Wagyu Steak paired with red wine

Wagyu New York Strip Steak

Steak time!  Nuff said. As always, click on the recipe card below for a 4×6 printable version. Remove the steak from the refrigerator 10 minutes or so before cooking. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.  Season the beef with salt and pepper and…

Image showing 12 bottles with their tops connected making a colorful and delicious circle

For Our Guests: About the Lot Series & More…

New customers are sometimes confused when they find out that a Lot wine is sold out “forever,” and not just awaiting the next vintage. Barring the rare occasion where we are able to source from the same winery again, the chances of finding that Lot wine you loved…

Decoded: Blends

Let’s talk blends, and what the language your local wine shop representative uses actually means. At the top of the blending language list we have Champagne and Bordeaux. The word Champagne is synonymous with being expensive, of quality, for celebrations, and from Champagne, France.  Champagne is generally made…

Drawing of an older delivery truck

Transportation & Enjoyment (Musings on Bottle Shock & Travel Conditions)

To understand the ideas behind travel & bottle shock (bottle sickness, travel shock, shipping shock), we must first understand that wine is a living, breathing organism.  This is from the same understanding that is the basis of aging wines.  We’d always prefer a cool, dark cellar with stable…

Pasta Carbonara

Wow, where does the time go!?  We are a week away from the official start of summer, and it seems like the last time we had a moment to breathe was just after the holidays!  This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time, as time itself is…

How to Survive Wine Tasting!

Summer is fast approaching, and with the weather comes the mass exodus for wine country.  Our staff has taken some time to compile their personal tips & tricks for surviving a full day of tasting wines: Get a ride. Doesn’t matter if it is a limo, Über, Lyft,…

Red and white wine plus different kinds of cheeses (cheeseboard) on rustic wooden table

It’s National Cheese Day!

In honor of National Cheese Day, we’d like to take a little time to enjoy some cheese and wine!  A match made in heaven, but why?  What is it that makes this classic combination so enjoyable to so many people from all walks of life?  According to research,…

Decoded: Blending

Blending is essential for all wines.  It can be argued that if it were not for blending by way of cross pollination or grafting of rootstocks most varieties of grapes that wines were originally made from would have gone extinct at this point in time, replaced by a…

Decoded: Oregon Chardonnay

While Chardonnay takes a distant third place in plantings in Oregon (behind Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris), more interest, investment and development has continued to be behind growth and plantings of the grape to develop its market presence and the potential diversity of its stylings. Oregon Chardonnay runs…