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  1. To Cork, Bag, or Seal Another Way?

    To Cork, Bag, or Seal Another Way?

    In 2011, over 60% of the most popular domestic wine brands were sealed with natural cork.  This statistic comes from the Cork Quality Council, a Napa-based organization.  Based on surveys of A.C. Nielsen data, the executive director of the Quality Cork Council, Peter Weber, claims that there has been “a sharp increase in the sale of wine sealed with cork.” ...
  2. STACKED Wines: a New Packaging Concept

    STACKED Wines: a New Packaging Concept

    We're the first to admit we love an interesting innovation in the wine world. Wine is full of tradition and history, and that's great! We love old-world styled wine cabinets and stone-trimmed cellars, but there's also a place for fun, modern things like sideways wine racks and this interesting new concept for packaging. Currently a California phenomenon, this curious, creative...
  3. What to Look for in Ruby Port

    What to Look for in Ruby Port

    Of all the varieties of port, ruby port is arguably the smoothest.  Many wine drinkers unfamiliar with the world of port can easily enjoy glasses of this sweet, deep red wine.  Sampling ruby port is a fantastic way for wine drinkers to become familiar with port wine, and though often less complex than their tawny cousins, good ruby wines can...
  4. What to Look for in Tawny Port

    What to Look for in Tawny Port

    Unlike its ruby cousin, tawny port’s signature color is a bit lighter, as is its body.  Simply put, it’s a more delicate wine that exhibits some of the softer traits of vintage port.  Unlike expensive vintage port, however, tawny port is available at a fraction of the cost. Tawny port is produced by blending older port wines.  Similar to ruby...
  5. What Is Aged Tawny Port?

    What Is Aged Tawny Port?

    Like its younger cousin, tawny port, aged tawny port is one of the two most-popular wines aged in Portugal.  Both tawny and aged tawny port begin as ruby port, but instead of aging the wine between two to seven years to create tawny port, aged tawny port is kept at least ten years in wood.  Oftentimes, aged tawny port is...
  6. What’s Vintage Port?

    What’s Vintage Port?

    Just as aged tawny ports are created from the “best” harvests, vintage port is made from only the finest harvests.  In fact, vintage port is the most desirable of all port wines, and collectors often proclaim vintage ports to be the pinnacles of their collections.   Vintage ports are very full-bodied wines with an abundance of sturdy tannins that make...
  7. Natalie MacLean’s Updated iPhone App

    Natalie MacLean’s Updated iPhone App

    Instead of giving traditional (and often non-useful) gifts to your folks this Mother’s or Father’s Day, considering celebrating with the gift of a good bottle of wine that will really make them smile!  Sure ties, socks, and ceramic hippo nicknacks are the norm when you’re not really sure what your parents want or need, but a bottle of wine--a classy...
  8. Some Dry Red Wines

    Some Dry Red Wines

    Are you new to the world of wine?  Unsure what wines are considered to be “dry?”  Read on! Quite simply, dry wines have the greatest alcohol content; their juice ferments until almost all of the grape’s sugar is utilized.  Thus, dry wines contain little residual sugar and are not “sweet.”  What common wines are considered dry?  Here’s a little list...
  9. The Easiest Wine-Pairing Rule

    The Easiest Wine-Pairing Rule

    Without referring to the internet (or your latest wine-pairing app), how can you tell what wines go “best” with what foods?  Here’s the simplest wine pairing rule that almost always produces yummy results: if it grows together, it goes together!  That’s right.  Tried-and-true wine and food pairings often originate in the same region, and because of this synergy many pairings...
  10. So, You’re at a Benefit Dinner... and the Wine is Terrible!

    So, You’re at a Benefit Dinner... and the Wine is Terrible!

    Image from Service Culture International: www.choosingservice.com Perhaps you’re at a dinner to benefit a worthy cause, but the wine served with your prepared-in-bulk meal is mediocre at best, or in the worst situation downright undrinkable: what do you do?  Is there a graceful way to handle the situation?  If wine is being served with your meal, chances are you’re...
  11. Dare to Drink Wine by Yourself?

    Dare to Drink Wine by Yourself?

