Kevin Zraly is perhaps best known as the creator of the Windows on the World Wine School. He established the Windows on the World program  in a New York City restaurant. Over the years he has authored several editions of Windows on the World, with the latest one published in 2012.  Last year I reviewed his Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. My review is available online. As Zraly continues to explore more wine regions, I look forward to reading his next book. In the meantime he has created webisodes.

Zraly Wine Webisodes

Kevin Zraly has now made four very short webisodes that were recently released. These less than 60 second youtube bits show him to be friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. While I have not met him, he appears to be someone you could sit down with and enjoy a glass of wine while discussing the world of wine.

If you have ever visited a wine shop and wondered how to pronounce a German wine name, in the German Wine Pronounciation  Zraly pronounces several names arranged from dry to sweeter.

In the second webisode Using Your Senses to Taste Wine, Zraly emphasizes the importance of the sense of smell when tasting wines.

In another episode, Pronunciation Tips for Italian Wines, emphasis is placed on the region of Tuscany. In the Best Wine Value episode, Zraly says that when visiting a wine shop, he looks for the country then region and then the specific wine variety. While noting that he is happy when he can find a $50 bottle of wine that tastes like $500 bottle of wine, he says that there are numerous good value wines under $20.

Kevin Zraly Wine Stopper and Wine Glass Charms

For anyone interested in wine stoppers and wine glass charms, special Kevin Zraly accessories are available on the Internet. The wine stopper is silver plated with a silicone tip and says, ” MAY ALL YOUR VINTAGES BE GREAT! The charms come with a set of eight in a box. Each charm has a rectangular shape attached to the charm ring. Each charm features a different word related to wine such as FRESH, BOLD, SEDUCTIVE, and DELICATE. The box, with a hinged back, provides a great place to store the charms when not in use. Inside, the top of the box has a small selection of the words used in Zraly’s wine course to describe wine. In his course he uses 500 words to describe wine. The list with the charms includes 35 of these words. 

A gift of Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, a Zraly wine stopper and set of wine charms would be a gift that would be remembered and used time and time again.

Images: Provided by K. Connors of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., NY

Cheers! Kathy