by Sean Ludford | Jun 26, 2017 | News Feed, Wine
National Association of Wine Retailers June 25th, 2017 In the face of the declining brick and mortar retail sector at the hands of Amazon and other online players, it’s hard to overstate the shortsightedness of the opponents of retailer-to-consumer wine shipping. Without the ability to access the broader, more expansive national marketplace for fine wine via direct interstate shipment , traditional specialty wine retailers...
by Sean Ludford | Jun 26, 2017 | Wine
Source: BeverageDaily.com June 25th Rosé has shown strong growth over the past year and is outpacing overall US wine growth, a trend which will ramp up during the summer months thanks to the pink drink’s light and versatile appeal, says Nielsen. The rosé wine category is valued at $207m and has grown by 53% in volume sales over the last 52 weeks, outpacing the...
by Sean Ludford | Jun 17, 2017 | Wine
Winemaking in California began far before this land was a state. Franciscan monks first planted grapes in California near San Diego in 1769. They methodically moved north up the coast establishing missions and along with them vineyards that by 1823 reached from the Mexican border to Sonoma County. Soon after, various European settlers established vineyards in California often bringing their native grape varietals, as...
by Sean Ludford | Mar 22, 2017 | Food & Eating, Wine
Ordering wine in a restaurant is a task that strikes fear into the hearts of many diners. Many people are intimidated by the entire process afraid to look foolish. Relax. There is no need to approach what should be an enjoyable meal with dread or doubt. Here are a few rules to obey when ordering wine in restaurants. I offer 10 tips on how to...
by Sean Ludford | Mar 1, 2017 | Wine
I suppose that we have made progress since we have to dig a bit deeper to uncover the unsung varietals of Italy. Not long ago many grapes that now enjoy minor-celebrity status like: Aglianico, Arneis, Cortese, Falanghina, or Verdicchio were virtually unknown. (If you want to learn about these and more grapes read – Speak Italian Grapes and don’t miss our Italian Wine Primer.) Lucky...
by Sean Ludford | Feb 16, 2017 | Travel, Wine
Enoteca is an Italian word derived from old Greek that literally means, wine repository. The old tradition of the enoteca was created to give visitors to Italy’s many regions a chance to taste the local wines at cheap prices before buying. Today, most enotecas are independently owned and operated just like any other bar or restaurant. However, the traveling wine lover will be pleasantly...
