Food & Wine — Wine Blog

  This is something I’d ask a customer that came in looking for a brand name that you probably could get at any big retailer. Now of course, this was a lighthearted way to get their undivided attention. Then I might ask… why are you looking for that brand? More and likely they would share some details to help me understand why they asked for that specific wine. And this is when I’d like to share some facts about the mentioned brand. Usually nothing negative, but real, and not to say national brands don’t have some good wines. Plume Ridge...

  Thanksgiving is just around the corner, followed by the trifecta of winter holidays: Hanukkah (12/18-12/26), Christmas and New Year’s Eve. With the addition of Kwanzaa (12/26 - 1/1/23), the season of gratitude, gift-giving and feasting is upon us. Many holiday hosts are scouring the internet for new takes on traditional recipes — and the best wines to highlight those dishes.How did the United States — a country founded by Pilgrims and molded by Puritans—beget a series of harvest and yuletide celebrations so closely associated with the enjoyment of wine?It turns out that early Americans were, in fact, not teetotallers...

A lot of wine drinkers are unaware of how wines can have different effects on the palate. Or is it your imagination? Nope! Atmosphere (or lack thereof) has plenty to do with what your palate can experience. Example: Drinking a full-bodied red wine in the middle of a warm afternoon doesn’t have the same effect as drinking that same wine on a cool evening in low light. Bigger reds can tend to be “chunky” or hard to drink as they warm up with ambient temperatures. Also, white wines don’t always show well in the evening as they are better chilled...

Photo Credit: WSET Have you ever tried to describe an amazing food experience you have had to another person? How do you include the best points and descriptive words that clearly communicate the feelings and tastes you experienced? It is not easy! Wine, just as food, is complex and faces these same difficulties. But knowing what kind of wines we wish to buy drives our decision. For this reason, wine styles or general designated, identifying terms serve as a guideline. At Bottle Shop, we utilize wines styles based on color (red, white, rose) sparkling, body (rich, elegant, fruity, structured) and...

 Photo Credit: Clos de la Tech The Santa Cruz Mountains AVA is perched atop the Peninsula Ridge overlooking the land of Google, Facebook, Apple and venture capitalists known as Silicon Valley. To the west, its steep slopes fall away to some of the most rugged portions of the San Mateo county coastline. The region stretches to the south above coastal surf towns on the coast and peeks over at inland ag towns in the Santa Clara Valley. In short, it’s enormous. With a total size of 322,000 acres, it is the largest California AVA.  The AVA was established at the...