Spirits
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Purr-fect Pairing: Cats and Wineries Create ‘Win-Win Situation’
Across the country, rescued cats are living “their best nine lives” at the most unexpected of places: wineries. Sometimes, it’s stray cats that adopt a winery or vineyard, as was the case at the Napa Valley’s Black Cat Vineyard. In the mid-1990s, a stray black cat wandered onto the property as proprietor and winemaker…
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Is There Such a Thing as Saké Terroir? It’s Complicated.
For over 2,500 years, the story of saké has evolved, percolating through the bedrock of the 47 prefectures contained in the archipelago of Japan. From snowy Hokkaido in the north to subtropical Okinawa in the south, saké and its culture evolved uniquely, molded by aspects of people and place. In wine, terms like regionality…
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This Hard Seltzer-Inspired Cocktail Is Perfect for Late Summer And Beyond
Adapted from 60-Second Cocktails: Amazing Drinks to Make at Home in a Minute, by Joel Harrison & Neil Ridley (Princeton Architectural Press, 2022). The juggernaut that is hard seltzer has been on a tear since White Claw and Truly debuted in 2016, surging during the pandemic and continuing robust sales through 2022. While the…
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The Rosé Sessions: The Chicks on How—and Why—They Got Into the Wine Business
When the 13-time Grammy-Award winning country music band The Chicks sat down for this interview, they were in Toronto on tour—their first since 2017. Asked how the tour was going, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire both paused, laughed and said in unison, “Well…” Despite having to cancel a few dates due to lead singer…
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A 4-Step Checklist to Assess the Quality of Wine
When tasting any wine, whether formally or just for your own pleasure, there are three main components you should examine: appearance, nose and palate. You might even use terms like ‘legs’ (an indication of alcohol content), or recite a laundry list of fruit, spice or savory aromas that can be detected on the nose…
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In Sparkling Memory: A Toast to the Queen’s Bubbly
The special edition English Sparkling Wine released earlier this year in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee sold out rapidly, weeks before the nation’s four-day fête in June honoring Her Majesty’s seven-decade reign, which sadly came to an end September 8, 2022. Retailed through the Royal Collection Trust (the charitable arm of the…
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What Does ‘Veraison’ Mean in Wine?
Whether it’s Pinot Grigio or Cabernet Sauvignon, all wine grapes start out green and hard. Veraison is a stage in the growing process when the grape begins to soften and change color on the vine, indicating the onset of ripening. Pronounced ver-Ray-zon, it’s both a physical and chemical transformation. It’s also a pretty conspicuous…
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6 Wine Companies That Got Their Start on Shark Tank
The wine world is constantly evolving. As trends change, new leaders emerge with innovations that keep the industry fresh, a little funky and wildly interesting. A few fortunate entrepreneurs get their start on Shark Tank, a TV show where people pitch ideas to a panel of investors. If all goes well, the start-up receives the…
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The World’s Oldest Grape-Bearing Vine Has Seen Centuries of Empires and Invasions
In the northeastern corner of Slovenia, you’ll find the oldest grape-bearing vine in the world, which has grown for over 400 years on the side of a house in Maribor, some 15 miles from the Austrian border. The vine was planted sometime in the late 16th century during the turmoil of recurring invasions from the…
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These 7 Resorts Pair Horseback Riding and Wine Tasting Perfectly!
From the medieval monks who used draft horses to clear vineyards in Burgundy to the horse culture of Spain’s Jerez de la Frontera, celebrated annually during Feria del Caballo, horses and wine have long held a deep connection. Today, serious wine programs and riding opportunities abound at resorts across North America. Guests can spend the day…