Weed Wine: What Is It And How To Make It

Guest Post by Anthony Franciosi of Honest Marijuana

There are actually two types of weed wine — jackpot, right! — alcoholic and nonalcoholic (a.k.a. dealcoholized).

Alcoholic weed wine is just regular wine mixed with your favorite strain of cannabis. There’s a bit more involved than just dumping a baggie of pot into a bottle of wine.

With the alcoholic variety of weed wine, it’s also important to remember that you’ll get a one-two punch of alcohol and marijuana, so be sure to take it easy until you get used to the effects.

Nonalcoholic weed wine is regular wine that has been dealcoholized, mixed with additives to reintroduce flavor and texture, and combined with cannabis to give you the stoner experience.

With this type of weed wine, the cannabis, rather than the alcohol, gives the beverage its potency and effects.

You can’t make nonalcoholic weed wine at home — it requires some fancy and expensive equipment — but the product is growing more popular and is finding its way into more and more dispensaries across the country.

The History Of Weed Wine

Though professionally produced weed wine is made with modern techniques and modern technology, the process of infusing wine and other liquids — such as tea, coffee, water, and milk — has been around for thousands of years. In fact, weed tea was probably the first edible in recorded history and you know some cannagenius steeped weed into his or her wine shortly thereafter. The early methods for making weed wine are still viable today and, like weed tea, simply involve soaking dried, cured, and decarboxylated weed in your favorite brand of vino.

How Modern Weed Wine Is Made

Modern weed wine manufacturers make use of blended nanoemulsions rather than simply infusing (steeping) the cannabis in the liquid. Nanoemulsions are oil-based, water-soluble solutions that dissolve more readily into liquids. These emulsions are made by using energy to break up oil into smaller and smaller droplets. The droplets are then encapsulated in specially formulated solutions so that they will remain suspended (dissolved) in liquids. Without this modern emulsion process, the cannabis oils would eventually separate and your bottle of weed wine would look like a lava lamp.

How To Make Your Own Weed Wine

Stove-Top Method

Ingredients

• ⅛ to ¼ ounce of high-quality cannabis

• Cheesecloth

• Your favorite wine

• Grinder

• Punch bowl or large pot

• Pan

• Aluminum foil

• Plastic wrap

Weed Wine Pairings

If this is your first time making your own weed wine, you may be wondering what weed strains and wine varieties pair well together.

Here’s what we’ve discovered over the years:

• Indicas work well with bold and robust wines
• Sativas work well with light and sweet wines
• As a general rule, dry wines infuse better than lighter wines

For best flavor and experience, we recommend considering these guidelines when making your own weed wine, but don’t be afraid to experiment and try something completely different.

Instructions

1. Decarboxylate your buds in a 230-degree oven for 110 minutes (your kitchen, and the rest of your house, WILL smell like weed so plan accordingly).
2. Let the cannabis cool completely.
3. Shred the buds in a grinder (not too small)
4. Dump the decarboxylated, ground ganja in the center of a cheesecloth.
5. Depending on how much cannabis you have and how big your cheesecloth is, you may have to use more than one.
6. Tie the corners together to form a closed bag.
7. Pour your wine into a punch bowl or large pot.
8. Place cheesecloth bags into the wine.
9. Cover the container with plastic wrap
10. Store the container in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
11. Stir occasionally.
12. At the end of the steeping period, remove the weed bags from the wine and squeeze to get all the cannabinoids out.
13. Pour the wine through a clean piece of cheesecloth or a small-hole strainer before serving.
14. Enjoy!

Though this method of infusing cannabis into your favorite wine does take a long time, the results are well worth the wait.

Need something faster? Try the crockpot method in the next section.

Crockpot Method

Ingredients

• Crockpot
• ⅛ to ¼ ounce of high-quality cannabis
• Cheesecloth
• Your favorite wine
• Grinder
• Pan
• Aluminum foil

Instructions

1. Decarboxylate your weed in a 230-degree oven for 110 minutes.
2. Let the cannabis cool completely.
3. Shred the buds in a grinder (not too small)
4. Dump the decarboxylated, ground ganja in the center of a cheesecloth.
5. Depending on how much cannabis you have and how big your cheesecloth is, you may have to use more than one.
6. Tie the corners together to form a closed bag.
7. Pour your favorite wine into the crockpot.
8. If you want to add herbs and spices to the wine (cinnamon, for example, is perfect for the holidays), now is the time to do so.
9. Set the crockpot on low and let the weed wine steep for two hours.
10. Check the mixture every 20 or 30 minutes to ensure that the liquid isn’t exceeding a slow boil (any more than that and you run the risk of burning the weed and cooking away the wine).
11. At the end of two hours, turn off the crockpot and let the wine cool.
12. Remove the weed bags.
13. Pour the weed wine through a clean cheesecloth or small-hole strainer.
14. Serve and enjoy.

