Decoding the Truth Behind 10, 20, 30 & 40 Year Tawny Ports

In the world of fortified wines, few categories are as quietly revered—and as frequently misunderstood—as Tawny Port. Among collectors and sommeliers, Tawny occupies a fascinating space. Those who know it tend to adore it. Those who don’t often dismiss it as simply “old sweet Port.” And hovering over the entire category are those deceptively simple age statements: 10, 20, 30, and 40 Years. They look…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/03/14/decoding-the-truth-behind-10-20-30-40-year-tawny-ports/

Bourbon: Fire, Corn, and the American Barrel

There are spirits that whisper of old monasteries and windswept Scottish coasts. Bourbon does not whisper. It crackles. It begins in a cornfield under a Midwestern sun. It moves through copper stills and into a brand-new oak barrel that has quite literally been set on fire. It rests through humid summers and brittle winters, expanding and contracting with the rhythm of the seasons until wood and spirit can no longer be…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/03/05/bourbon-fire-corn-and-the-american-barrel/

The Space Between the Seasons

What to Drink in Late Winter, When Spring is Still a Promise. Late February is a quiet moment. The holidays are behind us. Valentine’s Day has packed up its chocolate and expectations. Winter is still very much present, but something has shifted. The light lingers. The cold feels less aggressive. You open the window for a minute, not because it’s warm, but because you want to remember what warm feels like. This is not the season for…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/02/25/the-space-between-the-seasons/

The Art, Science, and Law of Pressing Grapes

Winter is when vineyards sleep and cellars hum. Fermentations have finished, barrels are topped, and winemakers finally have the quiet space to obsess over the decisions that matter most. And few decisions matter more than what happens between harvest and fermentation—that brief, beautiful, dangerous moment when grapes are pressed. Photo by lebu0259u02c8 nu0113z on Pexels.com Pressing is where juice becomes wine’s first…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/02/19/the-art-science-and-law-of-pressing-grapes/

Love, Legends, and a Proper Glass of Wine

Valentine’s Day has somehow become a collision of romance, chocolate, prix-fixe menus, and mild panic. But long before heart-shaped boxes and awkward reservations at 7:15 pm, this holiday had a much stranger and more interesting backstory. A Brief and Slightly Unhinged History of Valentine’s Day The origins of Valentine’s Day are tangled, like a box of old love letters tied with questionable ribbon. Some trace it back…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/02/13/love-legends-and-a-proper-glass-of-wine/

A Fireside Pour

Introducing: The Snow Day--A Winter Cocktail for Quiet Nights. Winter has always been my favorite season. As a kid, it meant snow days. The kind where the world went silent overnight and the rules changed by morning. School canceled. Boots by the door. Gloves that never stayed dry. Snowball fights that ended only when fingers went numb and moms started calling names from porches. Everything slowed down, whether you wanted it to or not. That quiet stuck…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/02/07/a-fireside-pour/

Coming Back to the Glass

Reintroducing Wine & Cocktails After Dry January. Dry January asks us to pause. Not just from drinking, but from routine. From habit. From the automatic pour at the end of the day. Whether you completed all thirty-one days or simply drank far less than usual, taking a break from alcohol is a meaningful act of self-awareness. It gives your body time to reset and your mind a chance to notice how alcohol fits into your life. As January comes to a…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/02/01/coming-back-to-the-glass/

Tokaji: Hungary’s Golden Secret

...and why you should stop being afraid of it 😉 Tokaji is one of the world’s most misunderstood wines—and frankly, one of its most rewarding. Tiny bottles, unfamiliar words, strange numbers, and labels that look like they were designed by a medieval scribe… no wonder most people reach for Sauternes instead. Safer. Familiar. French. But Tokaji is older, deeper, more versatile, and—dare I say—more soulful. If you’re a wine lover with even…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/01/25/tokaji-hungarys-golden-secret/

Finding the Sweet Spot

When to Hold Wine--and When to Open It. There’s a romantic notion in the wine world that older is always better. Cellars lined with dusty bottles, handwritten tags dangling from necks, and the quiet confidence that someday—someday—each bottle will reach a transcendent peak. Sometimes that’s true. Often, it’s not. As serious oenophiles, we spend far less time preaching patience and far more time chasing something subtler and more rewarding: a…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/01/18/finding-the-sweet-spot/

Tawny vs. Ruby Port

Winter’s Warmest Debate (and How to Drink Them Both Like a Pro). When winter settles in and the thermostat drops a few degrees lower than comfort would prefer, fortified wines step confidently into the spotlight. They don’t whisper; they glow. And among them, Port is having another well-deserved moment. Again. But as bottles come off shelves and into glasses, one question reliably resurfaces fireside and at tasting tables alike:What’s the real…

http://sommandsomm.com/2026/01/12/tawny-vs-ruby-port/