Last night something special caught my eye in the seafood section of the grocers. Scrunched in between several cod fillets and a heaping mound of sea scallops was a single cut of beautifully marbled blue marlin. Up until then the majority of the day I had been obsessing over the thought of doing some sort [...]

Part of what makes Just Grapes more than “the place with the Enomatic” (that’s the tasting machine on the left in the photo) is our friendly, wine-obsessed staff. We’re not clock punchers half asleep thinking about being somewhere else—we’re right where we want to be. Surrounded by beautiful bottles and varietals from dozens of countries, [...]

There are few wines more satisfying after a record-breaking string of 90-degree days than rosé. Its high acidity makes it crisp like a white, but it boasts a unique flavor profile—light hints of strawberry, citrus, flowers, spice, and more—along with an instantly identifiable pink(ish) hue, which comes from the limited contact the grape skins have [...]

The World Cup kicked off just a week ago, and already we’ve seen winemaking giants Germany, France, Spain, Australia, and South Africa taste defeat. Unlike many other countries in the tournament though, the teams and their millions of fans can replace the taste of defeat with the taste of their native land’s stellar wines. Here [...]

We like picnics by the lake, on the beach, in a park; frankly, anywhere besides the Office Space-esque cubicle our lives have become (against our better sense, no less). There’s just something so retro about picnics (gingham blanket, wicker basket, the great outdoors) it begs the question: what’s not to love? Excluding enjoyable company, the [...]

The French call it le printemp, the Spanish and Italians, primavera. To us Americans, it’s spring (or for us Chicagoans, godsend). No matter the language, it is indeed the fairest season, a time for blooms and brunch (outdoors; especially outdoors). Why not uncork those young wines you’ve been hoarding and enjoy them in the company [...]

By Brett Ashley McKenzie As an associate at Just Grapes as well as  Food & Wine Pairing Writer for the Chicago Examiner, I’m regularly asked if there are suggested wines that a home chef should keep on hand, wines that cover all the bases, from a simple Tuesday night home-cooked meal to Thai take-out to [...]

By Brett Ashley McKenzie The whole gang at Just Grapes was psyched to learn from our Cream Wine Company rep Shane Salois that Cream had recently added an Italian portfolio to its stellar wine offerings. Their timing couldn’t be more perfect: Just Grapes is offering an in-store  “Wines of Italy” Master Class on Thursday, August [...]

Yesterday, we began receiving stock for our Spring Blowout Sale: 50% on 50 Wines. As we opened box after box of incredible wine after incredible wine, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Three different 1.5 liter-bottles of Herman Donnhoff Riesling , each rated between 93 and 97 points by Robert Parker, marked down from $90, $79, [...]

By Brett Ashley McKenzie Print out your Just Grapes bracket, grab your pencils, your stemware and favorite wines from Just Grapes, and prepare for our first-ever full-size Just Grapes March Madness Bracket Challenge! We’ve taken 64 of our favorites and pitted them against one another in four regional showdowns: North America, South America, Europe, and [...]