This is a great recipe for ganja get-togethers because it’s easy to assemble and cooks quickly. You can even drink it warm on a cold winter’s day.

Start Your Weed Wine Adventure Slowly

All edibles — including weed wine — are slow-acting and long-lasting. This is because the THC or CBD has to travel through your digestive system and then through your circulatory system before it reaches your brain. As a result, you may have to wait anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes to feel the effects. Once they hit, though, they can last from 6 to 10 hours. Then you’ve got the effects of the alcohol to contend with (if you drink the alcoholic variety). Alcohol acts more quickly than cannabis so you may feel a bit of a blur within 5 to 10 minutes of imbibing that lasts for 30 to 90 minutes.

Regardless of which type of weed wine you drink, take it slow. Don’t chug a glass and, when nothing happens, chug another one. That’s a recipe for disaster. Sip and savor the wine in your glass, talk with your friends, and wait for the experience to kick in.

Buy Or DIY?

Buying weed wine is probably the easiest way to get a good high because everything is done for you. All you have to do is pour a glass and enjoy. But with that convenience comes the question of what’s inside. What strains did the brewer use? Were the strains grown organically? Are there added chemicals to worry about? Home-brewed weed wine eliminates all those questions. Yes, you have to contend with the potent mix of alcohol and cannabis, but, if you’re careful, the combination can be a lot of fun.

We suggest trying both before settling on the one that works best for you.

If you’re looking for a marijuana high in drinkable form, choose a store-bought, dealcoholized weed wine. If you can’t get professionally-manufactured weed wine in your area, give one of the DIY methods outlined above a try.

It really comes down to personal preference, so it’s always better to try both options, experience what they have to offer — flavor, aroma, texture, potency, quality of experience — and then make that your go-to weed wine.

The Best Weed Wine Is Made From High-Quality Strains

Regardless of whether you buy or DIY, the best weed wines are those made from high-quality marijuana strains. For this, and all marijuana products, the old adage is true: Quality in equals quality out. When you buy (or brew) weed wine made from high-quality, organic ingredients (like the strains from Honest Marijuana), you get the best possible final product that money can buy. Sure, you can save money by steeping regs and mids in your vino, but that will result in a low-quality final product that will produce less-than-stellar effects.

Going with high quality strains is the best way to drink your weed. Cheers!

Bio: Anthony Franciosi, also known as Ant, is an honest to goodness farmer whose fingers are as green as the organic cannabis he grows. He is the proud founder of Honest Marijuana- an all natural, completely organic growery in Colorado.

HonestMarijuana.com

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Just Brew It, Part Three: Understanding and Buying Sake

If you haven't read Part One: A brief history of Sake then go ahead and check it out. Or not. It's not required reading for this article, although Sake's history is a fascinating one. But I do suggest that you head on over to Part Two: Making Sake if you haven't read it already, because that's where I tell you all about what the heck Sake is and how it's produced. 

At the end of Part Two: Making Sake we had one question before we could finish making our Sake: Will this Sake be a Futsu-Shu (lower quality Sake) or a premium Sake? And if it's premium then will it be a Honjozo or a Junmai? This determines whether it will be bottled as is or if alcohol and water are added, and talking about that made more sense here than there.

So let's take this Sake series one part further and first take a look at the different categories of Sake to help make your life as a Sake consumer a lot easier, and then we'll move on and talk about buying and drinking Sake. Don't worry because I'm purposefully trying to avoid overloading you with information. I want you to learn about this outstanding beverage and take interest in it and not run away scared, because it is absolutely worth it.

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Just Brew It, Part Two: Making Sake

If you haven't read Part One: A brief history of Sake then go ahead and check it out. Or not. It's not required reading for this article, but Sake's history is a fascinating one.

In the next two parts of this trilogy I'm going to give you a run-down on the things that you NEED to know if you want to start getting into Sake while I consciously leave out the things you don't (unless you want to become an expert), and here's why:

Sake is actually not a hard thing to understand, and learning about it has felt the least like work than anything else in my alcohol related education. What makes it hard is the words and terminology. Myself as an English-only speaking person, at least with wine I'm mostly dealing with languages that are also based on Latin like French and Italian, so learning things like Methode Champenoise is not a big deal. However, Japanese is a whole other thing and the terminology can be pretty hard to grasp. For example: Seimaibuai. See what I mean?

