Top 10 Wines To Give (And To Keep)Move over, vodka , rum, and beer.  Wine is now the world?s number-one most popular alcoholic beverage. … [Read More]The post Pursuitist Epicurean: Ian Blackburn, Wine Guru appeared first on Pursuitist.

Top 10 Wines To Give (And To Keep)Move over, vodka , rum, and beer.  Wine is now the world?s number-one most popular alcoholic beverage.  But things get complicated when it comes to choosing what type of wine to drink, gift, or store in cellars to enjoy in a few years.  So we turned to wine guru Ian Blackburn of LearnAboutWine ? the leading source for wine education and events in Southern California — to school us on the selection process, and to make his essential wines recommendations.?As a wine professional, I rarely receive wine as a gift except from the very few in my inner circle that feel confident to purchase something special,? says Blackburn, a Master of Wine student and teacher whose classes and tastings have served to demystify wine for nearly 20 years since the launch of LearnAboutWine (http://www.learnaboutwine.com/) .  ?I?m famous, however, for purchasing gifts for others and for finding the treasures that I hold dear — and purchasing a few gifts for myself.?Since Blackburn has taught more than 50,000 students in just his core class, ?Wine Camp: An Introduction to Wine,? we asked to copy his notes for a cheat-sheet shopping list of his Top 10 finds. ?Being a student of wine and a teacher, I enjoy wines at...