We are absolutely certain that anyone can do a simple interwebs search on Champagne or Sparkling Wine and find all sorts of useful information in regards to Champagne: the history, the processes, notable houses, etc. In fact, at a later date, we will continue to further geek-out on…
Global Champagne Day
Rutherford AVA, Napa Valley
Situated in the center of Napa Valley is the world famous Rutherford AVA. Established as a sub-appellation of Napa Valley in 1993, Rutherford has a total area of 7,457 acres of which 1,454 acres are cultivated for grapes. Sandwiched between St. Helena to the north, Oakville to the…
Pennsylvania Wine Month
It is Pennsylvania Wine Month, a state where no matter your location, you are within a 1 hour drive of a winery. The state boasts over 200 wineries and an annual production of 1 million+ gallons of wine. Recently wines from the state have seen international recognition by winning…
Sonoma Cabernet
When it comes to California Cabernet Sauvignon, it is true that Napa Valley is King. Between the sheer amount of plantings, savvy marketers, big names, and the “Judgement of Paris” Napa will long hold the bulk of the market value for California Cab. But with a similar Mediterranean…
What is Pinotage?
Pinotage is a portmanteau of Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsault). Pinotage is an actual cross between the two grapes as well, created in 1925. Pinotage was created in South Africa. But what is Pinotage really? The story of Pinotage is one of a grape almost lost to history…
Why Napa Valley?
Napa Valley Cabernet is synonymous with quality, luxury, scores, and of course, the subsequent price tags. But what makes the wines from Napa Valley command such a market presence? What actually makes Napa Valley wines so special? Let’s skip over the portion of history where its wines were…
Red Mountain AVA
Red Mountain is the smallest AVA in the state of Washington, hovering around 1600 hectares (~4,000 acres), with around 240 hectares cultivated for winemaking purposes. A sub-appellation of the Yakima Valley AVA (which in turn resides within the greater Columbia Valley AVA), Red Mountain’s unique geographical location allows…
Riedel Stemware Tasting Seminar Recap
At the end of last month, our whole staff had the pleasure of attending the Riedel tasting seminar at Dutton-Goldfield Winery in Sebastopol, CA. We enjoyed their Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah out of proper and improper stemware (complete with Lindt chocolates for pairing – more on…
Virginia Wine Month
Let’s talk a little about the history of wine in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Settlers in Jamestown had such high hopes for Virginia to become a large source for British wine consumption that a law was signed into effect in 1619 requiring each male settler to plant and…
