Oeno Wine Education Greece  History of Greece The origins of wine can be traced back to Easter Europe and the oldest clay amphoras date to around 6000 BC in what later becameCambodia and Greece. Many historians credit many modern associations with wine to the greek. They’re culture was the first tomake wine available to the common people. As ancient Greece expanded much of their trade industry was based on the productionand sale of wine. The Greek city-states then began to establish colonies throughout the Mediterranean. The settlers, alreadyexperienced in vine cultivation, brought grapev ..read more

Notes from our Sommelier Natural Wine (Isn’t all wine natural) If you’re even slightly into wine, you’ve probably heard about natural wine. Natural wine is the unfiltered, untamed, unphotoshopped version of what we know to be wine. There currently is no regulating board/group defining natural wine so we have to get a bit more specific. Natural wine is a movement that includes many definable categories. Sulfur / sulfite removed wine The Wine making process naturally creates a small amount of sulfites that are found in grape skins sulfur in wine acts as a natural preservative some winemakers c ..read more

Portugal    Portugal’s wine industry developed in relative isolation, most grape varieties are not grow anywhere else in the world. If you don’t recognize the grape on a Portuguese wine label,that’s a good thing. There are over 250 local varieties and a few imports that have adapted well to the Portugueselandscape. To many wine experts, Portugal is the last frontier of wine in Western Europe; there so much to be tasted and explored.   Portugal Wine Terms   Vinho Tinto: Red Wine Vinho Branco: White Wine Quinta: Wine You’ll often find this word as part of a winery’s name on ..read more

Notes from our Sommelier Germany Germany is home to some of the coldest vineyards in the world located far north of the traditional 50 degree longitude line than most wine regions are near. With a history of cold years and cold vintages germany wine quality quickly became focused on the ripeness of the grapes before anything else, resulting in a system for labeling bottles and their quality far different from the traditional methods used in France or Italy. Landwein Regional wine rarely exported Qualitatswein Wine is required to come from one of the 13 major wine regions. Generally is fermente ..read more

The Northern Rhône is small, barely 40 miles long. With a very Continental Climate (hot summers, & cold winters) and precipitation throughout the year. Without a doubt the most striking feature is the steepness of the hillsides. The vineyards aremade of small terraces to keep the soil from eroding down the hill. The Northern Rhone is the birthplace of Syrah and where many believe it reaches its height of quality,expression and elegance.   Côte Rôtie   Or the “Roasted Slope” is home to some of the steepest vineyards in all of France. Syrah loves the well draining granite soils and ..read more

Argentina is renowned for its supple Malbec wines that range from affordable to ultra high end. However, that’s not the only wine that Argentina does well!Spanning out from Mendoza, you’ll find a wide array of Argentinian specialties from robust and age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon to delicate and floral white wines made with Torrontés.   History 1551 The first vineyards were planted by Spanish colonists in Argentina. Priests planted vineyards near their monasteries (including Franciscan, Benedictine, and Jesuit Missions) to make communion wine. A grape called Criolla Grande was preferred fo ..read more

Oeno Wine Education Cabernet Franc   Cabernet Franc (“Cab-err-nay fronk”) is medium-bodied red wine whose origins likely lie in the Basque country of Spain before moving north to France   The wine is loved for its savory, bell pepper-like flavors, medium-high acidity and mouthwatering taste. It is anideal food pairing wine.Cabernet Franc has proven to be very robust and produce good quality wines in a variety ofclimates. This is a clue to its diversity of tastes. Wines reveal more tart fruit flavors and heightened acidity from coolerclimates such as in the Loire Valley of France and ..read more

Notes from our Sommelier History of Bordeaux The Bordeaux region was first known for its sweet white wines from the Sauternes region. Thomas Jefferson was a huge fan of these sweet dessert wines. In the 1700s the English loved a rose from the region called “claret” (“klair-ette”). It wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that Bordeaux red wines started to gain recognition. The dramatic moment of this transformation was an official decree that classified the top producers of the day. The classification, now deemed “1855 Classification” identified the best producers in the region and ranked them 1 through ..read more