Bordeaux: A Tale of Two Banks

Over the years, my travels in France have always included a stop in Bordeaux. In addition to the requisite visits to vignerons and vineyards, the city itself is one of my favorite European destinations. With its vibrant culinary scene and rich history, Bordeaux is a mecca for wine and food lovers.  If you ask a…

Read More

In Defense of Wine

Every day, we’re presented with a barrage of choices that shape our lives. Some choices we’ll make are significant, while others are trivial at best. Some are purely personal, while others are undoubtedly universal. Many choices have widespread effects on our communities and even our country, like the ones we’ll all make at the polls…

Read More

Wine in a Warming World How Climate is Reshaping Wine’s Flavor and Future

Wine in a warming world -- Climate change and wine

Have you noticed that your favorite wine seems a bit different and doesn’t taste the same as it used to — even though it’s the same label you’ve enjoyed for years? Perhaps you’ve revisited a rock-solid, reliable white or red, only to discover it’s no longer a favorite. You might assume your taste buds are wonky, you may suspect there’s something off with the vintage (certainly not out of the realm of possibilities, but unlikely as an AWM customer), or you may think your tastes have changed. I submit to you that it may be none of the above — your favorite red or white simply may be a casualty of climate change.

Read More

Natural Wine – vs – Wine Made Naturally

If you strip away all the fancy wine lingo and marketing bells and whistles, at its core, the phrase natural wine refers to wine made with minimal intervention, emphasizing traditional methods and organic or biodynamic farming practices.

Read More