Welcome to October and Virginia Wine Month

• Posted on 1 October 2019
• Posted in October Virginia Wine Month, Virginia, Virginia wine, Virginia Wine Month
• 0

Virginia is considered the birthplace of America because the first English colonists settled in Jamestown in 1607. Virginia’s roots in wine history run deep. In 1619, the Virginia House of Burgesses, which was the legislative body for the Colony of Virginia, enacted “Acte 12.” This law required each male colonist to plant and cultivate a minimum of 10 grapevines in order to make wine for the crown.

The Crossing—Pinotage

• Posted on 24 September 2019
• Posted in Cinsault, pinot noir, Pinotage, South Africa
• 0

Pinotage is a red wine grape whose origins lie in South Africa. The grape is the result of a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, which are both the species Vitis vinifera. The crossing was created in 1925 by Abraham Izak Perold, the first Professor of Viticulture at Stellenbosch University, with the hope of creating a grape with the vigor of Cinsault and the finesse of Pinot Noir.

Helpful Tips for Selecting a Wine to Bring to a Party

• Posted on 17 September 2019
• Posted in Gift Wine, Giving Wine, Party Wine
• 0

Have you ever received an invitation to a dinner party at a friend of a friend’s house, your boss’s house, your new neighbor’s house, or your new significant other’s parents’ house? You’d like to bring a bottle of wine but aren’t sure what the host’s tastes are in wine, or what the host will be serving. The following list provides some tips on what to bring and what not to bring:

Montepulciano: “The Place” and “The Grape”

• Posted on 10 September 2019
• Posted in Italy, Montepulciano
• 0

Montepulciano pronounced “mon-ta-pull-channo” is one of the more confusing names in the wine world, as it is both a place name and a grape name. To make matters more complex, wines made in Montepulciano are not made from its eponymous grape. Confused? Exactly!