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Molto carino! These 11 Italian grape varieties are named after animals
The Italian language has a rich tradition of nicknames. Not just for people, to help distinguish one Giovanni from another–but for animals, places, and plants, including grapes. The names of some grape varieties reach back to Roman times, when viticulture was in its infancy. Farmers needed a way to differentiate grapes by their flavor, yield,…
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Texas Tasting: Messina Hof (Grapevine)
When Paul V. and Merrill Bonarrigo planted some vines in Bryan, Texas in 1977, they might not have guessed that the single-acre, experimental vineyard would become one of the oldest and most awarded estate wineries in Texas. Messina Hof wines are familiar to Texas wine fans here and abroad. There’s a large portfolio of wines, covering…
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Review: The Costco Wine Adventure Calendar (2024)
Update: Costco’s 2025 calendar is out now! Peek inside the box here. Or, if you’re curious about what the wines taste like, check out our archive of reviews from the 2025 Wine Advent-ure Calendar. As every suburban wino knows, the wholesale club Costco can be a reliable source for better-than-drinkable wine at rock-bottom prices. The…
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Two-ingredient wine cocktails to make for the holidays
Ah, the holidays. ‘Tis the season of 12-ingredient punches, smoked and spiced cocktails, artfully strained Christmas cookie-tinis. Time to round up the party supplies. Time to drive to five different grocery stores, clean a bunch of specialty glassware…and oh, where did I put the sugarplum bitters? Okay Martha, calm down. Wouldn’t it be nice to…
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Roman wine-making villa unearthed in Spain! But what was the wine like?
Exciting archaeological news for wine-lovers who frequently think about the Roman empire: A large wine-making villa has been unearthed at Sant Gregori villa near the coastal town of Burriana, Spain. Archaeology Magazine reports that the four-acre site is complete with all the facilities required to grow, ferment, and store grapes and wine. There are even…
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Beating a wine hangover: How to bounce back in 7 easy steps
You did it again, didn’t you? You drank too much freaking wine. It seemed like a good idea at the time, to open that last bottle or order that last glass. Now it’s morning. Your head is pounding, your stomach is wiggling, your eyes feel like they’re glued shut, and your liver was up all…
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Top ten North Dallas happy hours for winos
Dining out in Dallas has gotten expensive, y’all. Sometimes you want to go celebrate Hump Day without blowing your entire week’s budget on one so-so meal. Sometimes you’re itching to get out of the house or the office, but you ate a big lunch and you’re probably not going to be hungry for dinner. Sometimes…
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Five wine trends I can do without
Wine trends come, wine trends go. But grumpy listicles (like this one) are forever. Which recent wine trends are truly bad, which are merely overexposed, and which are we picking on just to get some easy contrarian clickthroughs? Time to get grumpy and hurt some feelings! Let’s go! Wine Trend I Can Do Without #1:…
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Total Wine’s Grand Reserve status: Worth it?
Today’s blog post combines two of my very favorite topics: Wine (or course) and rewards points/churning. Total Wine is one of the nation’s largest wine retailers–and if you ever shop there, you may know that they have a tiered status/rewards system as part of their loyalty program. The program is officially called “&More Rewards” and…
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Houston Pit Stop: Golden Oak Micro Cellar
What is better than a glass of Texas wine on a perfect fall day? A glass of Texas wine with pasture views, of course! We had just such a an idyllic experience on a recent trip from the Houston metro area back home to Dallas. Those of you who travel through Texas know the drive…
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Aw, heck. Another wine blog?
This is my “hello world” post, so let’s do it: Hello, wine world! I’m Michelle, a wine lover from Dallas, Texas. In 2024 I decided to start turning my lifelong casual enthusiasts for grape stuff into…something else. A much-needed hobby? A midlife career change? A series of impressive but mostly unused certifications? I’m not really…