I have thoroughly enjoyed this Sake adventure that I've been on and I want you to get as interested in this category as I am, so I'm going to do my best to provide some Sake education without scaring you away with an overload of information. But that also doesn't mean we're not gonna get nerdy. So let's begin! Welcome to the world of Sake!

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All Hail Riesling, The Ruler of the Rhine and Our Hearts!

May is Riesling Month on TheWineStalker.net!

German wine is a wonder and dangerously close to not being possible. The position it holds on the planet and its altitude makes it cold for most of the year, so the plant growing season is longer and more drawn out than most wine varieties can handle, and they won't ripen in time before winter. But thanks to the long days, the vines see plenty of sun. The best wine growing regions in the country have slate soil and steep slopes along the Rhine River and its tributaries like Ahr, Nahe, and especially Mosel. The slate soil absorbs both direct sunlight and the reflected sunlight off of the rivers to warm the grapes above, and those rivers also help to moderate temperatures. But even still, it takes some special grapes and vines to handle the German climate.

So the entire world is lucky that Germany spawned one of the noblest of grapes: Riesling. Physically the vines's tough wood can handle the climate like a champion, and its fruit has the right amount of sugar and acidity to make world class wine in it as well. This is the varietal that makes me smile more than any other. Let's take a bow for Riesling, the ruler of the Rhine and our hearts!

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Cooking with wine while keeping it simple and inexpensive

Working in the retail sector of the wine industry, I know that when a customer says “I need a wine for cooking” what they’re really saying is “I want the cheap stuff". But here’s the thing: you can get quality wine for cheap that will result in a better dish. Seriously, you really can, but you just need to know where to look.

And, like Julia Child always said, “never cook with something you wouldn’t drink”. Why’d she say that? Well, what are you gonna do with the rest of the bottle? Drink it while you're cooking like Julia did or drink it with your meal, of course!

So I’m going to give you the recommendations that I give to my customers looking for wine to cook with, and I’m going to keep it quick and simple.

WHITE WINE

Unless a recipe specifically states otherwise, Sauvignon Blanc generally is the best white wine to cook with because of its acidity and citrus flavors, although I would stay away from New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs because those can get really pungent and overpowering. Sauvignon Blanc is especially excellent with seafood and mussels, but also the best choice for any recipe that you need generic “white wine” for.

My go-to Sauvignon Blanc for cooking is Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc from Chile. You’ll find it for around $6 to $7 and sometimes on 2-for deals. It’s perfect for cooking in price and attributes, and a joy to drink. The entire 120 line of varietals is outstanding and affordable, but that Sauv Blanc and their Merlot take it to another level.

I would only cook with a Chardonnay unless I have no other wine on hand or unless the recipe calls for it, but I definitely wouldn’t use heavily oaked Chardonnay with dishes that include garlic. That oak and garlic mix is going to make the dish taste burnt, and that’s the last thing you want.

Experimenting with different wines for your favorite dishes can be useful and have surprising results. I cook haddock in a pan on the grill with crumbled Ritz crackers soaked in Sherry for breading on top, and I’ve found the best wine to cook it in the pan with is a Riesling. Since my wife likes Barefoot Riesling, we regularly have it in the house. The sweetness that it adds plays very well with the characteristics of the Sherry breading.

RED WINE

Things get more complicated when it comes to reds so I’m going to list my top suggestion for the most common dishes that people ask about.

My wife makes killer beef stew and pot roast, and when she’s planning on making one of them I pick up a bottle of Excelsior Syrah. This South African Syrah will only cost you $7 and it has good body, structure, fruit, and a pepperiness that really contributes to the dish. Also, it’s a great deal in quality for the price if you’re just going to drink it and not cook with it.

Tomato sauce! You can't make tomato sauce without wine, right? My grandmother on my father’s side was from Avellino, northeast of Naples, so I had a lot of Naples red sauce growing up. That’s when the meat is cooked in the sauce whole. Whole pork chops, sausage, veal, and sometimes chicken. The chicken, when used, would break apart and become part of the sauce. You’d eat the pasta with sauce as a different serving separately or as a side, like steak and potatoes, instead of having the meat cut up and mixed in together with the pasta.

Because my grandfather’s family, her husband, was from Sicily, I pay homage to both of them by making her sauce as close to hers as I can but I pour Sicilian wine in there. Villa Pozzi Nero d’Avola is perfect for adding to and drinking with red sauce. It’ll cost you $7 to $9 and it’s a great deal for quality in the glass.

