In Thursday night’s “Clash of the Titans: Champagne vs. the World,” Just Grapes customers were put to the test in a blind tasting of seven sparkling wines, including one true champagne.  Asked to rank the seven bubblys from one to seven (seven being the highest quality sparkling and one being the lowest), the tasters chose [...]

By Brett Ashley McKenzie
Everyone knows someone who refuses to drink any sparkling wine other than authentic Champagne. They wrinkle their nose at the suggestion of Prosecco, raise an eyebrow at the mention of Cava, and wouldn’t be caught dead with a sparkling Californian Chard in their Mimosa.
You’ve always wondered, “If I slid him or her [...]

On Monday, I attended the Olé Imports Portfolio Tasting at Cream Wine Company, where more than 50 Spanish reds, whites, and rosés from a dozen regions were poured. Region by region, here are the highlights.
Cataluna: The Cataluna (also known as Catalonia) region of Spain is home to D.O. Cava, where 95 percent of Spain’s acclaimed [...]

As a recent Chicago transplant and non-stop lover of wine and food, I was ecstatic to discover the large number of great BYOB restaurants scattered around this city. I lived in New York City for several years before relocating to the Midwest and, while the restaurant scene in Manhattan is undeniably a food lover’s dream, [...]

I’ve been to many parts of Spain: Madrid and Toledo in the center of the country; Barcelona on the far coast; and Malaga, the southern port city on the Costa del Sol. Yet each time, as a euro-pinching tourist, I’ve only sampled whatever vino tinto (red table wine) came with el menu del dia. Cheap, [...]