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 [...]

While very few welcome winter with open arms, there is something undeniably charming about softly falling snow, the tiny white lights glittering from trees lining the streets, and the general warm fuzziness of family and friends around the holidays. In Chicago especially, there are tons of wintry events going on to keep the holiday cheer [...]

Photo by Distressed Jewell

By Maggie Smith
Are you one of those people that love to drink wine but steer clear from French wine because you just don’t know what type of wine is in that bottle? There’s usually indecipherable French writing, probably a picture of a chateau-looking house, and what seems to be a name of a place or [...]

It isn’t love for warmer weather that keeps me firmly rooted in my craving for all things Chardonnay. And Chardonnay isn’t strictly a warm-weather white. Bigger-bodied, creamier-textured Chardonnay can be (and, in wine-savvy establishments, often are) served slightly warmer than your Pinot Grigios and Sauvignon Blancs.

By Raquel Scianna
Here at Just Grapes, we pride ourselves in having our fingers firmly affixed to the pulse of all that’s hot and happening in the world of wine making. on September 24–with a little help from our trusty Cream Wine Company rep, Shane Salois–we dug a little deeper into an up-and-coming [...]

by Maggie Smith
Raised a Midwestern girl, I have never had a problem with your average weekend BBQ fare: grilling out, burgers and brats. But this past Saturday, as I was hosting a party for a number of area wine connoisseurs and noted foodies, I decided to “civilize” my soiree a bit.  Here’s how:
I hired Jaime [...]

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 a [...]

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 13th, [...]

By Brett Ashley McKenzie
With summer well underway, more and more Just Grapes customers are spending their time in the store perusing our whites and rosés. But there is one category that some shoppers don’t seem to know how to approach: Pinot Gris.
“What is this?” people will ask, bringing up a bottle of the Alsatian Gustave [...]