With the summer heat upon us, we are all looking for wines that are perfect for the warmer temperatures because they are refreshing, quench one’s thirst, are quaffable, and simply taste good. Porch, picnic, and backyard wines are those wines that fit that bill, and are the focus of our tasting this weekend at City Vino.

Travel right now happens to be quite restrictive, but that doesn’t mean that you cannot explore a far away place, right at home, in your glass. This week, City Vino takes you to South Africa with four wines from the country. Let us embark on our wine trip.

Saturday March 27, 2021, begins the seven-day most sacred, and widely observed holiday of Passover (Pesah or Pesach) that commemorates the Israelites’ liberation from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Its name is derived from “passing over” of Jewish houses, where the first-born were being slayed during the last of the ten plagues.

While discussing wine, terms like AOC, AOP, DOC, DOCG, AVA, and appellation are often thrown around. The acronyms and words all equate to a recognized geographical area where wine is made. Within that geographical area, there are often rules, laws, and regulations that dictate what grapes can be grown, the weight of the grapes that can be harvested off one acre or hectare, barrel aging requirements, and what percentage of grape varietals have to be in a bottle labelled with the geographical term.