Archive - The 30 Second Wine Advisor

Tradition! Does tradition matter? Should every region stick with the grapes it does best, or try new ideas? For instance, would you like to try a Mosel…

Jun 12 • Robin Garr

Dry or sweet? Remember when you first discovered wine? Were you surprised that it wasn’t as sweet as grapes? And then, before long, you started liking…

Jun 5 • Robin Garr

May 2026

Sulfites: Why or why not?

How is a good bottle of wine like a classy wool suit or a prized painting?

May 29 • Robin Garr

Is wine good for us or not?

Is wine good for us or not? Is wine (and alcohol in general) good for us, bad for us, or is it just complicated? When headlines warn of potential risks…

May 22 • Robin Garr

Australia, but not Shiraz!?

May 15 • Robin Garr

How to cope with rising wine prices

As wine prices rise, how much are you willing to pay for a satisfying bottle?

May 8 • Robin Garr

Fifty shades of rosé

Spring has fully sprung, and our attention gently turns to thoughts of rosé. The return of mild weather makes a crisp pink wine seem just right.

May 1 • Robin Garr

April 2026

Blended or straight: What’s your pleasure?

What's your pleasure? Single-varietal classics like Burgundy's Pinot Noir, or traditional varietal blends like Bordeaux? Or are you happy either way…

Apr 24 • Robin Garr

Can we taste minerals in wine?

My spell-check flags "minerality" as a misspelling, but I still love to taste it in my wine. Even if its definition and its source remain unclear.

Apr 17 • Robin Garr

When grapes don’t travel

Name a wine grape, think of the land that made it famous: Pinot Noir in Burgundy, Cabernet in Bordeaux. Can these grapes do as well in other places?

Apr 10 • Robin Garr

Sicilian wine vs climate change

Wildfires, floods, storms, and heat: Earth’s climate is changing.

Apr 3 • Robin Garr

March 2026

Leftover wine: Save it or dump it?

Let's talk about leftover wine. (Yes, such a thing does exist.) If you don't finish the bottle you opened with dinner, are the remains a lost cause?

Mar 27 • Robin Garr