Archive - Our Sip Notes

Castillo de Sajazarra Rioja Crianza 1987

Cooked fruit and a whole lotta time

Apr 6 • Katie Leonard

March 2026

What's Wrong With This Wine? Learning to Read a Glass — Through the Bad Ones: Part 2

In Part One, I wrote about the faults I’ve most commonly encountered over the years: cork taint, volatile acidity, and reduction.

Mar 6 • Krista

What's Wrong With This Wine? Learning to Read a Glass — Through the Bad Ones: Part 1

Some of the most instructive moments in my wine education came from bottles I didn’t enjoy at all.

Mar 6 • Krista

January 2026

Why Does My Wine Smell Like Bananas?

This week in our tasting group, we had a 2022 Chianti that smelled like ripe bananas.

Jan 28 • Krista

Grapes Burn Acid to Save Sugar

The chemistry behind the drop in acid during ripening.

Jan 27 • Katie Leonard

What the Rainforest Taught Me About Grapevines

I’m in Indonesia right now, sailing between the Mentawai Islands and Pulau Nias, and over the last couple of weeks we’ve been exploring tropical…

Jan 16 • Katie Leonard

New Year, New Program, New Continent

2026, WSET Diploma, Indonesia and Singapore

Jan 5 • Katie Leonard

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