a pain in the glass. Wine professiona...
Most searched Napa wines 8-10-2022
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Most searched Napa wines 8-10-2022Napa is universally recognized as one of the world’s premier wine regions, and...
Sauvignon Blanc summer 8-3-2022
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Sauvignon Blanc summer 8-3-2022Sauvignon blanc is versatile all year, but it particularly shines in the scorching ...
Wine capsules 7-27-2022
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine capsules 7-27-2022What’s with the foil or plastic capsule at the top of a wine bottle covering the cork? Mo...
Chardonnay 7-20-2022
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Chardonnay 7-20-2022The past 40 years have been a rollercoaster for chardonnay, the most popular wine in the Unite...
Smaller wine containers 7-13-2022
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Smaller wine containers 7-13-2022You demanded wine options. Winemakers heard you and new options—some might call...
Chilled red wines 7-6-2022
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Chilled red wines 7-6-2022NEWS FLASH: We are in the “Dog Days of Summer,” or “High Summer” as it was calle...
Hot dogs and July 4th
04 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a reader-supported publication. To receive exclusive posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This bonus material is of...
Mendoza Argentina 6-29-2022
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Mendoza Argentina 6-29-2022If you drink Argentinean wine—who doesn’t, given its high quality and excellent QPR...
Open bottle tips 6-22-2022
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Open bottle tips 6-22-2022A standard 750 ml wine bottle contains five 5-ounce pours. What do you do when you drink...
Father’s Day 6-15-2022
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Father’s Day 6-15-2022When this wine column began more than 14 years ago, Father’s Day was not a topic. Men dr...
Wine container history 6-8-2022
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine container history 6-8-2022Wine containers have evolved for thousands of years. Let’s examine.Earthenware pr...
Wine and sports 6-1-2022
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine and sports 6-1-2022In the antediluvian 20th century, you likely associated beer with sporting events and athl...
The case for swirling 5-25-2022
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.The case for swirling 5-25-2022The classic formula for wine tasting is the “five Ss.” See. Swirl. Sniff/smell....
Fruit wines 5-18-2022
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Fruit wines 5-18-2022Almost all the wine we drink is made from various varieties of Vitis vinifera, a grape native...
Top grapes by country 5-11-2022
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Top grapes by country 5-11-2022While most countries produce a variety of wines, they also have a signature export ...
Future of wine 5-4-2022
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Future of wine 5-4-2022As it did to virtually every aspect of life, Covid-19 upended the wine world. But not in so...
Bordeaux blends 4-27-2022
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Bordeaux blends 4-27-2022When people speak of red wine blends, Bordeaux invariably is in the conversation. Here is...
Needed changes in the wine world 4-20-2022
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Needed changes in the wine world 4-20-2022There are many things right in the wine world. Historic quality and avai...
White oak crisis 4-13-2022
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.White oak crisis 4-13-2022American white oak is unique to the United States, essential to bourbon production, impo...
Wine sugar and calories 4-6-2022
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine sugar and calories 4-6-2022Perhaps you encountered the recent Cassandrian caterwauling of Neo-Prohibitionists...
Removing red wine stains 3-30-2022
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Removing red wine stains 3-30-2022If you drink red wine, inevitably you spill some of it. On your clothes. On your...
U.S. wine statistics 3-23-2022
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.U.S. wine statistics 3-23-2022Grape growing and winemaking are really big businesses in the United States. Some in...
Best wines for cooking 3-16-2022
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Best wines for cooking 3-16-2022Wines pair with meals. Wines also pair with cooking meals.Foundational understandi...
Wine-steak pairing 3-9-2022
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Wine-steak pairing 3-9-2022You do not have to be a wine cognoscente to know cabernet sauvignon plays well with the...
Cru Beaujolais 3-2-2022
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.Cru Beaujolais 3-2-2022Beaujolais is a lovely French region sandwiched between Burgundy and Lyon. Last century, i...
When to decant 2-23-2022
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the weekly newspaper column.When to decant 2-23-2022Newspaper readers and online followers know of my advocacy of decanting—pouring wine int...