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Lakewood Vineyards – Award Winning Wines from the Finger Lakes

Sunday, February 9th, 2025

Things To Do in New York City in 2025

5 Things to Do While in NYC Day Trip To Wine Country™ – North Fork of Long Island and The Hudson Valley Escape the city for a curated wine adventure in North Fork, Long Island. This day trip includes luxury transportation, guided tastings at top wineries, and scenic vineyard views. Meet passionate winemakers, savor local - Read More

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

8 Reasons to Join a Small-Group Wine and Food Adventure in Southern Italy

8 Reasons to Join a Small-Group Wine and Food Adventure in Southern Italy For decades, Southern Italy has captured the hearts of travelers with its spectacular coastlines, rich history, and culinary treasures. For anyone in the U.S. seeking a getaway that delivers the “best of Italy”, a Naples, Amalfi Coast & Campania excursion could be - Read More

Sunday, August 4th, 2024

Top 5 Most Expensive Bottles Of Wine Ever Sold

Wine is one of the most challenging drinks to make well, due to the limited ingredients and specific growing conditions for the grapes. The best vintages have sold for high prices over the years, reflecting the care and skill involved in their creation. The winemaking process is delicate and complex, influenced by weather conditions that - Read More

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024

8 Reasons to Join a Small-Group Wine and Food Adventure in Southern Italy

8 Reasons to Join a Small-Group Wine and Food Adventure in Southern Italy For decades, Southern Italy has captured the hearts of travelers with its spectacular coastlines, rich history, and culinary treasures. For anyone in the U.S. seeking a getaway that delivers the “best of Italy”, a Naples, Amalfi Coast & Campania excursion could be - Read More

Sunday, August 4th, 2024

Top 5 Most Expensive Bottles Of Wine Ever Sold

Wine is one of the most challenging drinks to make well, due to the limited ingredients and specific growing conditions for the grapes. The best vintages have sold for high prices over the years, reflecting the care and skill involved in their creation. The winemaking process is delicate and complex, influenced by weather conditions that - Read More

Bad wine

Thursday, August 1st, 2024

What to do With ‘Bad’ Wine

We’ve all forgotten about an open bottle of wine in the fridge door. It might seem unsalvageable, but don’t dump it down the sink just yet! Try out these useful tricks the next time an open bottle of vino is past its prime. How to Know if Wine Has Gone ‘Bad’ You pop open a - Read More

Tuesday, July 30th, 2024

It’s Not You, It’s The Dialect!

Picture yourself in Italy, soaking up the sun, enjoying a delicious espresso, and suddenly you find yourself in the middle of a conversation that sounds like a mix between a secret code and a musical performance. Welcome to Italy, where even Italians need a translator sometimes! Italy is not just one big, melodious land where - Read More

Wednesday, July 19th, 2023

Exploring The Wines of Portugal

Why should France, Italy, and Spain get all the attention? With many varietals you won’t find anywhere else, Portugal is an exciting and oft-overlooked wine region that deserves more recognition. If you’re looking to shake up your wine rack with high-quality, affordable wines from Europe, then keep reading! About Wine in Portugal Portugal has 14 - Read More

Monday, June 26th, 2023

New York State’s 10 Best Wineries and Vineyards

Move over Napa, because New York has some great wine regions of its own. The Finger Lakes, Hudson River Valley, Niagara, and Long Island all feature competitive wineries that create exceptional products. There’s no longer a need to travel across the country to tour world-class vineyards: they’re in our own backyard. Here’s our list of - Read More

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Friday, March 31st, 2023

What’s A Mocktail?

