GET TO KNOW THE PRODUCER: GRGICH HILLS 🇺🇸
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich first gained international recognition at the celebrated “Paris Tasting” of 1976. Then, in a now-historic blind tasting, a panel of eminent French judges swirled, sniffed, and sipped an array of the fabled white Burgundies of France and a small sampling of upstart Chardonnays from the Napa Valley. When their scores were tallied, the French judges were shocked: they had chosen the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, crafted by Mike Grgich, as the finest white wine in the world. Mon Dieu! The results stunned the international wine establishment and immediately earned Mike a reputation as one of the greatest winemakers in the world. Read full article >
GET TO KNOW THE PRODUCER: DOMINIQUE LAFON 🇫🇷
Domaine des Comtes Lafon has been in the Lafon family since 1865. Dominique Lafon took over the domaine in 1983. It is comprised of approximately 14 hectares situated in the communes of Volnay, Monthélie, Chassagne-Montrachet, and of course, Meursault, where the domaine and its monopole vineyard Clos de la Barre are located. Read full article >
GET TO KNOW THE PRODUCER: DOMAINE ROBERT CHEVILLON 🇫🇷
The stunning collection of premier cru and old-vine vineyards held by the two Chevillon brothers would make any Pinot Noir grower jealous. Their innate ability to carefully tend the vines and master the difficult Burgundian conditions provides ripe, healthy clusters of grapes year after year. Taste through the barrels of Chevillon post-harvest and it doesn't matter what happened the year before, almost as if by miracle, the wines show class and character and each terroir has its distinct idiosyncrasies. It is le vrai Pinot chez Chevillon. Read full article >
The Truth About Sulfites in Wine
Nearly 3,000 years ago, winemakers in Ancient Greece made a fascinating discovery[*]. If they took gypsum -- a chalky white mineral rich in sulfur -- and mixed it with their wine before fermentation, the wine would keep for years without spoiling.
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WINE 101 Pouilly-Fuissé vs. Pouilly-Fumé 🇫🇷
Pouilly-Fumé is produced entirely from Sauvignon Blanc grown in the easternmost region of Loire along the Loire River. The climate is cool continental, meaning winters can be quite cold and summers very warm. Here, you’ll find other Loire white wines, such as Vouvray, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine and Sancerre. Read full article >
WHAT SETS APART BANDOL ROSÉ FROM OTHER PINK WINE?
There are some important differences between the rosé made under the Bandol appellation and those of other regions. In Bandol, grapes are all handpicked and at least 20% of them must be Mourvèdre. To guarantee ripeness and focus, yields are limited to 40 hectoliters per hectare. Côtes de Provence rosé – Bandol’s primary competitor for local supermarket shelf space – is cheaper but the yields are higher. Read full article >
WMWS WINE SCHOOL 🇫🇷 CHAMPAGNE 101
What is Champagne?
To be called “Champagne,” a wine must come from the Champagne appellation, a region of France slightly east of Paris. In France, such a region is referred to as an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, or AOC.
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WMWS WINE SCHOOL 🇮🇹 SICILY 🇮🇹
Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, served as a crossroads for ancient civilizations. Today, it boasts one of Europe’s most dynamic wine industries! Sicily's
dry, warm climate features regular sunshine and moderate rainfall that suits wine production. Arid conditions reduce the chance of rot and mildew (especially in areas with coastal breezes) which makes Sicily a prime candidate for organic farming.
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GET TO KNOW THE PRODUCER: GIROLAMO RUSSO 🇮🇹
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Giuseppe Russo is a quiet thoughtful man, formerly a pianist. Since 2005 he has been organically farming his family's old vineyards, many of the vines around 100 years of age, and he is restoring the old cellar under his house. He has 15 hectares of vines on the North side of Etna around the town of Passopisciaro.
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WMWS WINE SCHOOL 🏴 SCOTCH 101
All Scotch whisky was originally made from malted barley. Commercial distilleries began introducing whisky made from wheat and rye in the late 18th century. Read full article >
WMWS VARIETAL SPOTLIGHT 🇪🇸 TEMPRANILLO 🇪🇸
| Spanish Tempranillo delivers contrasting flavors of leather and cherries. The finer the wine, the more balance there is between earth and fruit. The finish is typically smooth and lingers with the taste of tannin on both sides of your mouth. Tempranillo can be characterized as either a medium- to full-bodied, with red fruit characteristics. If you’ve never tried Tempranillo before, you may find it has a similar taste profile to both Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. |
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WHITE MERLOT!!!! CHATEAU VIEUX TAILLEFER 🤓🇫🇷
The Blanc du Château Vieux Taillefer is a cuvée that revives the history of the right bank of Bordeaux. This blend of five different grape varieties, a singular wine blended in majority with Merlot Blanc. Read full article >
COLLECTOR'S CLUB: FLACCIANELLO DELLA PIEVE 2015 🤩 🇮🇹
The 2015 Flaccianello della Pieve is even more stratospheric than it was last year. Rich and ample on the palate, Flaccianello captures all of the best qualities of this radiant vintage. Read full article >
ITALIAN WINES YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING TODAY 🇮🇹
Italy’s white wines are as diverse as the country’s reds. With a trove of native varieties, there is an Italian white wine to fit every budget and every occasion. In fact, there are so many choices that shopping for an Italian white wine can be overwhelming Read full article >
DOMAINE CHANDON DE BRIAILLES 🇫🇷
This historic estate was established in 1834. Claude de Nicolay took over from her mother as winemaker in 1988 and crafts traditionally styled wines from one of the Côte d'Or's great terroirs, the hill of Corton and its surrounding villages. Read full article >
WMWS WINE SCHOOL 🇯🇵 SAKE 101 🇯🇵
WHAT IS SAKE?
