Wine Stars

Wine Stories and News for the Young at Heart

Organic Wine and Pairing Menu for Thanksgiving

Whether you are dining on turkey, ham, or a vegan feast for the Thanksgiving holiday, there is always room for several bottles of wine at the table. And given the current trends for wellness and transparency, organic and other “green-label” wines may be the best choice. But how do you track down wines produced organically? Thanksgiving dinner with organic wine. GETTY Some Organic Wine Brands for Thanksgiving According to a recent OIV report, only 6% of certified organic wine is produced globally Given that organic vineyard certifications require at least 3 years of documentation, proving that no chemicals were used [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-02-18T14:39:59-08:00November 23, 2021|

The Marselan Wine Grape Gaining Popularity In Bordeaux, China And Napa Valley

Global warming has forced wine regions around the world to consider new grape varietals that can better withstand the forecasted rise in temperatures. One such wine grape, Marselan, appears to be gaining more traction in Bordeaux, China and Napa Valley. A Selection of Global Wines Made from the Marselan Grape L. THACH “We set up a test plot of Marselan in 2016,” reported Laurent Rousseau, owner of Vignobles Rousseau in Bordeaux. “It gives a powerful wine, very colorful but fleshy and elegant…. We will produce this (as Bordeaux) AOC in 2021.” Indeed, the Marselan grape is one of four red [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2022-02-18T14:40:33-08:00November 15, 2021|

Jordan Winery Wins Prize for Best Halloween Party

There are many wineries in the US that are known for their innovative wine events, such as lobster dinners, dog walks through the vineyard, and colorful holiday wine-themed parties, but no one can compete with Jordan Winery’s Annual Halloween Party. Each autumn, members of the wine trade and special clients pray they receive an invitation to attend. If they don’t, they can request a position on the waitlist, and hope someone cancels. But this rarely happens. Galactic Queen and Avatar Attend Jordan Winery's 2021 Halloween Party Unusual Invitations Part of Jordan Winery’s Appeal Part of the pleasure in receiving an [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-11-01T10:37:29-07:00October 31, 2021|

How Napa And Sonoma Vineyards Are Going Beyond Sustainability To Embrace Climate-Positive Goals

Climate positive (carbon negative) goals in Napa and Sonoma vineyards. PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY California wineries have long been leaders in environmentally friendly practices, because they recognized early on that wine grapes are one of the most susceptible crops to global warming. Indeed by 2019, 99% of Sonoma County vineyards were certified sustainable and 94% of Napa vineyards and wineries achieved certification under the Napa Green program. However, now both counties have established even more aggressive goals to reduce their carbon footprint and become climate positive – which is beyond carbon neutral, with negative emission reductions. The sustainability certifications the vineyards achieved [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-10-18T17:50:21-07:00October 18, 2021|

The Greening Of Bordeaux: The Two-Pronged Approach Wineries Are Taking To Address Climate Change

With the UN Report on Climate Change 2021 calling for a 'code red for humanity', the timing for the Bordeaux wine region to ramp up its environmental efforts couldn’t come any sooner. This is because wine grapes have long been considered “the canary in the coal mine,” in terms of notifying vineyard owners around the world that climate change is here and real. Indeed, in a 2005 scientific report entitled Climate Change and Global Wine Quality, Dr. Greg Jones and his colleagues warned that the 2∘C warming environment would make some wine regions, such as Bordeaux, “exceed a climatic threshold [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-09-14T15:55:07-07:00September 14, 2021|

How a Football Player Saved a Nearly Extinct Portuguese Wine Grape

Just as a bird or animal species can come close to the brink of extinction, so too can wine grapes. Currently there are over 1300 vine varieties in the world, but most people are only familiar with the commonly produced ones, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. However, there are a few countries in the world, such as the Republic of Georgia, Greece, Italy and Portugal where very rare indigenous wine grapes are found. In fact, Portugal, with a surface area six times smaller than France, has over 250 varieties. This gives Portugal the highest density of indigenous [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-08-11T11:15:07-07:00August 11, 2021|

Meditating with Champagne

NOTE: Portions of this post were originally published in Forbes. Meditating with Champagne Recently I was invited to attend a Zoom webinar where we learned how to meditate with Champagne. It was organized by Champagne Henriot, who developed a partnership with Dr. Elisha Goldstein, the Founder of the Mindful Living Collective. At first I was a little skeptical, but after we completed the 10 minute meditation and debriefed it, I found it was not only an eye-opening experience for me, but for others as well. In fact the process has been so successful, that Champagne Henriot trade-marked the experience as [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-06-24T16:09:01-07:00June 24, 2021|

Celebrate World Cocktail Day with a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc Cocktail

Contributed by Fiona Fang - May 13th marks World Cocktail Day, the same day in 1806 when “Cocktail” was first defined. Have you ever tried cocktails made with an interesting twist of wine? How about a refreshing Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc cocktail perfect for the rising temperatures? Flip Mode by Saeed House (Photo Credit: Saeed House) A Mixologist Crafted Tropical Sauvignon Blanc Seasoned mixologist Saeed “Hawk” House (@cocktailsbyhawk), who has been featured in Food & Wine, Esquire and Forbes for his delicious creations, has partnered with multi award-winning Brancott Estate to create “Flip Mode”, a unique spring/summer inspired cocktail using Brancott [...]

