Issue 30

Posts From Mark Gudgel

Back to homepage
Mark Gudgel

Mark Gudgel

Dr. Mark Gudgel is a wine writer and educator who holds credentials through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and is working towards becoming a Master of Wine. His interest in wine was sparked on his honeymoon to Napa and Sonoma. Gudgel and his wife, Sonja, have co-authored several articles as well as a book on the wineries of Nebraska, to be released in the spring of 2017. Gudgel is a regular contributor to Food & Spirits Magazine and American Winery Guide, as well as the blog he maintains with his wife, www.itheewine.com. Mark and Sonja live in Omaha with their children and their dog.

Pesach Sameach! (Happy Passover!)

I remember vividly my first Passover Seder. I had been invited by dear friends, Lou and Rose Leviticus, into their home for this special Jewish celebration. It wasn’t terribly unlike many of the other nights I had spent with the

Read More

Wine Recommendation: Varozza Vineyards

Every year, twice a year, I make it a point to attend the bi-annual fall and spring open house events at the Omaha Wine Company, in order to reunite with old friends in the industry, make new connections and, of

Read More

The Great American Cab Review, 2016

Outside my window, a massive silver maple looms over our house, threatening to one day penetrate the attic in a storm, and serving as the bane of my existence during what I’ve come to think of as “helicopter season.”  But

Read More

Wine(ry) Recommendation: Smith-Madrone

Charles, Stu, and Sam Smith have one hell of a good thing going high up in the Spring Mountain District of California’s Napa Valley. Last month my friend Zach, who manages Corkscrew, and I had the opportunity to visit them

Read More

Suck it, Sideways! Making a case for a case of merlot.

The current political “scene” (read: shit show) in the United States has made it abundantly clear that stereotypes and sweeping generalizations remain the preferred currency of communication for the ignorant and uneducated in this country, and around the world. Candidates

Read More

A Napa Valley State of Mind

“Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood, hop a flight to Miami Beach or Hollywood.” But I’m flying Frontier, through the blue and gentle skies; I’m in a Napa Valley state of mind. The Napa

Read More

Wine Recommendation: 2015 Meadowcroft Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc

2015 Meadowcroft Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc – 93 Points I’m more or less a red wine drinker, full stop. That being said, when summer rolls around, I can’t help but crave “patio” whites; those light, crisp and refreshing wines

Read More

Avoiding the High Cost of (Wine) Education

Anyone who has ever sat in gridlock on the 405, or even just hit I-80 at the wrong time of day, has in the very least considered the merits of becoming a small airplane pilot.  When I investigated this possibility

Read More

Bubbly 101

Having the holidays almost upon us signals the coming of many traditions. From the onset of a hard Nebraska winter to various religious observations, and from a zealous embrace of all things capitalistic to the popping of countless corks across

Read More

Book Recommendation: Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine by George M. Taber 1

The damage done by prohibition to American wine palates was more than substantial; it set the domestic wine industry back forty years, if not more. During “the noble experiment” that lasted between 1920 and 1933, Americans didn’t stop drinking wine,

Read More