We need to talk about beef bourguignon (beef burgundy) for a second. This is a stew made famous by Julia Child, and it normally calls for Burgundy wine. Most people will use Gallo Hearty Burgundy or Carlo Rossi Burgundy, but that's not real Burgundy. Those are just American blends of a bunch of stuff, while real red Burgundy is Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France. And Julia was a French chef! So I would go with a Pinot Noir, and for those looking to not spend a lot of money I go right back to the same brand I suggested for white wine with the Santa Rita 120 Pinot Noir out of Chile. $6 to $7 and sometimes on 2-for deals. You can't beat it.

SHERRY & MARSALA

This is important so read this carefully and please retain: Put down the cooking Sherry. Put down the cooking Marsala. If you knew how much sodium are in those things you would be completely disgusted. You will do yourself a huuuuge favor by dropping a few bucks more for better quality Sherry and Marsala, and you absolutely will notice the difference in the dish.

And don't forget: these wines keep for a long time so you can put them away until the next time you make the dish.

My top suggestion for cooking with Sherry is Savory & James Amontillado. Amontillado has a more powerful flavor than Fino and contains more alcohol, and I’ve found it’s better to cook with than Fino. Savory & James will run you about $13 for a .750 bottle. For Marsala I would go with either Florio Fine Dry Marsala because it’s easily accessible in the smaller .375 format for $9 or Colombo Dry Marsala in a .750 for about $10. All three of these are affordable and worlds better than Taylor or Fairbanks “cooking” wines.

I hope this helps you guys out the next time you need a wine to cook with! Remember: just because you’re putting it in food doesn’t mean you should dump swill in there, but that also doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot. 

- Joey Casco CSW/CSS
  TheWineStalker.net

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It's time to give in to canned wine! (featuring Santa Julia Chardonnay, Malbec Rosé, and Tintillo)

Canned wine is becoming a big thing and it completely makes sense. It's undeniably the enclosure that keeps wine that you want to drink fresh the freshest. That's how you want your rosé, right?  That's how you want your Pinot Grigio, right? Fresh? And it keeps it pretty refreshingly cold in a cooler when you want to do some illegal drinking on the beach. I live on Cape Cod so this is a very important benefit to the product.

But what about red wine that you don't want to chill and chug? Well, first of all, remember that you don't have to drink it from the can. You can pour it into a glass like you do from the bottle.

Furthermore, the key word to the phrase "ages like a fine wine" is fine. The vast majority of wine produced in the world is meant to be consumed within the first 3 to 5 years and then it starts to decline. Canned wine is definitely intended to be consumed young and the container keeps the fruit characteristics fresher and more lively than bottles do.

So the can is perfect for New World reds in the average consumer's price range because those are generally all about the fruit. Pinot Noir specifically has shown great results from being contained in a can, but also Merlot blends seem to work well too. I'm about to try a Malbec Bonarda blend that was actually made with the intention to be chilled, so that works out perfectly for the can as well!

It's always the young people who start new innovating trends like this, and in this case the young people are very concerned about the current state and future of the environment. Whelp, aluminum is one of the most, if not the most, recyclable materials on the planet with 100% recyclability. Aluminum is also lighter than glass, and that cuts down on carbon emissions during transport. Yes, the environment is absolutely a factor in the canning trend for both wine and craft beer, both in consumer concern and producer concern.

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Just Brew It, Part One: A Brief History of Sake

Sake brings me right back to 2004 when I was 24 years old and played my most memorable EA Sports NHL franchise season ever. I took the Columbus Blue Jackets, made them even worse, played on the hardest setting, sucked hard for a big chunk of the season, barely made it into the playoffs, and won the Cup in seven games in each playoff series... all while drinking Gekkeikan Sake in a mug on the rocks.

That's not how you think a history of Sake article would start, right? Hey. That's how I learned to appreciate Sake, and now I love it. Recently I had one that goes for $450 retail and it was INCREDIBLE. I just got a package from Tippsy, which is basically like a wine club dedicated to premium Sake, containing three Sakes that I'll be reviewing this coming Thursday. (This was Tippsy Sake Box #1, and there's since been a follow up with Tippsy Sake Box #2)

Even though Sake has the "rice wine" nickname due to its final product similarities with wine such as profile and alcohol percentages, technically it's a beer because it's brewed and made from grain, and in this case the grain is rice. Bud Light, which uses a significant amount of rice in it's production, actually does have a slight Sake flavor.

