The Mystique of
California Red Blends
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Have you ever considered why red blends continue to dazzle consumers and remain one of the hottest trends in the wine market? Perhaps it is their eye catching, colorful labels with quirky, offbeat names that you will immediately remember or may want to quickly forget. There is Fat Bastard, Mad Housewife, Broke Ass, Sassy Bitch and too many others to mention in a short piece. Admittedly, the names can be amusing, but what lies underneath can be quite serious
Paraduxx Winery
WINE REVIEWS
VINE EDUCATION
Virginia's Explosive
Wine Industry
Anyone who considers themselves to be a reasonably well-informed wine drinker knows that America’s West Coast is loaded with delicious wines coming from all three of the states bordering the Pacific Ocean. They probably know that New York State has a bunch of wineries on Long Island and in the Finger Lakes District. If they live in or are familiar with the Midwest, they know that Michigan and Ohio have long been making wines. Most people do not realize that all 50 states have at least one bonded active winery – even Alaska!
LIFESTYLE
Ultimate Indulgences:
Chocolate and Wine
Who can resist chocolate, especially when paired with wine? I recently had a really tough assignment, an interview where I tasted ten fabulous chocolates to write this story. I sacrificed so much for ChicagoWinePress. Try not to feel too sorry for me!
I did a virtual tasting with a fine chocolatier at the renowned Graham’s Fine Chocolates and Ice Cream in suburban Chicago, located in Geneva and Wheaton. (www.grahamschocolate.com) Vice president Jayni Wunderlich shared her experience, as she has grown up in her family’s business..
WINEMAKER
PROFILE
Dave Phillips,
"Lodi's Professor
of Blends"
I first traveled through Lodi, California about a decade ago in search of some Old Vine Zinfandel on my way to Stockton. Years earlier, I had journeyed through Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma on the same mission. I had envisioned Lodi to be a bustling metropolitan city surrounded by rolling hills interspersed with elaborate wineries and a lush landscape as is the case in Napa and Sonoma. Although not quite what I had expected, I found a new reverence for unconventional red blends and a renewed admiration for Old Vine Zinfandel. They are both an integral part of Lodi’s identity.