All about Terroir – Part 1

This is the first of a three-part series on terroir — one of wine’s most important and least understood concepts. Next week, we’ll continue the discussion, and in week three, we’ll take you to Burgundy, France, for the most famous real-world demonstration of terroir in the wine world. You’ve seen it on shelf talkers. You’ve…

Read More

Your Summer Reds Need to Chill

My number-one red wine rule for summer is simple: chill before you pour. Not ice-cold, and not the same way you would chill white or rosé, but just about every red will benefit from a little chill time before it hits the glass. A bottle poured straight from a warm shelf seldom shows its best…

Read More

Wine Regions of Portugal

Portugal is roughly the size of Indiana, but within its borders, you’ll find one of the most geographically varied wine landscapes on the planet. The green, wet northwest is cooled by the Atlantic and feels almost Celtic. Travel south and east, and the terrain transforms dramatically into hot, arid plains baking under the Alentejo sun.…

Read More

Why Portugal Is Having Its Moment

Some of the most exciting Tuesday Night wines in the shop right now are coming from Portugal. I understand that may sound a little crazy coming from a Francophile like me; however, week after week, it’s been the same thing: these best buys from Portugal are flying off the shelf, and I can hardly keep…

Read More

The Price of Wine in Turbulent Times

When you examine the traditional path a wine takes from vineyard to glass, you’ll find the moment it leaves the vigneron’s cellar, the clock starts ticking, and the nickels start stacking. It starts with the freight forwarder, who arranges the physical movement of wine from the vigneron to the port. Here, a customs broker handles…

Read More