JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa’s lobby bar offers this special combination of bourbon, fruit and a splash of lemonade. Crooked Branch is a wonderful open space with an assortment of cocktail options – offering the Bourbon Lemonade especially for National Bourbon Day – June 14th.

As a wine enthusiast and globetrotter, I can't help but get excited about planning a guys trip to places like Hunter Valley, Australia, the country's oldest wine region. It's a place that speaks to my soul, offering not just exquisite wines but a complete sensory journey while being all wrapped up in that mystique and adventure of visiting the "Land Down Under"

Have you ever noticed how the mere presence of sparkling wine seems to elevate any gathering? From casual brunches to milestone celebrations, there's something about those effervescent bubbles that transform an ordinary moment into something memorable. But what is it about sparkling wine that creates this effect?

Sparkling wine as a category continues to impress me with far more than the standard "party Champagne" on offer today. For generations bubbly wine has been celebrated in various formats but we are truly in the midst of a renaissance with a wide variety of creations available as well as a  resurgence in sparkling wine cocktails as well. Mumm Napa sent over some bottles for us as well as these recipes to share. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did !

Like anything involving wine, there are nuances to questions that I get asked. For example, the question, "Should wine be refrigerated". The simple answer is "maybe" but the best condition for storing wine is generally not at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. While a wine chiller might be considered a refrigerator by some, it is not the same as simply storing your bottles in a standard refrigerator like you might have in your kitchen right now. Let's take a deeper look at this question though and examine the important role that temperature takes in storing wine.

Drinking and driving is a serious subject and the best option is to hire a driver or assign a designated driver. That isn't the only solution though, but you will have to make some compromises to ensure that you, the car, and those around you remain safe. Over the years I've learned several techniques to stay safe while exploring wineries as well as brewery and distillery tours. Here are my best tips for staying safe while on a wine weekend road trip.

At first thought, the idea of taking your buddies to France for a wine trip doesn't seem like the most masculine endeavor but it's quite frankly something that I'm dreaming of doing one day. This is especially true of the Rhone Valley region in southeastern France. This region runs from Lyon to Avignon and is composed of several different viticultural areas and is known for some of the world's finest wines. However, it is also full of history, ranging from Roman centurions to medieval castles, and it has a modern food scene that is one of the best in Europe.

Ok, so that's a bit of a click-bait title since the reality is that almost every winery is unique and brings with it a personality and decor that is special in its own way. However, for guys who are looking for the "experience" of doing a Sonoma County wine tour rather than the connoisseur looking only to visit their favorite, most technically excellent wineries, there are some vineyards and tasting rooms that are better than others. The sweet spot is when winemakers are able to blend excellent wines with a fun unique experience that guys of all levels will enjoy visiting. Thanks to the folks at the Sonoma County Wine Road, for helping put this awesome itinerary together for us. 

Georgian wines are often overlooked in the wine world, with their more famous neighbors of France and Italy sitting at the top of most lists. Made primarily from indigenous grapes like Rkatsiteli and Saperavi, Georgian wines have a distinct character all their own that is usually underrepresented on wine menus. In this post we'll explore some history on Georgian wines, as well as how to pair them with food. Finally, we'll look into what's next for this sometimes forgotten European wine region!

I'm a sucker for limited edition premium spirits. While some folks collect baseball cards I love to collect rare and unique spirits. For me, spirits like this Mount Gay "The Port Cask Expression" is an illustration of creativity and talent honed across generations of distillers, blenders, and farmers - as well as from the artists who design the iconic bottle art. This year's expression did not disappoint and it is limited to only 6,570 bottles worldwide.

Members of the Millennial Generation tend to be more likely to get into craft beer than into great wines, which is a shame because many of them do not know what they are missing out on. Besides producing great beer, focused marketing is something that American craft breweries are really good at, and it is a business aspect that the wine industry should improve upon in order to invite younger aficionados.

Whenever you think about California winemakers, it is natural for your mind to gravitate towards established growing regions such as Sonoma and the Napa Valley; after all, these are places where vineyards routinely earn awards and widespread recognition. The truth about the Golden State is that it is blessed with numerous American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) beyond Napa and Sonoma, and one of the most overlooked is Lodi in the Central Valley.

I absolutely love Alaska Airlines. They somehow have managed to maintain the small town friendly attitude that has made them an essential part of life for thousands of people on the west coast. They have now started expanding service at Sonoma County / Santa Rosa airport to and from a variety of west coast destinations and a huge perk about flying with Alaska is that wine flies free! That's right, you can check a full case of wine like you would any other bag - except there's no fee if you are a Mileage Plan member (free signup).

A couple weeks ago I had the fortune of receiving a huge box of samples from Bota Box. The very generous folks there were determined to show me that boxed wine didn't have to be terrible. They were right but what blew me away was their latest creation, Bota 'Rita - a wine based margarita that comes in their signature bag-in-box packaging.

If there is one thing I love above almost anything else in the craft food and beverage market, it is innovation that creates an experience for the imbiber. That's how I felt after trying Pech Merle Winery's inaugural release of Linea, a "solera" blend that features five vintages of cabernet sauvignon, starting with a 2008 from Garden Creek Vineyard. This wine is special to both the winery as well as to Pech Merle wine club members like myself because this isn't about creating something arbitrarily fancy just to pull a few extra dollars from our pockets. This is quite literally a love letter written by the winemaker to all of the Pech Merle fans that have supported them over the past 13 years.

You may think you've got time since Valentine's Day is still a couple months away but Christmas can be romantic occasion too, as can New Years Eve! One thing that I'm always a fan of us doing a plate with assorted cheeses and other items along with a favorite bottle of wine. The folks over at Whole Foods Market agreed to share some of their knowledge and hooked us up with three amazing cheese and three bottles of wine.

Despite the fact that I love all things wine and enjoy visiting new wineries for a tasting, at home I'm honestly not much of a drinker. As a result, no matter how much I LOVED that bottle of wine at the wine tasting, it's likely that it will be weeks or even months after I come home that it will be opened. Even once opened, sadly there are too many bottles that have gone to waste. I know that I'm not alone in this challenge though, so I thought it might be time to share some wine wisdom. Hopefully this helps save precious wine from being wasted!

If you were lucky like we were in North West Ohio, you may have gotten a pretty awesome lightshow this past weekend. It was truly an extraordinary experience that normally you might need to head north to Alaska or Finland to experience. For Heather and I though, we got to not only enjoy the lights... but sampled some fabulous wines from Oregon that were made in celebration of the Northern Lights. Borealis Vintners couldn't have picked a more perfect time since their Rose, Pinot Gris, and White Blend arrived just in time for us to chill them a bit and put it in our cooler to enjoy while relaxing outside enjoying the northern lights.

It’s a perfect time to be planning a summer or fall getaway to the beautiful California Central Coast wine country and the folks at Bianchi Winery sent over some images to entice me to visit. What do you think? Are you ready to head out to Paso Robles for a romantic wine weekend with great views, hot days, and cool nights sipping some of the best wines in California?

There's a lot of advice out there on how to create the perfect charcuterie board for wine tasting, but this is my advice. Take it or leave it, but I like to create a charcuterie platter to complement the wines that I'm about to taste - but also provide a variety of flavors and textures to entertain your palette. Some charcuterie boards are designed specifically to pair with an individual wine but I'm about having fun and exploring flavor combinations. Regardless of your style, there are some core guidelines to follow, so here's my advice on how to create the perfect charcuterie platter for wine tasting.