If you can drink a mimosa for breakfast, then wine for breakfast is fine too. In fact, one could make a pretty strong argument to ditch the OJ altogether and just drink wine. “Champagne is appropriate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.” So, don’t feel bad if you pop a beautiful breakfast bottle with your weekend brunch. There’s no shame in it. Even when someone pokes you with, “Oh, I see you having wine before five!” Raise your eyebrows and say, “I bet you wish you could join me.” 16 Stylish Wines for Upscale Breakfasts Smashed Avocado Toast Wine Pairings: Sauvignon Blanc, Picpoul de Pinet, Soave, Grüner… [Read More...]

What is a Teinturier Grape? A teinturier grape is red wine grape with dark skins and flesh. In contrast, regular red wine grapes have dark skins, but clear flesh. Fittingly, the word “teinturier” comes from the French “to dye or stain.” Teinturier grapes are not a common sight in the vineyard. Wait, Red Wine Grapes Have Clear Juice? Indeed! It’s actually the grape skin that creates the color of the wine. When the skins are soaked in juice, anthocyanin (color pigment) is released, literally staining the wine as a result. For that reason, we can have such things as rosé (limited skin contact) and white Pinot Noir (zero skin contact–made like a white wine… [Read More...]

One of the world’s great cuisines calls for a great wine. Here’s what to pair with Thai—a food that combines the sweet, the sour, the salty, and the spicy in perfect harmony. Thai cuisine is unique. Take a moment to see if you can sum it up in one sentence. No, seriously, try it. We’ll wait… Time’s up! Not so easy is it? What goes into your favorite Pad Thai or curry isn’t a random assembly of ingredients. It’s a complex blend of the sour, sweet, salty, and spicy, as well as the bitter and aromatic. Wine Pairing with Thai Food Is there a wine that can pair with such intricate fare? Of course there is! In fact, we’ve got several for the… [Read More...]

In the ancient world, Greece was once one of the foremost producers of wine. However, in contrast to the country’s important wine heritage, modern Greek wines are only just now emerging in the rest of the world. In fact, these days Greece offers outstanding value for its wines and there are many new varieties that will certainly expand your palate. If only we were sitting here right now… Vinsanto on Santorini Island. By Frank Lee This guide will give you a lay of the land and point out 12 Greek wines you should be sipping right now. 12 Greek Wines To Explore Assyrtiko Moschofilero Malagousia Savatiano Retsina Agiorgitiko Xinomavro Rapsani Red Wines Crete Red Wines Vinsanto Muscat of Samos Mavrodaphne 12 Greek Wines to Know Assyrtiko from … [Read More...]

Some red wines have significantly higher levels of what science has determined to be the beneficial ingredients found in wine. Evidence also suggests that younger red wines are better than older wines when it comes to health. Find out which red wines are the best for you – and surprise: it’s not Cabernet or Pinot Noir! We all know that alcohol can be bad for us, especially when consumed irresponsibly. However, imbibing moderately may carry with it some surprising benefits: Dr. Rimm’s statement isn’t just an opinion, it’s been deductively proven with hundreds of studies on alcohol and its effect on health. Of course, not all alcoholic beverages are created equally in… [Read More...]

The vast majority of imbibers allocate their wine drinking to winter. This statement isn’t just an assumption, it’s true. Over 90% of search traffic around the topic of wine (in the Northern Hemisphere) happens from November to January. So, if you’re researching wine any other time of year, consider yourself in the top 90th percentile of people interested in wine. Now that we’ve confirmed you’re a real wine enthusiast, let’s talk about which red wines are fun to drink during the summer! Qualities of Summer Red Wines Truthfully, you can drink whatever wine you want, out of whatever vessel you desire. That said, some … [Read More...]

Believe it or not, Mexico makes wine too! The first vineyards in North America were planted in Mexico. Here’s a little overview of what’s to know about modern Mexican wine country. Modern Mexican Wine Grapes were first planted in Mexico during the 16th century by the Spanish. Despite the region’s long history, the advance of modern Mexican wine is as recent as the 1970s. The region is a melting pot of French, Spanish, and Italian grapes, from Nebbiolo to Chenin Blanc, making up 7,700 acres of vineyards. Wine blends are quite popular here, although they don’t always follow European traditions. For example, you might find Cabernet Sauvignon blended with … [Read More...]

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner – pints of Guinness and tumblers of Whiskey abound! If malted barley isn’t your thing, you might be feeling left out. Fear not. Here are five great St. Patrick’s Day food and wine pairings that will keep you chewing and sipping in tune with your favorite Irish jig! And, check out our wine-based green cocktails too. Corned Beef with Cabernet Franc Food: Corned Beef Wine: Cabernet Franc Alternate Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc (preferably from New Zealand) Pickling spices, such as allspice, coriander, peppercorns, and cloves take an ordinary beef brisket up to level ten deliciousness. The curing brine helps to both flavor and tenderize the marbled meat, leaving you with… [Read More...]