Sake, pronounced “sah-keh”, is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice. In Japan, sake is a general term for any alcoholic beverage, and what Westerners know as sake actually refers to nihonshu, the traditionally brewed and fermented drink. Sake is a category of its own with a unique brewing process and over 10,000 variations. Here we look at the brief history of sake, how it’s made, and the unique regionality of Japan that influences the variety of sake we enjoy today.
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🤓 WMWS WINE SCHOOL 🤓 PINOT GRIGIO VS. PINOT GRIS
Have you ever found yourself wondering, what’s the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris?
THE ANSWER IS THAT PINOT GRIGIO AND PINOT GRIS
ARE IN FACT THE EXACT SAME GRAPE VARIETY!
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🌸 HAPPY SPRING FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT WAINSCOTT MAIN 🌸
The sun is out, the birds are chirping! Why not welcome this spring weather and soak in this gorgeous Sunday with a chilled bottle of rosé or white? Read full article >
WMWS CABERNET SAUVIGNON: FRANCE 🇫🇷 VS USA 🇺🇸
When shopping for a Cabernet Sauvignon, it is important to consider if you'd prefer a wine from Bordeaux or California. These wines will differ in style due to reasons like climate, soil type, winemaking techniques in the cellar (ex: oak aging) and whether or not it's blended with other grapes. Read full article >
DANIEL LANDI 🇪🇸 WINE SPOTLIGHT
Dani Landi is a native of this region. Growing up in Mentrida in a family of vineyard owners and farmers, he knew he wanted to do more than grow bulk grapes and sell them to the local cooperative. Instead he envisioned making wines from his family's vineyards. Read full article >
FRENCH 🇫🇷 MALBEC VS ARGENTINIAN 🇦🇷 MALBEC
Just like Tango, Malbec's place of origin is France, but Argentina is now home to nearly 70% of the Malbec vineyards of the world. Thus, your very first taste of Malbec could have been from Mendoza, Argentina. Read full article >
NEW ARRIVAL WINTER 2020/2021
The Merkelbachs are firm believers in tradition, and while changes in climate and style preferences have pushed up must weights and produced profoundly riper wines, the brothers craft wines of a style more typical to an era long forgotten.
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GET TO KNOW TEQUILEROS: FELIPE AND CARLOS CAMARENA
The Camarena family, who started making tequila in 1937 and are now in their third generation as tequila producers are one of the few that still make tequila in the slow, artisanal way Read full article >
WINEMAKER SPOTLIGHT: FABRIZIO IULI
Iuli is located in the far north of the Monferrato, in the town of Montaldo di Cerrina. Once a vibrant little town of 450+ souls, today there are only 92. It is set among the last band of dramatic hills and valleys before descending into the rich flatlands of the Po river valley, with the Alps as a backdrop on a clear day. Read full article >
OUR TOP 10 CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS
California is the center of winemaking in the United States. California is perfectly suited for the production of Chardonnay.
Wines here can be crips and fresh, but also rich and buttery.
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WE LOVE AMARO AND YOU SHOULD TOO!!
Amaro is a broad category of regional Italian bitters. (Amaro is Italian for “bitter.”) Made from either a neutral spirit or brandy, this bitter liqueur is a staple in the Italian lifestyle. A curated blend of botanical ingredients—typically an inherited recipe that includes herbs, spices, and flowers, as well as barks and roots like gentian root, cinchona, and wormwood—gives each variety of amaro its unique flavor. Read full article >
A LOOK INTO CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historic village between the towns of Orange and Avignon, in France's southern Rhône Valley. It is famous for powerful, full-bodied red wine, largely made from the classic southern Rhône grape trio of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Also, produces white wines of great quality. Read full article >
THANKSGIVING LEFTOVER GAME STRONG
HAPPY FRIDAY, WE KNOW YOU HAVE A TON OF FOOD LEFTOVER.
HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE WINES TO HAVE WITH LEFTOVERS.
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AGED WINE?
Most of the wines consume in the U.S are wines bought the day of.
Wine tastes better with age because of a complex chemical reaction occurring among sugars, acids and substances known as phenolic compounds. In time, this chemical r
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DOMAINE MARQUIS D'ANGERVILLE
Guillaume d'Angerville has spent most of his professional career in investment banking. After more than ten years in New York and London, he returned to France and executed a number of mandates for PPR. He was also Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and a member of the European Investment Banking Management Committee until 2005, when he co-founded WCP with Serge Weinberg and Philippe Klocanas. Read full article >
