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…

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…

Missouri Wine

In addition to what seems like every-other-state-you-can-think-of’s wine month, it also happens to be Missouri Wine Month.  We kid, we kid…actually, it is a honor to be able to look into the history and immigration that led to the creation of what once was the largest producing wine…

All About Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir (literally: Black Pine, due to the grapes color and cluster looking like a black pine cone), is one of the most globally popular grapes, has a long growing history pre-dating the Roman Empire, and could be upwards of 1,000 years older than the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. …