Sake runs deep in the culture of Japan and Japan runs deep in the culture of Sake. But it actually didn't originate there and it's certainly not staying there. Sake began in China, the indigenous land of rice. And, in today's world, you might be surprised to buy a bottle of Sake that you assumed was Japanese until you flip the bottle over to find that it was actually made in Oregon.

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Yes way, Rosé: How the category exploded!

Rosé didn't just explode on the scene in the United States overnight. It took a while. As in, it took a while for us to understand that not every Rosé is White Zinfandel, Mateus, or Lancers. For the longest time we saw pink wine and thought it was sweet sugar wine because of the popularity of what was on the shelves and lack of exposure to other pink wines. And what is probably the #1 thing that I hear the most every single day from customers? "I don't like sweet."

So here's the deal. If it says "Blush" then chances are you've got a sweet, sugary pink wine. Something crazy like 98% of bottles labelled "Rosé" made in the world are technically dry. Tavel in Rhone Valley has been making Rosé forever. And it's not like the popular Provence style that everybody loves now is anything new to the French. But the great masses of wine consumers in the US are just catching on. So what happened? 

I'll tell you what I think happened just by simple observation throughout my years in the industry. It was an outstanding effort in successful long-term sales pitching.

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Are consumer wine reviews more accurate than expert reviews?

What is a wine expert to the vast majority of wine consumers? I’m talking about your Woodbridge, Barefoot, and Cavit drinkers. The people who would buy the “basic case” from my ‘Liquor stores should have “combo meals”’ blog post a few weeks ago. These people are incredibly important to the wine industry, but what does the opinion of a wine expert mean to them? Not much. 

They’re enjoying themselves drinking the wine that they like and they’re more likely to listen to a friend or another average wine consumer for suggestions than they are to even read a word of what Eric Asimov has to say.

Just a few nights ago I tasted a popular wine that I thought was so terrible that I dumped it down the sink, so I looked up what people said about it on Vivino. It has an average of 4 out of 5, and there are a hell of a lot of everyday people commenting on how much they like it. It actually shocked me. But really, that just speaks to the wine’s popularity. It appeals to the masses. Yet anybody in the business or who has developed their palate would dump it out like I did.

So does that make consumer reviews more accurate for average consumers than expert reviews? I actually think so. I used to not even pay attention to the average ratings on Vivino and Delectable but I’ve come to think of it as a valuable tool. Not for myself, but for gauging how the wine is perceived by the general public. 

More and more I see people walking around the shop using these wine review apps to check out their scores so they can make a purchase decision. I think that’s great. This technology is letting people explore and not be afraid of wine anymore, and what they’re seeing is an honest result of how people feel about that wine. It will only lead to more interest in wine, and in better wine. And us wine experts will be there to show them the good stuff.

What do you think?

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Heroes of Wine: Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE)

Pliny the Elder has been mentioned more times on this blog than anybody else. I even made a meme about him. So when it was time for me to finally get back to writing monthly articles on the blog, it was a no-brainer that a biography on this guy would be the perfect return into the swing of things.

Pliny's entrance into this world is not well documented. Historians have pieced it together through fragments of secondary sources. He could have born Gaius Plinius Secundus, the son of equestrian Gaius Plinius Celer and his wife Marcella (Equestrians were the middle-ranking nobility in ancient Rome). He could have been born in Verona, Italy. The evidence is much more solid that he was born 140 miles away in Como, however. We can assume his birth year was 23 CE because his nephew, Pliny the Younger, mentioned his age when he died tragically in 79 CE. Do we all know our uncle's exact age? Hell no!

"The only certainty is that nothing is certain." - Pliny the Elder

Although nearly all of his works have been lost, Pliny still made sure that future generations would know about him. Sadly, no contemporary description, sculpture, or image of him survives, so we don't actually know anything about his appearance. He wasn't one of the most prolific of the great Roman authors, but he is a key part of our understanding for life as a Roman of his time. Also, the man loved wine and beer and wrote about the making and consumption of both.

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Liquor stores should have "combo meals"

There's always popular combinations of items that you see while working in a liquor store, and I propose something that will change the industry FOREVER! Why not have combos like fast food chains? For example: a #1 at Wendy's is a Dave's Single cheeseburger with fries and a soda, and a #6 is a spicy chicken sandwich with fries and a soda. Why can't this be used for booze and it's partners in purchase?