Initially styled as ‘virgin’ drinks, mixed for women and children, the non-alcoholic cocktail, mocktail, has evolved into a sophisticated beverage for all seasons and occasions. According to Molly Kimball, author of “Craft: The Eat Fit Guide to Zero Proof Cocktails,” an alcoholic beverage is not always appropriate, but that doesn’t mean someone should skimp on - Read More

Thursday, January 26th, 2023

Move Over, Cab: California Zinfandel is In It To Win It

It may come as a surprise, but Cabernet Sauvignon is not the original California grape. That distinction belongs to Zinfandel, which reigned supreme through the Golden State until Cab surpassed it in 1998. Grown in most of California’s 58 counties, Zinfandel isn’t content playing second fiddle to Cabernet any longer. With protected pockets of old - Read More

Monday, December 19th, 2022

Drinks of the Season: 7 Cocktails to Welcome the Holidays

Mulled Wine Mulled Wine traces its roots to Scandinavia. But there are countless versions across Europe. At its most basic, Mulled Wine combines red or a port wine with added spice, specifically clove or cinnamon. Sometimes orange peels are added, and the Swedish version includes sugar, rum, and brandy. And there are numerous variations on - Read More

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

What Are “Lees” and How Do They Affect Wine?

Lees are utilized in winemaking to impart “yeasty” flavors and textures of nuts, bread, and hay in white wine. Lees produce amino acids, fatty acids, and small amounts of sugar through a process called autolysis. When a winemaker stirs the lees into the wine its called bâtonnage (“bat-on-naj” in French). There are laws in place - Read More

Monday, December 12th, 2022

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Carignan

Bored of Grenache, Sangiovese, and all the other usual suspects? Try Carignan, a medium-bodied red with elevated acidity and an approachable price point. Traditionally used primarily as a blending grape in Southern France and Northern Spain, Carignan is starting to enjoy some single-variatal fame. Keep reading for more on the up-and-coming Carignan, including where it’s - Read More

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022

Chasing 100 – The Mysterious Wine Ratings Explained

Wine ratings were first introduced in the 1980s by Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate to make wine more understandable for the general consumer. While not the only rating method, his 100-point system is considered the gold standard for rating wine. Wine Ratings Explained Logically, a low-scoring wine is a bad bottle, and a - Read More

Thursday, November 24th, 2022

5 Thanksgiving Wines from 5 Countries

Lighter-bodied wines with less oak are great holiday choices Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November every year Rioja is great with cranberry sauce or any baked pies Thanksgiving usually involves multiple dishes scattered throughout the table to be shared by loved ones on this special day of feasting. So, to make - Read More

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2022

A Day In The Life of a Harvest Intern

Happy harvest season everyone! The job of a harvest intern involves many aspects of wine industry production including the not-so-pretty parts like being covered in grape juice at the end of a shift or getting chased by bees on the crush pad. Coming from a culinary background I’ve always been surrounded by people who’ve dedicated - Read More

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

Hosting a Wine Tasting? Read This

Sure, reading books (or sites like ours) is a great way to learn about wine. But the most fun and effective way to learn about wine is to taste a lot of it. This can become really expensive, really quickly – so what’s a wine student to do? Hosting a wine tasting with friends is - Read More

Thursday, November 3rd, 2022

The Judgment of Paris: A Cultural Shift in New World Wine

Enter scene: Steven Spurrier, an Englishman who owned a struggling wine shop in Paris. Frantically, Spurrier draws up an ambitious idea to, hopefully, spark some life back into his humble Paris storefront. The idea was outlandish but feasible. Travel to California, pick up a few bottles of the best wine he could find and put - Read More

Monday, October 24th, 2022

Natural Wines: The New Frontier of Winemaking

The term “natural wine” has become quite popular in recent years as more and more people become interested in their health and what they consume. While the term has no official or regulated meaning, it is generally used to denote that nothing has been added to the wine, including added sugars, sulfites, or yeasts. It - Read More

Thursday, October 20th, 2022

Unfiltered Wine: What Is It and Why Should You Drink It?

Unfiltered wine is having a moment on wine lists and boutique wine shop shelves. This low-intervention style of wine skips the fining and filtration process that removes yeast and other particles naturally present in wine. As the ‘natural’ wine movement gains more of a foothold, unfiltered and unfined wines are gaining more prevalence. While not - Read More

Monday, October 17th, 2022

Food and Riesling: Pairings You’d Never Expect

Riesling is a wine that is pleasantly versatile when paired with food. Here, we’ll be taking a closer look at some notable Riesling and food marriages like Thai, Chinese, Cajun, and even BBQ favorites like hot dogs. Firstly, there are various levels of sweetness/dryness in Rieslings. From driest to sweetest: Kabinett (dry to off-dry) Spätlese - Read More

Friday, October 14th, 2022

What are Decanter Cleaning Beads, and How do they Work?

