Top 10 Champagnes for the Holidays

the drunken cyclist By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D.  | www.thedrunkencyclist.com  – Every year at this time I hear it, and I bristle. It drives me absolutely crazy, and for years I fought it down to the last fiber of my being (or at least to the last bubble of the bottle). It seems like just about...

The Key to Surviving Thanksgiving

the drunken cyclist | By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com – As almost all of you realize, Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and that presents a host of different emotions. For many (most?) it represents what it is “supposed” to be: a day of thanks punctuated by a fabulous...

Trick or Sweet?

the drunken cyclist  | By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com By the time this goes to print, we will hopefully be out from under the heat dome that dominated our weather system for what seems like forever. The focus now shifts to Fall activities and chief among them, Halloween. I was not...

Wine 101

the drunken cyclist By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com With the kids back in school, it is time for a little adult education, some Wine 101. I have been conducting wine tastings and wine education for the better part of two decades now, and some of the same questions come up repeatedly....

5 Simple Steps to Hosting a Summer Wine Tasting Party

By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com Summer is upon us, and for me, that means it is wine-drinking season.  Okay, it is always the season to drink wine in my house, but I needed some sort of tie-in to summer, because summer is a great time to ramp up our wine-themed tastings and...

No Need to Overthink Gift Ideas for Dad

By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com As I mentioned last month, after years of trying to get my father to appreciate wine, I gave up a couple of decades ago. There is little doubt that my last act before they put him in the casket will be to pry the can of Michelob Ultra out of his hand....

A Bouquet of Rosés For Mom

Salute to Moms By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com – There was never so much as a drop of alcohol in my house growing up in the Midwest. Sure, my father drank the occasional beer, but that was rare, and when he did, it was something regrettable like Red, White, and Blue (Pabst Blue...

Getting Brunch Right

By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com Easter is next weekend, and many people are likely already planning a brunch.  If you are like me, you know that brunch gives one license to start drinking before noon, and that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, for many people, their idea of day...

Will You Be My Wine for Valentine’s

Normally, I actually love fielding questions about wine, from “what is better, Cabernet or Pinot?” to “what’s the best cheap wine?” I normally welcome them all, as long as you are also willing to possibly be served a side dose of sarcasm. But, there is one question that comes up this time of...

Wine Resolutions

This is the time of year for many to make resolutions. Whether to quit smoking, lose some weight or become more organized, most New Year’s Resolutions involve breaking old habits, and therefore, they are usually not successful! I would love to lose a bit of weight, but making that happen does not involve...

20 Sparkling Wines to Light Up the Season

By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D.     www.thedrunkencyclist.com As promised, I am back this month with my top sparkling wines to help you enjoy the holiday season. The first step in choosing the right sparkling wine for an event is to assess what kind of party is it? Based on my experience, how much you spend...

The Key to Bringing the Right Wine? Know Your Audience

By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com – Now that Halloween is now in our rearview mirror, albeit only slightly, the holiday season is beginning and will carry us all the way through the end on the year. Office parties, neighborhood celebrations, family visits, they all get started in...

A Quick Tour of the Loire Valley

The Drunken Cyclist By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com – Understanding French wine is not easy. Sure, there are regions like Burgundy where it is rather straight forward: red is Pinot Noir and white is Chardonnay. But then there are regions like, say, Châteauneuf-du-Pape where there...

Bringing the House Wine Home

The Drunken Cyclist By Jeffrey M. Kralik, Ph.D. www.thedrunkencyclist.com – Most of the month of August, I spent in France, split between perusing the capital, Paris and pedaling my way through the vineyards of the Loire Valley. There are a few elements about being in France I find particularly...