Picture a board right above the counter just like McDonald's. #1 is four Fireball or Smirnoff 100 Proof Root Beer nips, a pack of Parliaments, and a $2 scratch ticket. #2 is two 40oz bottles of Malt Liquor from a selection of a few brands, a bag of chips or a chocolate bar, and of course a $2 scratch ticket.

You can even have names for specials. The "On a Boat" summer special is a case of Heineken or Amstel or Michelob Ultra, a sleeve of Fireball, and four bags of ice. The "Menthol March Madness" St. Patrick's Day special is six chilled Dr. McGillicuddy nips, a pack of Newport 100's, and Tic-Tac's. 

Wine would work too! "Good evening, I would like to purchase a 'Basic Case', please!"

What is this 'Basic Case'? That would be 3 bottles of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, 3 bottles of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, 3 bottles of Josh Cabernet, and 3 bottles of Mark West Pinot Noir. "Could I substitute the Oyster Bay with Kim Crawford?" Of course you can, lady. But just like when you want the meat sauce instead of the marinara, it's gonna cost you extra.

I'm tellin' ya. This is the future. And I'm giving it out for free like Nikola Tesla. You're welcome.

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The time my dog got drunk on Pinot Gris

Today was supposed to be the day that my monthly long-read articles return to the website. But something terrible happened the week that I planned to sit down and delve deep into history so I could deliver you a steaming bowl of wine geekery. There was no way I could bring myself to do it.

My dog Sunny, who has been in countless of my YouTube videos, was declining from gastric cancer. At 15 years old, he couldn't hear well, see well, and he was basically a senile old man that slept most of the day. Then he got sick and things got worse. It was decided that we had to put him down.

We waited two days so the kids had enough time to register what was going on and say goodbye to him. It was devastating. He was the staple of our family. Our first child. He's even the reason why my wife and I moved in together because she bought him on a whim and had no place to keep him. So if it wasn't for Sunny, there might not be a Lillian and a Daisy.

This being a wine blog, I do have a wine story to tell about the little rascal. During the summer of 2012, I sat down during the middle of the day to write a thing about Big Fire Pinot Gris for work. I poured myself a big ol' glass and then I suddenly got a phone call from a friend I hadn't heard from in awhile. Chatting away, I stood up and went outside and walked around the yard for awhile. After the phone call was over, I went back in.

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Wine bloggers share their favorite posts

Below, in their own words, wine bloggers tell me what post of their own is their favorite and why. It was a fun project, as round up posts usually are. But understanding why a writer likes a certain piece they have written above all their others gives you some extra information, and telling information, of who they are. And really, who we are is what makes the blogging world so great. You need to bring a piece of you, preferably all of you, if you want to make it worth the time for yourself and your readers.

That is an important part of Lori Sullivan's pick. Lori inspired this article when I met her a few months back. She was "in the area". The distance from Plymouth, Massachusetts, to South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, is not "in the area" to a Cape Codder like myself. That's *gasp* OVER THE BRIDGE! But she lives in Texas and Texas is huge. The entirety of New England probably feels like a neighborhood to her. Lori is awesome, by the way. There's skulls on her glasses. She goes to metal concerts. She's funny. She took a good portion of her day to go see me where I work.

During our conversation, she was explaining to me why she doesn't blog much anymore. That led to her telling me what her favorite post of her own was. It's a deeply personal story and something only she could write. Over the next few days I started wondering... I have favorite posts but which one is THE favorite? And then... wait... everybody has to have their favorite posts, but what is THE favorite for them? I've been tweeting with and reading the work of most of the following people for years, and this was something I suddenly really wanted to know about them! So I asked.

Get ready for some excellent reads, because these are all great. I'll get to my own favorite at the very end because this isn't about me. It's about my amazing wine blogging friends.

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Bordeauxing Rioja: The Origin Stories of Manuel Quintano & Luciano de Murrieta

December is A Very Rioja Christmas on TheWineStalker.net!

MARQUÉS DE MURRIETA
OAK BARRELS
IMAGE CREDIT: expansion.com

For my article this month I really didn't just want to do a "history of Rioja" or some expansive long read like that. I wanted a story. I wanted to write about a specific person or event with focus. 

I found many interesting stories about Rioja and the people in its history while searching for a subject. But the origin stories of the two guys that brought Bordeaux influence and oak barrel aging to the region caught my eye and sucked me in. One of them had a short success before pricing laws and war eliminated his efforts. Decades later, the other would make it stick.

