San Luis, the person, not the place, had a rough start. It was 1284, and little San Luis was just 10 years old, he became a political prisoner, held hostage in Catalonia by the King of Aragon for nearly seven years. This wasn’t uncommon for the time, his father was Charles II of Anjou, King of Naples, and young Luis was the heir. In the late 13th century, royal families negotiated peace not with signatures but with sons. In this case, San Luis paid the price for dynastic diplomacy.
Maybe the better question is—what was the birth of civilization? Marat Yanki of Vinkara Winery in Turkey may have said it best. He said that even nomads can cultivate wheat for a season. But that doesn’t mean they’re a tribe or a society. They simply go where the wind blows and plant wheat somewhere new the next year.
Sam Lerman, CEO of Spyrt Worldwide, a company focused on importing Ukrainian wine, vodka, and other spirits, visited City Vino to share his remarkable journey, the story of SHABO Winery, and a flight of eight Ukrainian wines with the King George Wine Society. The evening was a captivating blend of history, personal mission, and exceptional winemaking. Here are the highlights of a night that took guests from the shores of the Black Sea to the vineyards of Odesa, Ukraine.
Let’s talk about the phrase “room temperature.” Honestly, is this really a universally understood thing? For many of us, it’s that perfect temperature where you can walk around the house in your underwear, binge-watching TV, and not feel too hot or too cold. It’s comfort, it’s balanced—but it's not exactly scientific. And that’s kind of the problem.
Why do we like to drink wine? Is it simply the joy of a good buzz, or is there something deeper, something written into our very biology? The answer might be found swinging through the trees.
