Ronald Senn

In mid-July, my wife and I travelled to France to visit the Mastalerz family living in Montpellier in southern France. We were able to see some wonderful examples of the history of the area. One day we took the time to visit one of the local vineyards near Montpellier. We arrived at the Les Coteaux De St Christol Winery in the early afternoon and were treated to some great southern French hospitality.

My wife and I were invited to France by the Mastalerz family living in Montpellier in southern France. We soon realized that this would be a trip of a life time. We also decided to visit Paris and some vineyards during our travels. In preparation for the trip, I did some web research on the wine industry and grape growing regions of France.

To store and serve white wine correctly, there are some unique wine characteristics that need to be considered. Important factors to consider are the wine type, the storage and serving temperatures, the storage humidity, aging goals, and basic storage environment (amount of light, vibration exposure, temperature variance, etc.).

There are some unique red wine characteristics that need to be considered to store and serve red wine correctly. Important factors to consider are the red wine type, the storage and serving temperatures, the storage humidity, and red wine storage environment.

Adding another side to the equation, consumers are often reluctant to pay for shipping of these beverage appliances. I don't blame consumers for seeking the lowest possible price when buying one of these appliances, but they need to realize shipping these items is not cheap

A cranny is a small narrow opening in a wall and a nook is defined as any small recess. Often these areas are old desk knee spaces with a countertop or other areas with previously built-in custom but off-size cabinetry. The goal is to install and build-in a wine or beverage cooler into the confined space to give it an under counter finished appearance.

The wine industry in the entire United States was drastically set back by Prohibition (1920-1933) and Virginia was no exception. Virginia commercial grape growing totaled only 15 acres in the early 1950's. Since then, Virginia's wine industry has experienced wide spread growth and now can claim over 190 different wineries in the state.

I live in Tucson, Arizona. The events that took place here on January 8th, 2011 have compelled me to offer my discussion and observations of this unforgettable tragedy. Perhaps, it is my way of coping with what happened.

I was sent to the Party Store to rent tables, chairs and huge serving platters for the food. My final assignment was to get "The Birds" and the wine to go with it. I was beginning to wish we had entertained at Thanksgiving.

Last year I ran across a website that stirred my interest in wine consumer issues. Because it has been some time since I came across this issue, I decided to reacquaint myself with it in order to share the facts with you. What I found is the issue has progressed to a critical situation called the Comprehensive Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness Act of 2010 (commonly called House Bill #5034).