As of 2025, according to winefolly.com, the United States has over 11,000 wineries with California holding the number one state spot with more than 4,700. Paso Robles accounts for about 300 of those and downtown has twenty nine within a four block radius. Paving the Way Hannah Weinberger is the first recognized woman winemaker in…
It seems like only yesterday, that I was asking a college friend “What the heck is a blog?” As she explained it to me, I was baffled. I bought the “Blogging for Dummies” book (remember those? Do they still exist?) and read it and decided to start a blog. I started writing on Blogger; a…
After a month of restraint and resolution, what better way to bid farewell to Dry January and welcome February than by pouring yourself a glass of Syrah? With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Syrah offers the perfect balance of warmth, spice, and velvetiness. Its bold flavors and intense depth make it an ideal companion…
Oh Merlot! The step-child of the wine world. The grape that could have been if it weren’t for a stupid line in a movie that also may be the MOST misunderstood line in any movie ever. But thankfully, Merlot seems to be on the rise again. Let’s celebrate it this Thursday, International Merlot Day. The…
One of my goals in wine education is to make it less snooty. Wine should not only be enjoyed by a few, rather it should be enjoyed by the masses. There is a constant line in the sand that separates oenophile aficionados and the wine neophyte. I wish this line wasn’t there, but it is…
Burgundian History Chardonnay’s birthplace is Burgundy, France. When the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed, Germanic people crossed the Rhine and established their dominancy at Worms in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The area is situated on the Upper Rhine about 60 km (40 mi) south-southwest of Frankfurt am Main. Worms is one of the oldest cities of northern Europe. Over the next…
I recently came across a conversation in the Wine Scholar Guild’s community section titled “Is it time to ditch wine scores?” The discussion was created by Justin Martindale, MW. He brought up the dialogue about wine score inflation. This is not an old topic. In fact, back in 2013 Wine Spectator, James Laub wrote “Anyone who…
Happy International Sherry Week! This week is the tenth celebration and you can find events near you by checking out the website. As with many of the wine regions in Spain, winemaking dates back to the Phoenicians in 1100 BC. Initially settling in the city of Gadir, now known as Cádiz and migrating inland to…
In an article recently published in Meininger’s International titled WHO Shifts Its Alcohol Narratives and the Wine Industry Faces New Challenges it is discussed how the World Health Organization is now on a mission to attack the wine world similarly to how it assaulted the tobacco industry. It seems that their newest goal is to make…
An article recently found its way to my inbox from Vanguard Magazine. It was titled Women who believe white wine makes them do crazy things! The heading was perfect clickbait, as it immediately raised my blood pressure and I found myself clicking the link to read more. The article begins with “After guzzling a few…