The perfect pairing for the ultimate toga party Even though the college fraternities pay homage to ancient Greece, togas are definitely a Roman thing. As the national costume of ancient Rome – worn by both men and women for a time – the toga gradually became so voluminous and costly that it was used only at formal occasions. So, the next time you find yourself wrapped up in a bed sheet with a wreath atop your head, here are some Roman foods and wines to explore to make your toga party more legit! Roman Food and Wine Pairings Jewish Fried Artichoke & Grechetto Food: Carciofi alla Giudìa – Jewish Artichoke (with lemon, garlic and mint) Jews have inhabited Rome for over… [Read More...]

Wine geography goes a lot farther than mapping your way to the nearest wine shop and navigating to the next bottle. You’ve probably heard that great wine begins in the vineyard; but if you step back and get a wider perspective, you’ll realize there are a lot of geographic influences on what makes a plot of land particularly special for making wine. When it comes to how geography influences wine, there’s no one rule that guarantees great wine; it’s more of a matter of connecting the dots – 5 dots to be exact: temperature, climate, elevation, soil type, and geopolitics. The digital version of this … [Read More...]

Why wouldn’t we be interested in Washington wine? #WAwine is affordable, has excellent quality, is a fascinating mystery to unravel, and competes with wines from Napa Valley, the Rhône, and Bordeaux. It’s true that Washington State it still very much a frontier region when it comes wine, but even this sentiment is intriguing because it means there are undiscovered gems to mine. Woot, woot! If you’ve been lucky enough to sip on the more nationally recognized labels like Hedges CMS, Ste. Michelle, or the wines from the Charles Smith dynasty, then you’ve had a nice little introduction to Washington wine. It’s time to go deeper. As a Washington… [Read More...]

Hamburgers are the headlining feature in American comfort food and wine has been collecting fans for thousands of years all over the globe – but can the two really stand side by side on a menu? Can a dainty glass of grape juice really edge out beer to sit beside a juicy burger? We think so. Some would argue that these two culinary classics are simply not in the same class: street food vs. sophistication. But if you believe that, you’re really not paying attention to how versatile these two products really are, so consider this: a.) Wine is just spoiled grape juice. b.) You can spend $36 for a burger … [Read More...]

If you’re a vegetarian (or the person responsible for feeding one), you might be under the impression that wine pairing with vegetarian food is limited. Au contraire, that’s just not true! Contrary to what the carnivores would have you believe, vegetarian food offers equally delightful pairings and can even stand up against bolder red wines than many meat-based dishes. Since this is considered one of the biggest challenges with pairing vegetarian or vegan foods, we’ll tackle this head on and give you some inspiring new ideas for pairing bold red wines with vegetarian or vegan foods. Pairing Bold Red Wine with a Vegetarian Diet How to pair wines like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Nebbiolo with vegan or vegetarian foods. Start thinking of… [Read More...]

Whether you’re stocking up for a party or just looking for a new tasting experience, these classic regional pairings will highlight why certain wines and certain cheeses have a kind of soul-mate connection that is hard to ignore. Cheese and wine are best friends because… If you think of your palate and taste sensations as a giant spectrum, cheese and wine would be located on completely opposite ends. Despite being served side-by side for centuries, the two really have very little in common. However, the opposing tastes of fat and protein (cheese) vs acidity and tannin (wine) are why the two foods pair together … [Read More...]

The ideology of “drinking local” is totally doable if happen to live in California, but what if you live somewhere cooler? There are many places that were long considered a wine “dead zone” (The Midwest, Canada, Switzerland, etc) because winters were so cold that they would kill European wine varieties (Temps drifting down to -18 ºF / -28 ºC). This actually happened in Michigan in 1994 when two freezes took out an entire vintage and killed all the European vines (save for Cabernet Franc and Riesling). Enter hybrid varieties: the cool climate solution to wine growing. Many of the most popular hybrid wine varieties were bred in experimental vineyards at universities such as Cornell and University of Minnesota. The … [Read More...]

A detailed peek into why wine barrels are such an integral part of modern winemaking. Learn about the different kinds of barrels that are used and how they affect wine. Why do wines get aged in oak barrels? Before there were glass bottles (1600’s and later), most wines were stored and sold in wooden barrels. If you’ve ever seen paintings of taverns or parties depicted from around this time period, there are often wine barrels strewn about. While we’ve outgrown the necessity for barrels to store and transport wine, we’ve come to acquire a taste for it. Oak barrels are an integral … [Read More...]