It is very easy to become a creature of one’s habits.  It’s convenient and comfortable to eat at the same places, do the same weekend activities, and of course, drink the same wines.  A couple years ago a good friend of mine had started dating a new girlfriend and decided to spend the summer doing something new every weekend to break out from their normal routines.  They found lots of new places to picnic, hike and eat around Ohio.  They really enjoyed picnicking at some sites like The Seven Caves, Great Serpent Mound and John Bryant State Park.  My friend said they typically didn’t spend a lot of time planning the trips.  They just hopped on Google, did some searches and used sites like www.OhioTraveler.com to find new places, hit the road with a cooler and filled it up with picnic supplies on the road.  They still talk about the fun they had on those trips that summer.

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Last week I mentioned a new movie coming out, Bottle Shock, about the Judgement of Paris.  This got me thinking about another movie that I like with a wine theme, Sideways.  Sideways takes place in California’s Santa Barbara Wine Country and is about two old friends (Miles and Jack) making one last road trip before Jack gets married.  Their trip takes them through the vineyards of Santa Barbara where we learn of Miles’ love of Pinot Noir and dislike for cheap Merlot (he utters the now famous line, “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any #%*$ing Merlot!”)

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Californian wines made their mark on the world in 1976 at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, now known as the “Judgment of Paris”.  This event is being chronicled in the feature movie “Bottle Shock” that is coming out this august.  What was amazing at this event was that a red, Chateau Montelena, and a white, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, won at the same time.   This event put American wines on the map internationally and helped to kick start the American wine industry.

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Popularity: 29% [?]

I like to watch the History Channel.  I still happen to learn new things even though I’m just having a glass of wine and watching it to relax.  Something I was reminded of recently while watching it was the importance of bronze in the history of early civilizations.  Bronze is a blend of copper and another element (they call it at alloy) like tin.  This blend produces a metal that is more versatile than copper alone and gave the cultures that used it an advantage with their weapons and armor. 

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Popularity: 39% [?]

The story of David and Goliath is well known and has been used to describe all sorts of comparisons between the smaller guy and an overwhelming larger force.  David was victorious because he had the courage to take the battle to Goliath and used his advantage of a slingshot to keep his distance and keep the battle on his own terms.  In the end, it was all about using his differences to keep an advantage.  There is a small area of Italy called Alto Adige that is the proverbial David when it comes to wine making.  This little region of around 12,000 acres of vineyards is producing some excellent wine that is taking on the rest of Italy.  Nearly 100% of its vineyards are registered for DOC wines.  This means that there are very few grapes that are not meeting the highest standards and being used to create quality wines.

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Popularity: 48% [?]

The Fourth of July is a great time to celebrate.   I enjoy the traditional aspects of holiday picnics, carnivals, and fireworks.  However, when I have a glass of wine in hand and begin to muse, the word “tradition” takes on a different connotation.  I know that every tradition began as an innovation that may not have been initially appreciated.  Yet as time passes, this rebellious idea becomes acceptable based upon merit and subsequent achievements. 

The vineyards of Toscana Rosso have been the epiphany of rebellion in Italian winemaking.  For those of you who speak Italian, I do apologize, and I know that it should be Rossa di Toscana.  As so often happens, marketing speak defeats correct language usage.

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Popularity: 51% [?]

Zinfandel is a great wine to have at your Tuesday night barbecues, Saturday afternoon French bread, salami, and cheese conversations, and the Friday night dinners with old friends.  Nearly as stylistically versatile as Chardonnay it has only achieved popularity in America since 1980, as a pink, slightly sweet wine.  However, the wines we introduce here are dry and provide big bold flavor yet are still very approachable.   Consumer whims have tested Zinfandel’s ability to play the chameleon.  It has delivered zesty berry-fruity reds, spicy tannic beasts, vin nouveau, and tart, intriguing roses, unusual sparklers, dessert styled fortified wines, and nearly combustible versions.

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Popularity: 62% [?]

I love the social aspect of summer, spending time with family and friends and trying new wines. Owning a wine shop I have the pleasure of sampling wines every week. When presented with a new bottling at a value price point, I wonder if it’s going to be a “homerun” or a “foul ball”. Why do some wines succeed and others fail?   I believe it’s the winemaker’s winning philosophy that is crucial to the creation of great wines.  Shoofly, A to Z, D’Arenberg and Innocent Bystander are all wineries that exhibit different winning philosophies and each of them succeed in creating great value wines.

Each of these summertime sippers hit one right out of the park.  I hope these wines make your time with friends and family more memorable!

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Popularity: 81% [?]

Piedmont is often revered as one of the noblest wine making regions in the world.   Piedmont produces one of our favorite whites and also has some excellent value reds.  We’re going to introduce you to a few of our favorites from this region.

The Barolo (made from the Nebbiolo grape) has been known as the king of wines and wine of kings.  The current global market is demanding a king’s ransom to garner a bottle.  The price of the Nebbiolo grape is influenced by its sensitivity to climate and soils and the fact that very few clones have been exported to other countries.  These factors combine to increase the demand on the grapes from this region.  Some winemakers have even said that the Nebbiolo grape is more sensitive than Pinot Noir which means great care must be taken to produce consistent quality wines.

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Popularity: 71% [?]