    Image from Wine Online Club: wineonlineclub.com Although there’s a stigma surrounding drinking by yourself, sometimes it can’t be helped!  What if circumstances make it so that you must dine alone?  What if your dinner companions call last-minute, sending regrets, after you’re already seated at your restaurant of choice?  Dining and drinking alone does not have to be a sad...
  12. Upcoming California Wine Events

    Upcoming California Wine Events

    Good morning, wine lovers! At Vintage Cellars, we know you love wine, and we're pretty sure you love California, too (we sure do!). There are dozens of fantastic wine events in California--in fact, you could probably go to a different California wine event every day for the rest of the summer if you really wanted to. Unfortunately, if you're anything...
  13. Grüner Veltliner: Your New Favorite White Wine

    Grüner Veltliner: Your New Favorite White Wine

    Summer is coming to an end. But it doesn't go quietly: the most sweltering weeks of the year are now upon us. The dark, heavy reds of winter are the last thing on your mind. So what to drink? If you haven't yet tried Grüner Veltliner, Austria's dominant white wine varietal, it's time you did. Grüner Veltliners can vary widely from bottle to...
  14. Wine Pronunciation Guide

    Wine Pronunciation Guide

    Image credit: Dave Morrison Photography Raise your hand if you've ever avoided ordering a bottle of wine at a restaurant because you couldn't pronounce the name. Bookmark our wine pronunciation guide and never fear embarrassing yourself again! Alvarinho: ahl-vah-ree-nyoh Albariño: al-bah-ree-nyoh Barbaresco: bar-bah-RES-coe Barbera: bar-BEH-rah Barolo: bar-ROW-lo Beaujolais: boh-zhuh-LAY Bordeaux: bohr-DOH Brut: BROOT Cabernet Franc: KA-behr-nay-FRAHNGH Cabernet Sauvignon: ka-behr-NAY so vihn-YOHN Cava: KAH-vah Chablis: sha-BLEE Chardonnay: shar-doh-NAY Châteauneauf-du-Pape: shah-toh-nuhf-doo-PAHP Chenin Blanc: SHUH-ihn BLAHNGK Chianti: key-AWN-tee...
  15. Jake's Corner: Three Days in Wine Country

    Jake's Corner: Three Days in Wine Country

    Our very own Jake Austad, master of custom cellar designs, is an expert at touring wine country, and wants to share his tips and tricks. Jake has insider advice on the best vineyards to visit, the best places to eat, and tourist traps to avoid. So pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of your favorite vino, and hear how...
  16. Jake's Corner: A Great Cabernet Sauvignon

    Jake's Corner: A Great Cabernet Sauvignon

    Cabernet Sauvignon is often referred to as the "King of Red Wine Grapes." Though it's grown in nearly ever major wine-producing country, it is most famously cultivated both in the soils of the Left Band of Bordeaux and California's Napa Valley, Cabernet is one of the world's most sought-after wine grapes. Part of what makes Cabernet so special is its...
  17. Wine Review: 2008 Creō Clajeux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

    Wine Review: 2008 Creō Clajeux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

    For many years, experts thought that the only worthwhile wines in the world came from Bordeaux, France. All that changed in 1976, at a wine competition in Paris known as the "Judgement of Paris." There, French judges did a blind taste-test that pitted Bordeaux wines from France against Cabernet Sauvignons from California. Much to everyone's surprise, the California wines blew...
  18. How do I know if my wine's gone bad?

    How do I know if my wine's gone bad?

    You're out to dinner at a restaurant and are served a bottle of wine you've never had before. The waiter arrives and pours you a taste. You take a sip. The flavor is...strange. Is the wine just new and unfamiliar, or is something wrong with it? Unsure of what to do, you tell the waiter it's fine, then spend the...
  19. How to Navigate a Wine List

    How to Navigate a Wine List

    Even the most confident of wine lovers can get bogged down by a wine list that reads like a novel. Here’s how to safely navigate a restaurant wine-list and pick a bottle that’s sure to please everyone at the table. Step 1: Choose a Color Start by choosing between white or red by considering what you'll be eating. You’re out...
  20. Five Tips for Flawless Wine and Cheese Pairings

    Five Tips for Flawless Wine and Cheese Pairings

    Wine and cheese is a classic combination. Whether it takes the form of a lavish spread laid out at a cocktail party, or a simple and elegant course at a dinner party, a wine and cheese pairing is something no guest is ever disappointed to see. But making the perfect wine and cheese match can be intimidating. These five tips...

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