The 2007 Skulls, the cheeky 2007 Chateau Chateau Chateau, and the epic Anamorphosis all have one thing in common (besides being Australian and having Parker ratings): the art of Hungarian István Orosz graces each of their labels (and in Anamorphosis’ case, the incredible poster that is meant to be reflected in its mirrored bottle).

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 [...]

Miss our Thanksgiving Pairing class and still clueless about what to imbibe on Turkey Day? Well, we can forgive the whole “skipping class” thing (but don’t let it happen again!) and have recap to boot.
Now, we couldn’t just taste wine and try to imagine how great it would be with Thanksgiving fare–we at Just Grapes [...]

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 [...]

by Maggie Smith
Tasting wine for a living is a tough job, but someone has to relay this information to you! Last week at Gibson’s Steakhouse, our barrel group’s “mission” (linked blog post from last thursday) was to bring a bottle of wine in the $50-to-$100 price range from anywhere in the world to blind taste, [...]

by Brett Ashley McKenzie
The first 9 people to tell me what city the first challenge of reality show “The Winemakers:Season 2″ was taped will receive a pass for 2 people to an advanced screening to “The Boys Are Back” with Clive Owens today, Monday, September 21, 2009 at 7 PM at AMC 600 N Michigan [...]

It’s great to introduce people to adventurous and exciting grape types like Cabernet Franc. If you’re not familiar with this varietal, it is one of the common blending grapes in Bordeaux, mostly used on the right banks of Pomerol and Saint Emilion. The Loire Valley also grows this grape (most commonly seen as “Chinon” on the label.)

By Brett Ashley McKenzie
Earlier this week, I returned home from my Hawaiian honeymoon (more on the amazing food and wine we enjoyed later) to find the June 30th issue of Wine Spectator crammed into my mailbox. Immediately following a depressing story on how the Vegas restaurant industry is suffering in the wake of the global [...]

By Brooke Gowen
There are a million factors that go into the finished product that is wine. Some are beyond a producer’s control (such as bad weather, pests and insects, diseases, etc.), and others are completely controlled by the winemaker: grape harvesting times, the fermentation and ageing process, and myriad other vinification techniques. Today, let’s explore [...]