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…

Map of Illinois over the top of a bowl of fresh blueberries, with IL written on it

Wine? In Illinois!?

Happy Illinois Wine Month! Yes.  It’s actually a thing, and it should be. Illinois has their first documented winery and vineyard planting dating back to 1851 and by 1880 had over 660 acres planted with 40 operating fine wine cellars. The story of Illinois wine is a story…

A lineup of Cameron Hughes Wine wine bottles lying on their side

Decoded: Wine Serving Temps

It is well-known and spoken about in the wine community: Americans drink their whites too cold; their reds too warm.  While this is a grossly generalized statement, it exists for a reason.  For example, when you dine out at a restaurant, the white wines are sitting in a…

Drawing of various wine bottle shapes and sizes

Decoded: Intro to Wine Bottle Shapes

In the world of wine, there are numerous bottle shapes and styles.  More recently, wineries have been doing some incredibly artistic things with their bottles with marketing and customer awareness in mind.  At a later date we will go into a much deeper dive on these shapes and…

Gravlax Salad

I love Gravlax salad… There is nothing like a great salad.  Especially one that is great as an appetizer when hosting, but can be an incredible meal all on its own when it’s just you and a loved one.  This very versatile salad can also offer leftovers of…

Wine Decoded: Oak vs. Stainless Steel

If you’ve ever purchased wine in a restaurant or wine shop where a Sales Associate was in tow, I’m sure you’ve heard time and time again the mention of oak aged or stainless steel aged in regard to the wines.  American oak, French oak, Hungarian oak, stainless steel,…