As of June 21st, at 4:57PM, we entered into summer and experienced the longest day of 2023. The term solstice comes from the Latin "sol," meaning sun and "sistere," meaning to stop. This reflects the slowest-growing daylight period at this time of year. This astronomical phenomenon takes place when the sun is farthest from the equator, coinciding with the maximum period of daylight on Earth in the northern hemisphere. Most years, the longest day is on the 21st, sometimes it is on the 22nd, due to slight variations in the Earth’s orbit..
This week brings Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and that may mean time spent with family and friends around the dining room table. Stop by City Vino on Thursday, December 23, or Friday, December 24, to sample some wines that can grace your holiday table. Also, below, we will be including some wine-nerdy facts that you can perhaps use to tell the story of the wine or grape to rock the Christmas dinner table for your holiday dinner guests. Get ready for the oohs and the ahhs. Well, maybe.
For City Vino's weekly tasting the weekend of June 18th, 2021, we take you all to on a summer tour of France. Summer temperatures in France, generally, are warm and not hot. Paris, for example, has average temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees. Along the southern coast of the country, temperatures run higher.
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.
Early this year, the wine world learned of the death of Georges Dubouef, at the age of 86. While his may not be a household name, his wine legacy will live on.