On Saturday, some of us met up at Tracy’s shooting range, donned eye and ear protection, and experienced the magic of fragmenting paper targets. Very fun afternoon. To transition into evening fun, Delaynie heated Beef Dip (family fave!) and arranged a cheese and salami tray. John constructed chicken, beef, and veggie kabobs for the barbie. […]

So much artistry and science goes into making wine. Sometimes we can forget that it all starts with the humble grape. So how does that wonderful fruit come to achieve its ripe wonderfulness? After the fall harvest, vineyard managers trim back their grape vines severely. To the untrained eye, the resultant vines look near death. […]

Have you ever struggled to pair the perfect wine with an amazing meal? That happens at our house constantly! To no one’s surprise, I couldn’t resist writing an app for that. The premier version is now live on the site. Check out the (slightly) revised menu bar; the new feature is right between “Plan a […]

The words “Napa Valley” are inextricably connected to “wine” today. Of course, this hasn’t always been the case. Have you ever wondered how Napa became the wine-growing powerhouse that it is today? The Napa Valley was first settled by Native American tribes, who were drawn to the rivers and streams that fed the valley floor. […]

With the holidays rolling in again, everyone’s thoughts turn to “Oh, my! What can I get for Fred?” or whomever. But is Fred a wine lover? I would hope so! Don’t despair, here are some ready gift ideas for everyone you know who enjoys wine. And if they don’t enjoy wine, will they really enjoy […]

It’s not like we really need another reason to enjoy wine. After all, wine is good for us. We know that the resveratrol in the wine that helps fights aging. The social aspects of wine tasting help keep us connected to our community. Now there’s more good news: it seems that champagne improves memory! Will […]

Ah, the noble wine cork. Protector of the precious nectar, yet frequently blamed for flavor changes completely unrelated. But a cork is a cork is a cork, right? Well, yes, unless we’re talking screw-tops or those nasty plastic thingamajigs. After thousands of years, a new and exciting advancement in the world of corkage is revealed: […]

Did you know that May 23rd is National Chardonnay Day? This is proof that we live in the greatest civilization of all time! A day to celebrate Chardonnay. What could be better? So clearly this Toast Thursday is dedicated to the most popular of grapes, the Chardonnay. Despite what you may think, all you red […]

Serving wine at parties is wonderful. Having people lose or confuse their wine glass at a party is less wonderful. Enter the solution: the wine glass charm. So this week we raise our glass to the wine glass charm, that cute little “this is mine” marker that keeps everyone’s mitts off of my Merlot. At […]

Wine spends a lot of time cooped up. First it’s cooped up in a grape, then a barrel or tank. Finally, it is cooped up in a wine bottle. During all of this time, it is protected from too much exposure to air, for its own good. But what is the single easiest, yet effective […]