News

Top 5 Reason to Drink Wines with Lower Alcohol!

I’m what you might call a “cheap date”, at least as far as alcohol goes (i.e. a little alcohol goes a LONG way with me). Alcohol in wines is a hugely debated issue; but how much is too much? You’ll find that some Californian Zin’s can approach 16-17%+ alcohol, whilst dry German Riesling’s can be under 9%. In wine, balance is key. Aussie Shirazes and California Zin’s / Cab’s can hold a higher alcohol quite…

Read More

The FLASQ – It’s What’s Inside That Counts

  It’s funny, I had a dream a few nights ago that someone was trying to sell me a wine that was packaged in a polystyrene bottle. I woke up the next morning and read this story! The FLASQ (produced by JT Wines) however is not  packaged in polystyrene, but aluminum (which by the way I still pronounce al-u-min-e-um). The FLASQ is the first domestic wine to be sold in quick-chilling, 100 percent recyclable 375ml aluminum…

Read More

Walgreens Launches New Wine Brand for American Heart Month

Walgreens is set to launch a new private label wine in the next few weeks. Colby Red is a California blend of Cabernet, Zinfandel, Shiraz, Merlot and Petite Sirah and will retail for $12.99.   The wine is dedicated to raising awareness for heart disease in association with the American Heart Association. Winemaker Daryl Groom was inspired to create the wine in honor of his 12-year old son, Colby Rex Groom, who was born with…

Read More

The World Wide Wine Network

I’m very happy to say my blog is now being syndicated on the World Wide Wine Network! The network acts as a classified space for over 16,000 wine professionals, and is owned and operated by fellow wine blogger Richard Randall.   Check out the World Wide Wine Network on Facebook

Read More

The Bottoms Up Doorbell

Just when you thought you had everything! Some GENIUS comes along and invents a wine glass doorbell!!! The "Bottoms Up" doorbell uses the sound from two crystal wineglasses, hanging upside down on either side of a miniature hammer, triggered by a traditional electromagnet doorbell. I’m just sad I didn’t get one for Christmas! Oh well, maybe next year… Available for $216.00 from GSelect

Read More

Top 10 Mistakes Wineries (and Other Businesses) Make on Facebook–Part 2

Continuing on from my post yesterday, these are my top 5 mistakes wineries (and other businesses) make on Facebook.     5. Not Embracing the Human Element As the Internet is evolving, it is becoming inherently more human. You can’t just setup a website, or in this case a Facebook Page and hope people love you and your content! In order to embrace the human element, it is wise to show your audience what you…

Read More

Top 10 Mistakes Wineries (and Other Businesses) Make on Facebook – Part 1

This is a post that I have been wanting to write for quite some time, but am only just now getting round to it. First of all I wanted to use real examples to illustrate each point, and I knew that would take a certain amount of labor in order to collect each screenshot. I am using wineries as an example of the top 10 mistakes made on Facebook, but it can indeed be applied…

Read More

Champagne Terms – You Need to be Drunk to Understand Them…

It’s no secret that all the different terms used to describe the production, style and quality is mind-numbing! Here’s my guide to just about every term imaginable that you will ever find on a Champagne label.   Champagne / Sparkling Wine Dryness Levels Brut Nature – You don’t see this used too much, but it means totally dry, no dosage (sweetening) added (less than 3 grams of sugar per liter) Extra Brut (also less than…

Read More

Is Wine the Same as Pot or Cigarettes?

This caught my attention…     It really concerns me that it’s being taught in schools that wine is the same as illegal drugs and cigarettes. My opinion has always been that if kids are educated (both in schools and at home) about moderate alcohol consumption, there is a lesser chance for binge drinking and alcoholism in later life. Maybe this is due to me being born and raised in England, where you can order and legally…

Read More

The Mother Vine in North Carolina – 400 years young!

If you saw my post last week on the 10 Facts About North Carolina Wine, you would have seen the #1 fact being the 400+ year old Scuppernong vine on Roanoke Island. Well I did a bit of digging, and I thought you might be interested to see what the vine actually looks like. The 400 year old vine actually had a lucky escape last year, when a utility contractor actually thought it was a…

Read More