One of my favorite moments in wine was a visit to Robert Craig Winery on Howell Mountain on a cool January day (2017). The drive, the view, the company, the wine, creating memories. An even better day was an invitation to their release party on top of the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. On that evening, we were randomly paired with...
A shared passion for wine and designing a wine cellar can really close the gap between client and designer. After several meetings at this client's home, reviewing several wine cellar designs and enjoying a few glasses of wine together we developed a beautiful wine tasting room & cellar. This client and I often engaged in conversations about a full bodied...
Look in your wine cellar or your wine cabinet and pick out a wine... Read this wine blog and then go to the local market and pick out a cheese. Enjoy your evening... I wanted to revisit the classic pairing of wine and cheese to see why it's so popular and offer a few tips. Consider the things that these...
As you know, Vintage Cellars is located in sunny Southern California. Sushi and Asian fusion has spread across the country, but it’s been a staple here as long as I can remember. To bring my sushi experience to another level, I was longing to find a great red wine. Wine and sushi? That should be interesting... Batman would say “to...
Thanksgiving Day is the ultimate challenge. In my family, the Thanksgiving meal is served by passing the bowl and scooping up mass amounts of side dishes, followed by the massive serving dish of turkey and the vat of gravy to cover it all. Mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberries, fresh biscuits, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, wild rice--good luck pairing a...
As the holiday season draws nearer, we find ourselves meeting friends and family to drink, be merry, and forget how much money we're spending on Christmas presents. Whether you're hosting a party or attending one, it's a good bet that sometime this month you'll be faced with that eternal challenge: the wine and cheese pairing. A wine and cheese...
Wine lovers are often foodies too, and for them, there is nothing more satisfying than a wine perfectly matched to a dish, complementing and enriching the flavors of the food. Such a meal is truly one of life's great pleasures, feeding both the stomach and the soul. But with so many wines and so many dishes to choose from, forming...
To all you boyfriends and husbands out there: it's that time of year again. Valentine's Day is fast approaching, which means that you'd better get thinking about what you're going to give the lovely woman in your life. Sure, there are the old standbys like a dozen roses or a nice dinner out, but the gift that will truly wow...
Sure, the traditional beverage of St. Patrick's day is beer. Usually it's a frothy pint of Guinness. And if it's not Guinness, it's most likely dyed green. And there are some who love their St. Patty's day beer and wouldn't consider parting with it for anything. But others, faced with a pint glass of green beer, would prefer to...
The Easter Bunny is hopping our way, bringing with him (or is it her?) eggs, chocolates, and of course, a big Easter feast. Whether you view Easter as a meaningful religious event, the day that frees you from your Lenten sacrifice, or simply as a time to get together with family and friends and celebrate springtime, Easter always involves a...
Summer's here and that means grilling season. When the summer days mean it's too stifling to cook over a hot stove, I loveto take the kitchen prep outside and cook as much as I can over the open flame. Not only does it keep the house cool, grilling outside lets me enjoy the warm summer evenings, and offers the delicious...
It's the height of summer, and tomatoes are at their juicy, sweet best right now. I've been eating them in salads, on burgers, and even by themselves. As you know all too well if you grow your own tomatoes, the season for these beauties is a short one, and as you know if you've ever even tasted a home-grown tomato...
There's nothing wrong with picking a wine or two that will please all your guests and complement your full buffet of Thanksgiving dishes. In fact, if that's your style, we have two posts for you: one on great Thanksgiving wines, and one on Beaujolais Nouveau. But if you're more of the adventurous type when it comes to wine, you might...
Christmas dinners are all over the map. Some families celebrate with ham, some with prime rib. Some have a round two of Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey and stuffing. If you're Italian, you might enjoy a traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. If you're German, you might have a roast goose. The point is, it's nearly impossible to recommend the...
Wine and cheese platters are customarily a part of many people’s celebrations. But choosing the right cheese to accompany your wine of choice, or vice versa, is not always easy. And just as serving wine at an improper temperature can bring out its worst, serving a badly-paired cheese will also impair the taste of a wine. That said, here are...
Nat Decants, an iPhone app, is designed to make your mouth water! This free app--yes, I do mean free--is a conglomeration of ten wine programs interfaced into one easy-to-use application. Therefore, it is extremely convenient, not to mention affordable! Not only does Nat Decants provide thousands of wine reviews, articles, and winery listings, its really tantalizing features are its ability...
We’re often told what wines go well with certain food items, but we rarely discuss which wines and foods don’t mix well. Here's a few "don'ts" Though a Chardonnay pairs well with chicken, salmon, and creamy sauces, it fails to delight when sipped with hot, spicy foods! Even a good bottle of Pinot Noir can become offensive when served...
Although we’ve already given this app our stamp of approval back in May, its continued popularity and recent improvements have made it emerge as one of the most practical wine and food apps ever. Renamed from Nat Decants to Natalie MacLean Wine Picks & Pairings, and updated to version 2.2 on July 19th, the app’s already convenient barcode scanning logic...
Oysters have, since ancient times, been regarded as potent aphrodisiacs. While this belief may be partially attributed to myth and sympathetic magic, a group of Italian and American researchers found that oysters, along with certain other shellfish, are “rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of hormones.” History’s most famous lover, Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798), were he alive today...
Ever have questions when pairing food and wine? With WineStein Pro, a “genius” application for your iPhone, you can select the perfect wine for every meal. It’s like having a sommelier in your pocket, on call to offer advice. Simply enter your meal’s main ingredients, sauces and sides, and WineStein is ready to help! Using cutting-edge artificial intelligence, the app...
Vintage Cellars started building custom wine cellars in 1990. Based in San Macros, California, we have built custom wine cellars throughout the United States.
Our wine cellar design experts are waiting to turn your custom wine cellar dream into a reality. Tell us the style, size, budget, and other details and we will design a custom wine cellar for you.