Hand-polishing delicate stemware and odd-shaped decanters can be difficult. But red wine and whiskey decanters, especially with modern artistic designs, create a new level of cleaning difficulty. Through repeated use, red wine residue collects on the glass’s bottom and lower sides, depositing a red or rusty appearance. Even with rinsing, it accumulates, and the glass - Read More

Wednesday, October 12th, 2022

The Real Reason Red and White Wine are Different Colors

Everyone knows that red wine is made from red grapes and white wine is made from white grapes, right? It might surprise you to find out that the difference between red and white wine is actually more complex than that. Skin or No Skin: Where Does Wine Color Come From? While most red wines are - Read More

Thursday, October 6th, 2022

Wine Regions of New Zealand: The Jewels of the South Pacific

One of the truly glorious aspects of wine education is the perpetual stream of new information that can be discovered every year. There are new vintage wines created from different grapes grown from the ever-changing terroir that surrounds us and it’s our job to capture its vitalizing power with our creative ability. Different climates and - Read More

Monday, September 26th, 2022

Vermouth is Way Cooler Than You Think: The Ageless Spirit

Vermouth is often misunderstood, and dare we say it, underappreciated, in today’s cocktail culture. This carefully curated powerhouse of a beverage has been around since about 8,000 years ago. Its life began when the Chinese developed a method to infuse botanicals in fortified wine as a sort of “cure-all” for sickness. This Chinese beverage wasn’t - Read More

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

Wine Books Dying To Find a Home On Your Shelves

We are bombarded with mountains of digitalized information in today’s technologically advanced and social media-influenced era, but one thing will never change: books! Literature is a great form of escapism and a powerful tool for independent study, especially when it involves wine. Here are a few great recommendations to steer your educational wine journey in - Read More

Thursday, September 22nd, 2022

Pinot Noir and a Bowl of Cherries — All About Pairing Fruit and Wine

Relaxing on the porch with a bowl of ripe, freshly picked fruit and a freshly poured glass of wine should be on everyone’s calendar for late summer leisure activities. But whether you’re kicking back with friends and family or kicking off a summer dinner party with a fruit course, you may be wondering about best - Read More

Tuesday, September 20th, 2022

Non-Alcoholic Wines: Pros & Cons

Wine production is part of human history – dating back to the Neolithic period, 8000 BC. But within the past decade, several new winemaking trends have come into focus. And terms like low calorie, low sugar, gluten-free, natural, certified organic, responsibly sourced and packaged, and even vegan-friendly now apply to wine. And one trend with - Read More

Friday, September 16th, 2022

Has White Zinfandel Finally Grown Up? Here’s What You Need to Know

Born by accident in the 1970s as the result of a stuck fermentation at Sutter Home Family Vineyards, white Zinfandel was a natural outlier in the wine world. Casually referred to as white Zin,” it comes as no surprise that those who typically didn’t care for wine were enjoying it at every opportunity, and - Read More

Wednesday, September 14th, 2022

All About the Bubbly: How Does Sparkling Wine Get Its Sparkle?

With there being so many different possibilities for fermented grape juice, a quick little revisit to chemistry 101 is inevitable and very helpful to fully grasp what is happening in and outside of the bottle. Sparkling wine has been around since 1662, according to Wine Stalker, but it was not until a French Benedictine Monk - Read More

Tuesday, September 6th, 2022

The Best Views In America’s Wine Country

. America’s wine country has been making its way to the top of the charts over the last couple of decades. There is a myriad of beautiful wine-growing regions to visit throughout the U.S. just waiting to be explored! With this being said, a few insider tips on what to look for when traveling could - Read More

Thursday, September 1st, 2022

High Altitude Wines: What Are They and Why Are They So Good

In recent years, winemakers have celebrated the fresh and complex wines created at high altitudes. But established vintners point to Listrac, or the Left Bank of Bordeaux’s Médoc, which produces Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. These are two of the lowest-lying wine regions in the world. So, does elevation really make a difference? Are high-altitude wines - Read More

