“Meritage”—what is it, and why is it so pricey?
Answer one: American wine made by blending two or more grapes. Answer two: a winery’s premier wine. Continue reading
Category: Recent Columns
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day evokes images of a dram of Irish whiskey, a pint of stout. But wine?
Well, yes. Continue reading
Wine drinking temperatures
Wine experts say Americans serve white wines too cold and red wines too hot. Continue reading
Carlo Rossi
San Angeloans buy more Franzia House Favorites boxed wines than any other wine. Carlo Rossi jug wines are another top seller.
A brand of the E.&J. Gallo Winery, Carlo Rossi fits into the niche of a dependable, affordable table wine. It is named after Charles Rossi, a salesman for Gallo who married into the Gallo family. Charlie Rossi appeared in television ads for the brand in the 1970s. Continue reading
Merlot
As undisputed star of the 1990s varietal red wine boom, Merlot plantings in California soared from 2,000 acres in 1985 to more than 50,000 today. Continue reading
Valentine’s Day wine
Ah, Valentine’s Day. Dedicated to the one you love. Red is the official color, chocolate the lingua franca, romance the zeitgeist. Continue reading
Bottle closure
Historically, “pulling cork” is iconic to the wine experience. “Pulling plastic” and “twisting screw cap”, not so much. Closure opens up a wine world quandary. Continue reading
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine and Champagne/sparkling wines. Continue reading
Wine San Angelo drinks—Franzia
Wine snobs may rhapsodize about pulling cork on a supple Cab-Merlot blend from France or a buttery Chardonnay from the Texas Hill Country, but when San Angeloans drink wine, they are most likely to drink wines that are sweet, cheap, and come in a box.
According to beverage wholesalers and retailers, the top selling wines in San Angelo are the Franzia House Wine Favorites, 5-liter boxes of Chillable Red, Sunset Blush, Crisp White, or Fruity Red Sangria. San Angeloans buy more than 7,000 boxes of those Franzia wines each year—and that does not count some of the boxes purchased by restaurants and bars. Continue reading
Storing wine
Heat, temperature fluctuation, and light are wine’s enemies, and things you need to consider if you don’t consume wine shortly after purchase.
Here are simple tips: Continue reading