August: The blazin’ hot Chicago and set in so its time for some crisp refreshing whites and robust BBQ reds!

Alright, guys, I have a confession to make. Do you know what I love? Like, love-love,.. not just say I love and actually more so kind of like? I love me a bit of the Riesling. Bone dry to sweet, I’ll take it any way I can get it.

I like to think that while Riesling grapes develop, they not only mature in phenolic and physiological ripeness like other varietals, but they also start compounding this, I don’t know,.. ‘je ne sais qua’ that allows for them to become super-clusters. Have you ever seen an episode of Superman where they show him posted up on the tip of the Eiffel Tower over looking Paris, sipping on a celebratory dry Alsatian after saving the town from the wrath of an evil super genius? No, because he knew better. It would of destroyed him on the spot. I don’t know if you knew this but ‘kryptonite’ was originally spelled R-I-E-S-L-I-N-G. Actually, now that I think of it, I may just add another bottle to my selection. Maybe if I’m lucky it has some sort of weird, off- label use and if I dab a bit of it on my head before going to bed tonight it’ll re grow the hair I’ve lost since starting to work here. I can’t be the only one whose thought of this, can I? It seems almost too easy..

by Maggie Bernat Smith We love wine because it tells us a story. A tale of where it was grown, different varietal expressions, what the winemaker did to it when it was picked, and how the weather was that year. Wine is a delicious voice of all these things. It’s what makes us listen to [...]

By Adrienne Davis As a sommelier in training, my nose is constantly being put to use.  One in my position has to smell the fruit in the grocery store, spices from the spice rack, wood in trees and furniture (and maybe even sometimes the wooden floor), flowers, dirt, vegetables, and sometimes even moldy boxes.  That [...]

That’s a pretty bold statement in the world of wine, and especially within legendary Montalcino—a hilltown in Tuscany blessed with some of the finest vineyards in the world. It’s an area famous for producing Brunello, which is a clone of the Sangiovese grape, and thrives in Montalcino’s climate. To say one winemaker is the best [...]

There is no doubt that the 2004 film Sideways has been a boon to Pinot Noir, educating masses of casual wine drinkers about the delicate grape through its equally delicate protagonist, Miles. What that audience might not know though, is that Pinot Noir is truly global—grown all over the world in microclimates perfect for the [...]

If your experience with Riesling has mainly to do with a certain nun dressed in blau on the bottle’s label, then now is the perfect time to explore the variety and complexity of one of the world’s most underappreciated grapes—through August 1st, it’s “Riesling Week” co-sponsored by the European Union and Wines of Germany. However, [...]

The World Cup starts on Friday, and in addition to showcasing countries with world-class soccer (or football… or fútbol) teams, many of the participants are two-way players—they also create world-class wines. Of the 32 countries in the tournament, at least 15 produce wines known around the world, and a few others (Slovenia, for example) have [...]

How’s your palate when it comes to GSMs? Don’t know what a GSM is? Here at Just Grapes, we can help! On June 17, we’re hosting a Wines of Australia class, where you’ll taste the distinctive Australian blend of Grenache, Shriaz, and Mourvèdre (GSM), plus amazing Australian Chardonnays, Sauvignon Blancs, Cabernets, and much more (including [...]

Holiday shopping got you down? Just can’t find the perfect gift for those people on your list? Just Grapes has the answer! We’re truly a one-stop shop for everyone on your shopping list (even the little ones–our never-expiring tasting cards will still be valid once they turn 21!). To make it even easier, we’ve put [...]