landscape view of Saint Emilion village in Bordeaux region in France

Understanding AOC: Bordeaux

We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume you have heard of Bordeaux before and skip the whole “one of the most recognizable wine regions in the world” speil and get down to the real reason we are talking about it – what is in…

Grape vineyard from New York state's wine industry

New York Wine

March begins what is essentially New York Wine Month, known as NY drinks NY, culminating in a Grand Tasting in New York City later this month. New York has a rich history of growing and production stretching back to the 17th century when the Dutch began planting and…

Rows of ripe Rogue Valley wine grapes ready for harvest at a hillside vineyard

Rogue Valley AVA

Nestled in the southern-most reaches of Oregon, riding the border of California and comprised of 3 adjacent river valleys is the Rogue Valley AVA (a sub-appellation of the Southern Oregon AVA).  The area was originally planted by European settlers in the mid-1800s with the first official winery being Valley…

Understanding Italy: Alto Adige

Alto Adige, a wine producing region residing in the northernmost reaches of Italy, sitting just due east of the center, and producing a whopping <1% of the country’s wine production, a small, yet world-renowned region for wine production.  The region is known for its Austrian influences not only…

An evil Halloween clown costume

Don’t Tell the Kids… Candy Wine Pairings

Tonight, after all the hustle and bustle of Halloween comes to a close, it’ll be time to get the kids off to bed – then raid their stash! Oh?  But what to pair with it all?  After all, if you’re gonna raid their stash, you might as well…

Calistoga vineyard in Autumn season

Calistoga AVA

Situated in the northernmost reaches of Napa Valley is the sub-appellation of Calistoga.  Established in 2010, Calistoga is the home to the highest rate of steep slopes to valley floor of any AVA, meaning warm to hot days, cooler evenings, better drainage from the soils, and subsequently higher…

Silhouette of the state of Texas with TX written, overlaid on a wine Texan vineyard background

TX Wine Facts

For Texas Wine Month, we’d like to share some information on the Lone Star state’s wine industry.  Hopefully it will inspire you to check out some wineries on your next trip to the SXSW festival or whatever brings you to the great state of Texas! Texas has 7…

California wine country landscape in autumn

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…

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…

Silhouette of Virginia state with "VA" written overlaid over a wine region in Virginia

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…