They've been producing wine in Rioja since the Phoenicians. So about three-thousand years, give or take. The region doesn't have a great geographic position for exporting its wines elsewhere, but it does have a great geographic position to grow vines and make wine. Starting in the the middle ages, Rioja found itself in the path of a popular religious pilgrimage. It's called el Camino de Santiago, known as The Way of Saint James in English, and it takes believers to the city of Santiago de Compostela where, supposedly, the body of Saint James resides. Pilgrims would drink the local wine while passing through Rioja and end up spreading the word of its excellence. Rioja was built on a word-of-mouth reputation instead of export power.

But before Manuel Quintano came along in the 1700's, the wine was still stored underground in clay vessels. Like the vast majority of wine in the entire history of wine, it turned vinegary relatively quick and did not travel well. Much of it spoiled completely and had to be dumped. Rioja needed an upgrade.

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Heroes of Wine: André Tchelistcheff (1901-1994)

They called him "the Maestro". By definition this means "a distinguished musician, especially a conductor of classical music" or "a great or distinguished figure in any sphere". He was great. He was distinguished. He conducted beautiful music in the form of wine. Earlier in his career they called him "the doctor" because of his scientific approach to winemaking and his uncanny ability to cure wine with defects. And then there was that white lab coat he loved to wear.

He was also known as the "the dean of American winemaking" because he really was the head of the university. He was the educator. The absolute most important thing about this man and his legacy was not only his ability to be a highly effective and inspiring mentor, but also his willingness and love of doing so. Combine that with all of his knowledge and talents and you have the most influential winemaker of modern history: André Tchelistcheff (pronounced CHEL-uh-cheff)

André was born in Russia, trained in France, lifted California to greatness, and took off Washington State's training wheels. He was a chain smoker. He was a ladies man. He was... tiny. There are several different accounts on his height; anywhere from 4'11" to 5'3". Regardless, this giant of a man was even shorter than me (and I'm pretty short). But he commanded a room. And his stature was always at attention, or "ramrod straight" as Randal Caparoso put it in "Napa Valley - A legacy of greatness".

Robert Mondavi said that "He is a fascinating man, brilliant, stimulating, creative - a catalyst for the world of wine", while Mike Grgich said that "He had a Slavic heart, which is very soft". Robert and Mike are just two of the many legends that André mentored. And to think that almost didn't happen. André should have died in battle as a young man, and we're all very lucky that he didn't.

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The Dueling Montepulcianos: Vino Nobile vs d'Abruzzo

One thing that often follows the common "I was at a restaurant last night..." beginning of a sentence from a wine consumer to a wine professional is its completion with "and I had a Montepulciano." This is one of those I love my job moments because now I get to completely geek out with a customer so I can help them. Not only do I need to dig for clues to figure out what kind of Montepulciano they had and prevent them from purchasing the wrong kind, but more importantly I get to educate the public! "Come with me, citizen," I think to myself, "Step into my domain and we shall explore the world of Montepulciano!"  

Essentially there are two different Montepulcianos. There's wine from a Montepulciano region and then there's wine made from the Montepulciano grape varietal. Both are red. Have you seen Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or its little brother Rosso di Montepulicano? And have you seen Montepulciano d'Abruzzo? These two Montepulcianos share the love of confusing us Americans with fancy Italian words but they're drastically different. This is because at its very core Italy doesn't like to do anything if it's not complicated. But let's start with the basics:

So Vino Nobile di Montepulciano or Rosso di Montepulciano are mostly made from Sangiovese, which is the grape used in Chianti, from the village named Montepulciano in Tuscany. Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva 2010 was my wine pick of the month in September of 2016.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is mostly made from the grape called Montepulciano in the more southern region of Abruzzi. Because the Montepulciano referred to here is a grape variety, this is the Montepulciano you'll see come from other places in Italy (without the d'Abruzzo part) and even across the world. Back in April of this year I reviewed THP Montepulciano 2014 by Llano Estacado out of Texas! That's right; TEXAS!

Now, that's a very simple explanation. Easy enough, right? But you know I'm not going to just leave it like that for this blog. Just like Italy, I don't like to do anything if it's not complicated. Alright, tell ya what, I'll go easy on this article and won't get too technical, okay? I need to ease my way back in to writing these monthly articles. Now let's go even further in to the dueling Montepulcianos. And let's drink them, too.

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Sauvignon Blanc! It's the Ultimate Wine Club Theme

As a wine guy in the retail business, I get a lot of regular customers from various wine clubs that come around looking for suggestions. These people get together usually once a month and they each bring a bottle of wine and, sometimes, food to pair it with. Generally the cap limit is $15 a bottle.

