Happy Friday, folks! Here’s a roundup of the most fun links we’ve come across this week. So cheers to you, reader, and have a great weekend. And don’t spill your drink on that new iPhone!

Meet Albariňo (pronounced Al-ba-REEN-yo) – the most fashionable white grape in Spain. This thick-skinned, white grape is capable of many things – though it is most popularly known as a light and zesty white wine full of minerals and a slight effervescence. When fully ripe, the grape gives strong flavors of apricot and peach, and a more substantial feel. In Spain, the grape is most commonly grown in Rias Baixas DO; in Portugal, under the title Alvarinho (Al-va-REEN-yo), it is most commonly grown in Vinho Verde DO. Many other parts of the world such as Australia and California have also started producing unique expressions of Albariňo themselves. This grape has an endearing way of capturing the flavors of its environment; call it terroir. Albariňo is a high acid grape that can be enjoyed on its own or with foods such as salads, shellfish, vegetables or light chicken dishes. As always, [...]

Summer may officially be over, but it’s not quite time to pack up the picnic blanket and head indoors for hibernation. The fresh fall air is a perfect excuse to head outdoors, carve pumpkins, go apple picking and end the day relaxing in the orchard nibbling on cheeses and sipping wine. Despite cooler temperatures, if you’re a white wine drinker you run the risk of having warm wine by the time you settle down. Or at least you did until now. Luckily, The Cool Sack, an innovative company focused on keeping our favorite beverages optimal temperatures, is keeping it fresh with this week’s hot item and insider tip: the Four Sided Cool Sack. It’s the, self-described, “stylish and innovative way to keep wine chilled,” and there’s no disagreement there. How does it work? Think of the ice pack your mom used to put in your lunch box and combine it [...]

This past Thursday, I had the distinct pleasure of having lunch with Barossa winemaker Rolf Binder.  It’s always a bit unnerving to meet someone you don’t know for lunch, knowing full well that they are going to pour you six different glasses of wine – that they made – and be very interested to see your reaction. But Rolf’s an Aussie. A Hungarian Aussie. So we ate burgers and fries (and dessert!), tasted some seriously interesting wines, and had a blast.  Look at his picture! He’s just as laid back and cool as he appears. Rolf’s parents purchased the Veritas property in the 1950s, a Barossa property of about one hundred acres.  Apparently Rolf was playing around with grapes by the age of four, and after stints at school and at other properties he became the red winemaker at Veritas. Not to be outdone, Rolf’s sister Christa is known as [...]

Historically, the barrier to entry for owning a wine brand was astronomically high.  For hundreds of years, your only hope was to be the first male born into a wealthy, chateau-equipped family in France.  More recently, your chances were much better but still pretty bleak: you needed to be a brilliant Silicon Valley entrepreneur on the fast track to IPO or Google buyout. Provided you played your cards right, you ended up with more money and time than you ever dreamed of and suddenly felt a need to produce cult Cabernet in Napa Valley. Plop down $10 million for a prime spot in Oakville or Stag’s Leap, hire the best winemaker money could buy, and watch people line up on your email list to buy that $300 liquid gold. In almost every sense, the wine industry has changed dramatically since even the nineties.  Wine brands don’t need their own facilities [...]

We’ve rented out the legendary and incredible man-made floating island on the San Francisco Bay for a private lush evening with live music, delicious drinks (lots of tasty rums) and spirited tastings. What’s more, we’ve teamed up with Spark, a San Francisco based non-profit that supports women-led programs that ignite global change. All profits from the event will go to support Spark’s efforts.

  All I did was innocently ask my guide in Abruzzo, Italy, an historical question. I was, in no way, prepared for his vehement response. “The Romans!” bellowed Luigi Minnucci.  “They drank FILTHY wine!!” Granted, Signore Minnucci was effusive even by Italian standards, but he did know what he was shouting about. “First, the ancient Romans didn’t filter the juice,” he exclaimed. “Then, the pitch lining and even the terracotta from the amphorae leached into the vino and, ultimately, there was the lead!” He was right, of course. But that didn’t stop the Roman Empire from proselytizing the product of the grape and reaping the financial rewards of selling it. At its zenith, the Roman Empire sprawled from England to Africa, Spain to Mesopotamia. Its legacy is roads and aqueducts, architecture and art, place names and wine. The last is all the more amazing because, as Luigi Minnucci asserted, most of [...]

The United States’ relationship with alcoholic beverages has always been a dynamic one. Even as you read this, both state-level and federal-level legislation to change alcohol laws is being introduced. In 1697, what is now the state of Massachusetts declared “strong liquor” illegal. A tolerance movement beginning in Evanston, IL became the impetus for prohibition’s Volstead Act. There are still dry counties in some states. Some states take on the role of liquor store. Some stand between you and your Sunday game day beers. The list goes on! As diverse and ever-changing as our laws regulating alcohol have been, examining exactly which drinks fall in and out of favor proves even more fascinating. What did Americans first drink? And more specifically, what did the founding fathers seek out to quench their colonial thirst as they worked to establish a nation? In a word: Madeira. There are two main reasons as [...]