Tuesday, August 30th, 2022

American Prohibition and its Lasting Legacy on the Wine Industry

From January 17th, 1920 to Repeal Day on December 5th, 1933, the United States attempted to prohibit alcohol consumption among its citizens. Almost immediately, it was apparent that criminalizing alcohol brought a new slate of issues, including a rise in organized crime and the loss of billions of dollars in tax revenue. This thirteen-year period - Read More

Friday, August 26th, 2022

How to Find the Right Wine at the Store

Walking into any wine store and knowing how to navigate those endless rows of bottles can be a superpower. After all, knowledge is power, and the more wine you drink the more power you get; not too bad! The first step to eliminating any wine store anxiety is knowing your palate and which wines your - Read More

Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

How to Read French Wine Labels

Reading the label on any foreign bottle of wine can be tricky but knowing how to read a wine label from a French region is a great place to start. Whether you are looking for the grape, specific region it is from, or level of quality, a little knowledge can go a long way. You - Read More

Monday, August 22nd, 2022

Wine Glasses: Does it Matter Which Glass You Choose?

It’s all about taste. Honestly, you can drink wine from whatever you want: wine glass, coffee cup or stainless steel tumbler. However, following proper wine etiquette, including glass choice, is more about enjoying a great-tasting wine than following crazy rules. Ultimately, using the correct glass improves the taste of wine and makes for a better - Read More

Thursday, August 18th, 2022

Wine-Tasting Etiquette: How to Avoid Basic Mistakes and Become a Master

Drinking your favorite wine with friends or co-workers can be one of life’s great pleasures. But for those unfamiliar with wine and wine-tasting etiquette, it can be daunting. As with many social experiences, there is a certain basic etiquette to wine tasting. But once mastered, it is appropriate for any vino and vintage. While wine - Read More

Thursday, August 11th, 2022

What is The Ford Cocktail?

The classic martini is a timeless drink for a reason. Starring high-quality gin and vermouth, with room for a salty olive or bright lemon twist, martinis are ubiquitous in every bartender’s repertoire. But the Ford cocktail? That’s a little more obscure. While its recipe looks familiar – equal parts gin and dry vermouth with a - Read More

Tuesday, August 9th, 2022

Here’s How to Pair Vegan Food With Wine

Most people have at least a passing familiarity with the basic building blocks of pairing wine and food. It’s common knowledge, for instance, that red wine is traditionally served with red meat and white wine goes with white meat. But shapeshifting culinary trends are changing how wine and food pairings are approached, and with large - Read More

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022

How to Develop Your Wine-Tasting Palate

If you want to develop your palate to taste nuances in your wine, you need to put your mouth into training. And by stretching and challenging your taste buds with new experiences, you can take your wine enjoyment to a new level. Mindful wine training is about consistency and exposure. The more flavors and styles - Read More

Tuesday, July 26th, 2022

Move Over, Beer: Try These Wines at Your Next Barbecue Instead

Barbecue and beer are warm-weather staples that form a quintessential pairing, often leaving wine lovers feeling like third wheels. It doesn’t have to be that way, and there’s no reason why you can’t invite a bottle or two of wine to the party. In some cases, wine may even be a better pairing choice for - Read More

Friday, July 22nd, 2022

Preview: Rosé Splash

It’s scientific fact that everything tastes better on a boat. Okay maybe it’s not backed by science but we sure think so, which is why our Rosé Splash summer event this year takes place on the Spirit of New York cruise ship! Like all of our events, Rosé Splash will be filled to the brim - Read More

Thursday, July 14th, 2022

City Feature: Charleston

The Deep South is not usually our first stop when we think of wine regions but when it comes to wine experience, Charleston, South Carolina has it going on. This gorgeous city has beautiful beaches, quaint cobblestone streets, incredible historical landmarks, and most importantly, a stellar food and beverage culture. Over the last couple of - Read More

Thursday, July 7th, 2022

10 Fun Facts About Wine

Wine’s fun! You already knew that and so did we but we thought it was worth mentioning again. We spend a lot of time on this blog explaining scientific wine topics and geographical information (which is super important, don’t get us wrong) but we thought it was time for a little lighthearted fun about our - Read More

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