By Fiona Fang|2021-05-13T12:52:38-07:00May 10, 2021|

Constellation’s Wine Premiumization Strategy Is Starting To Pay Off

Originally published in Forbes. Constellation’s sell-off of its lower-priced wine brands to E&J Gallo seems to be paying off in terms of promoting their “premiumization” strategy in the wine arena. In an April 2021 earnings call with investors, President and CEO Bill Newlands reported, "Our retained wine and spirits portfolio, excluding divested brands, delivered net sales growth of 5% for the year, driven by double digit volume growth for Meiomi, Kim Crawford and the Prisoner Brand Family." Bottles of Constellation Brands Inc. Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc © 2018 BLOOMBERG FINANCE LP Newlands also admitted that these three “wine power brands” [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-04-14T13:31:43-07:00April 14, 2021|

The White and Pink Side of Piedmont Wine

For anyone who has traveled to the tiny wine villages of Piedmont, Italy, with vine covered hills flanked by the snow-covered Italian Alps in the distance, the memory is usually pleasurable. Thoughts of tannic red Barolo and Barbaresco wines paired with black truffle pasta often come to mind, along with sparkling Moscato di Asti with pear gallete for dessert. Piedmont Italy with Wine Villages and Italian Alps. Photo Credit: Stefano Pertusia But rarely does one hear about the still white and pink wines of Piedmont, and except for the Cortese grape from the region of Gavi, many of these are [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-04-14T10:11:29-07:00April 13, 2021|

Peacocks and Torture Chairs Make for a Magical Visit to Castello di Amorosa Winery

(Contributed by Cosimo Lindstadt) My most memorable winery visit was during a week-long vacation to Napa Valley with my girlfriend. Driving west through the lush green valley floor, we caught our first glimpse of the winery: A beautiful 13th century Tuscan castle with complete with turrets – Castello di Amorosa Winery. Driving up the steep drive-way, we passed acres of vineyards on each side, with the tiny pale green leaves of budbreak. Right after parking our car and walking up to the castle, we spotted a bright blue peacock strutting along a rock wall. It was then that we knew [...]

By Guest Contributor|2021-03-23T18:20:39-07:00March 23, 2021|

How Adding Wine to Your Coffee Makes You a True Italian

Contributed by Ruby Collins - When coffee first arrived in Italy in the 17th century, it was an elite, expensive drink. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when technological advances and political changes made it accessible and available to the masses. The espresso we know today entered Italian culture with the aim of encouraging higher productivity in labourers in the 1930’s. It was during this time that the Italian government, led by Mussolini, began to face tariffs and sanctions which caused the prices of everyday products, such as coffee, to rise significantly. Italians had become quickly accustomed to their caffeine-boosting [...]

By Guest Contributor|2021-03-01T18:28:32-08:00February 24, 2021|

Ten Tips to Choose the Best Wine for A Perfect Dinner Date

Contributed by Andrew Christian - For the ideal date, wine and a little romance go together. It warms the heart and slackens the tongue. If you're going on a hot date, you need to pick a cool wine. So how can you pick a wine that will give you the most value for your money, while at the same time, please your date? Following are 10 tips that will assist you in creating the perfect wine dinner date at a restaurant, or for a relaxing wine dinner at home. Romantic Wine Dinner. Photo Credit: Pixabay Do You Know About Your [...]

By Guest Contributor|2021-02-20T12:25:47-08:00February 20, 2021|

Overview of 2020 US Wine Market Stats and 10 Hot Wine Trends for 2021

Though the US wine market endured a very bumpy ride in 2020, with many dire predictions of loss and doom due to the pandemic and wildfires, now that the numbers are in, the results are not that dismal. Yes, of course, on-premise wine sales plummeted, but off-premise and online sales came to the rescue. This caused the year to end with a surprising increase of 4.98% in still wine volume at 372 million 9-liter cases in 2020, compared to 357 million cases in 2019, according to BW166. Of this total, 84.7 million cases of still wine were imported in 2020. [...]

By Dr. Liz Thach, MW|2021-02-26T08:53:29-08:00February 11, 2021|

Wine that Connects Cultures, from Asia to America and Beyond

Making a great wine is an orchestration of art and science, passion and hard work. ShunYi Cellars caught my attention recently, which started with the Founder’s personal story of wine discovery that inspired his mission to craft quality wines showcasing premium Californian terroir to bridge cultures and share values. ShunYi's inaugural wines in their vineyards. Meaning of Shun Yi Emperor Shun, highly regarded for his wisdom and integrity, is said to come from the city of Jinan in Shandong Provence, where Founder George Zhang was born. Residents of Jinan are known as “Shun Yi” – descendants of Shun. Interestingly, Shandong [...]

By Fiona Fang|2021-01-30T17:29:30-08:00November 13, 2020|

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