They’re not only looking for suggestions and pairings to fit a theme, but whoever is hosting that month might be looking for a theme itself. It could be a region or part of the world. Northwestern United States is always a big hit, because Oregon and Washington produce great affordable wine and cover a bunch of different grapes and styles. One person is designated an Oregon Pinot Gris, another a Washington Merlot, etc etc. Or it could be different California red blends. Or it could be just one varietal from around the world, which is exactly where I’m going with this.

One theme that is always a smash hit, where everybody has the most fun and learns the most about wine, is Sauvignon Blanc from around the world. Every time I suggest it to those who haven’t done it yet, they come back raving about the results.

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A Brief History of 90+ Cellars - Wine Buyers in Boston

What if I told you to your face that you could purchase a $25 bottle of wine for $9 to $12? How about a $75 bottle of wine for $30? You'd probably call the cops because an uninvited strange man has suddenly appeared in your home, but suppose you got past that and listened to what I was saying. You'd either say I was crazy and to get the eff out, or you would ask me where you could sign up.

Through 90+ Cellars these things are possible. This is what they do. That $25 bottle that you can get for $9 to $12 is their Lot 53 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mendoza, Argentina. This is one of the "lots" that they've been releasing with great success for years. That $75 bottle for $30 was their Lot 95 Super Cuvée 2012 out of Napa, California; a part of their Collection Series that features high end products on crazy deals just like that.

I've been a fan of 90+ since the very first time I tried their wines, which was probably soon after they were established. Hell, their famous orange sunglasses are my preferred facial accessory and optical protection from the solar intensity of the summer. They're so stylish and sturdy.

Because 90+ is so awesome, the entire month of May this year is dedicated to them and I'll be reviewing plenty of their wine. So let's go over how they came to be and how they're able to sell wine at such a great discounted price.

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Heroes of Wine: Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)

There have been so many great minds throughout history that changed the course of mankind with their discoveries and innovations, but none may be as important to the lives of the people in the modern world today than Louis Pasteur, one of the founding fathers of microbiology.

LOUIS PASTEUR
IMAGE CREDIT: clccharter.org

Because of Louis Pasteur, your ancestors were able to receive a rabies vaccination instead of dying horribly from rabies after 1885. His rabies vaccine would lead to other vaccines that save lives, like the 1955 polio vaccine by Jonas Stalk. And most importantly of all, because of Louis Pasteur, you are able to enjoy your favorite wines and beers today.

So let's learn about a legend. And to help me with this article on the life of Louis Pasteur, I've asked Lori Budd of Dracaena Wines to contribute. Lori is a winemaker with a history in biology, and there is nobody else that I would rather see do the honors.

(LORI) As a child, Louis Pasteur asked his father “What makes a wolf or a dog mad, and why do people die when mad dogs bite them?” Obviously, this question was asked because Louis Pasteur had unfortunately seen this occur in his childhood. Now, I am not going to say that these deaths totally traumatized him, but if we take a look at his life’s achievements, these deaths did make a lasting effect on him, whether he consciously recognized it or not. 

As a scientist, I admire the predecessors and applaud how well they achieved their goals in the time that they did. Louis Pasteur ranks as one of my all time favorites. In all honesty, if you are familiar with his life, he was a pompous son of a bitch, but sometimes that’s what you need to be in order to be successful. He started his scientific career looking at crystals under a microscope. He was a chemist not an immunologist- that didn’t come until later. At the age of 26, he discovered there were four distinct kinds of tartaric acid. This discovery gave him a taste of fame, and he not only liked it, he craved it! (/LORI)

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My Year Off: Trading in Wine Studies for Science and Comics

A little over a year ago I decided that I was going to take a year off from wine and alcohol studies so I can do other things that I enjoy. I had gone hardcore at alcohol education for years, earning the Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Specialist of Spirits certifications in the process, and writing so much for this blog that I had become detached from everything that other people in my age group were talking about while socializing.

When my peers were excited about the second Captain America movie, I wasn't even aware there was a first one. "Did you watch Breaking Bad?" Pffft, ain't nobody got time for that! Oh wait... they do. I'm just a weirdo.

That year is a few months more than over and it's time to get back into wine education, which means you'll be seeing much more of the monthly articles you expect from this blog that have been coming out less frequently lately. And since I'll be thinking about wine nonstop, more original memes and stuff from elsewhere shared on social media.

At the end of this post I'll give a little glimpse into the future of the blog. But first, this is how I mostly spent my time off: reading SCIENCE BOOKS and COMIC BOOKS.

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