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Susan Connolly

Susan is a wine consultant in the business for 15+ years working in all aspects of the business including: as a wine wholesaler for a large corporation representing wineries large and small, a go-between working directly with winemakers and multi-generation wine families, selling small boutique wines to retail as well as restaurants, hotels, and other venues, conducting wine dinners and writing wine lists for restaurants, and teaching wine education classes at a local university including Wine 101, Wines around the World, Food and Wine, Champagne for the holidays, among others.

Storing Ice Wine (Opened & Unopened): Simple How to Hacks

Anyone who has had ice wine before is most likely a fan due to its bright, complex flavor, the interesting way it is crafted, and its popularity among after dinner drinkers. Ice wine is named after the state the grapes are in when they’re harvested (they are frozen). The grapes are kept on the vine …

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Sauvignon Blanc Storage: Simple Hacks (Opened and Unopened)

The question of storing a white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc has its challenges. Whether opened or unopened, there are some simple hacks to preserve your wine.  Storing an opened or unopened bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is pretty straightforward once you learn the main principles. They are…avoiding sunlight, storing your bottle on its side, and …

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Buttery Wines Explained: What It Means & How It Tastes

How does a flavor such as butter get into your wine? If you don’t happen to be a wine expert or a chemist, it’s not a bad question.  Buttery can refer to a flavor, smell, texture, or some combination of all three and it is most commonly associated with Chardonnay. Buttery flavors usually come from …

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Explained: Main Reasons Why Wine Glasses Have (Long) Stems

The stem of a wine glass isn’t simply there to make a glass easy to break or to make it look more beautiful. The stem is actually what you are supposed to be holding when you drink wine! In this article we look at some specific reasons why wine glasses have stems.  Wine glasses have …

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How to Best Store & Age Moscato (Unopened & Opened)

Moscato is one of the most popular wines on earth. It is only growing in popularity as more and more wine drinkers are meeting it for the first time. But so many people are unsure of how to store Moscato — both unopened and once the cork is popped. How should you store Moscato to …

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Can Wine Bottles & Corks Be Recycled? Your Complete Guide

Many of us are concerned about how we dispose of our garbage and, in particular, how we dispose of our wine bottles and corks. We would all love to recycle but sometimes, it just seems too complicated to navigate. The truth is, recycling could be an option for your wine bottles and corks if you …

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Are Cleanskin Wines Any Good? Better Than You Think

Cleanskin wines are a category of wine with a ton of misconceptions among a lot of new and experienced wine drinkers. Many folks assume these wines are of a low quality which is reflected by their reduced cost. So are they any good and worth buying? Many cleanskin wines are of excellent quality and a …

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How to Store Dessert & Fortified Wines (A Complete Guide)

Dessert wines are a dream come true for anyone who loves a little sweetness. The truth is that properly storing dessert wines is not as complicated as many seem to think. Let’s take a look at the best ways to store dessert and fortified wines for both longevity and peak flavor.  Dessert wines are best …

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How to Store & Save Cooking Wines (Marsala, Madeira, Sherry)

Cooking or “fortified” wines like Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala often are overlooked but they are great wines for drinking and making meals better. Keeping these wines after you pop the cork is a challenge for many people. So what are the best practices for storing cooking wines? Unopened cooking wine should be stored at 53–57˚F, …

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How to Store & Serve Zinfandel Wine (A Complete Guide)

Zinfandel is growing in popularity and many new and experienced wine lovers are really starting to explore it. But storing zinfandel can seem like a tricky nut to crack. So how is zinfandel properly stored? Zinfandel should be stored at 55°-59° F with a humidity of 70% in complete darkness in a wine refrigerator or …

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