When I was growing up in a “small town” in Central California, the Fourth of July meant ice cold watermelon, cookouts, a parade down Main Street, and fireworks at the community college stadium. And beer. Lots and lots of beer. I don’t really remember anyone drinking wine with their burgers and ribs, even in California. But that was then.
Celebrating the birth of our nation in our nation’s capital is about as patriotic of an experience as it gets. Between the National Symphony Orchestra playing on the lawn of the Capitol and the fireworks on the Mall, it’s enough to make one want to give the Washington Monument a big hug.
Recently, my wife was out with several of her friends for dinner and, of course, she was charged with bringing the wine. Now, when it comes to providing and paring wines with dinner, Cindy considers it her obligation to bring wines that she knows will provide a memorable experience. On this particular evening, her friends were thrilled with the result… that is until they began to ask her about where they could get some of the wines and how much they cost.
In 1972, after finishing his formal education (degree in Civil Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Northwestern), David Stare packed up his family and set sail in a westerly direction to pursue his winemaking dream. He made port in Sonoma County, California where he bought 55 acres of prune orchards in Dry Creek Valley, then enrolled in Enology and Viticulture classes at UC Davis.
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Summer has arrived in Washington, bringing with it a bounty of charity events, graduation ceremonies, and weddings. Unfortunately, these events are likely to feature standard “Reception Wine.” Ugh. Need I say more? Unless attending an official wine tasting event, the wine served at most large-scale functions (25+ people) is pedestrian at best, making most wine lovers cringe at the thought of drinking characterless juice.
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Italy has been making wine for a very, very long time. There is evidence that Etruscan and Greek explorers cultivated wine grapes as far back as the 5th century BC. But it was the Romans who, three hundred years later, developed a widespread winemaking industry and introduced advanced techniques, such as barrel fermentation and bottling.
While the June 21st solstice may mark the official start of summer, Memorial Day kicks off the psychological beginning of the season.
And while we’re no longer a slave to fashion and restricted to wearing just white shorts, white pants or white dresses after Memorial Day, neither are we forced to drink just white wines once Monday comes along.
If you’re interested in acquiring some of the best wines in the world, you might be interested to know that the least expensive way to buy them is to buy them before they’re even available. Now this may be a bit counterintuitive, but buying French Bordeaux wines “on future,” before they hit the traditional retail market, is a surefire way to make sure that you get the wines you want at a price below the “future” cost.
For those of you rushing out to grab a card for the mom in your life, you have Anna Jarvis to thank. She is credited with initiating a Mother’s Day-like event in the early 1900’s. In 1914, the U.S. Congress – not wasting a chance to suck up to moms everywhere – passed a joint resolution making it an official “Day.” So, with the much anticipated approach of Mother’s Day and the onset of summer, here are a few fun wines that are perfect for giving mom this Sunday as well as sipping all season long.
Spring has sprung in Washington, and that means that summer is not far behind. It’s time for the ritual of slimming down, trimming up and getting in a white wine frame of mind. And while your trimming up your body, you might as well trim up your wine collection with delicious and affordable wines from one of the oldest families in the business; Trimbach.
