In a cozy West Coast home, preparations were in full swing for a Thanksgiving feast that would capture the region's essence. This celebration, shaped by the bounty of the Pacific coast, promised an unforgettable experience filled with seasonal produce, diverse dishes, and wines that showcased California and Oregon’s finest. The gathering brought together family and friends—parents, siblings, cousins, and extended family—all excited to savor the local flavors that defined the holiday meal.
July 14th, le Quatorze Juillet, marks the date that we know by the name “Bastille Day,” or as known in France as “La Fête Nationale.” In the City Vino's 2019 Facts About Bastille Day Blog, we provided some facts about the events that occurred on that date in 1789, in Paris, and about the celebration itself. Every year, we use this day to provide a tasting of French wines to you, our local customers. While we don’t need an excuse to do this, it’s always fun to associate a tasting with a somewhat, sorta, kinda, and perhaps notable date, right?
City Vino’s weekly tasting on Friday, November 19, and Saturday, November 20, features two wines labeled as “old vine” wines; one wine that is not labeled as such, but is; and one, just for fun. Let us delve into the meaning of “old vine” winemaking.
This weekend, Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16, City Vino travels the world with a destination of South Africa—specifically the area known as the coastal region. South Africa is the ninth-largest wine-producing market in the world. The country has about 230,000 acres of vines, producing 1.5 million tons of grapes (2021 harvest) of which 45 percent are red grapes and 55 percent are white grapes.
The viticultural history of wine in the state of California dates back to about 1680, when Jesuit missionaries from Spain planted grapes that were native to their homeland in their new world established missions in order to produce wine for religious services
