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August 3^rd marks National Watermelon Day and CÎROC wants you to celebrate summer the right way. Bring a touch of fun to any Summer celebration with limited-time only CÎROC Summer Watermelon vodka, five times distilled and made from fine French grapes with a distinct blend of fresh watermelon and other natural flavors.

For more than a year know, the world has been forced to adapt to an ever-changing series of lockdowns, guidelines, and disruptions to our daily life in the name of public safety. This article isn't to say what's right or wrong, only to support an industry that has given me so much personal enjoyment and an opportunity to learn, explore, and travel over the past decade. In California, wineries were lucky to have been able to re-open even while bars, breweries, and distilleries weren't - unless they were serving food. For the most part, California wineries were able to escape the worst restrictions by offering outdoor tastings with a few modifications. Unfortunately, with the most recent lockdown orders, wineries were as lucky. Thankfully, winemakers and vineyard owners are among some of the most innovative and creative people that I know and have already begun to introduce innovative ways to maintain their businesses through virtual tastings, interactive video streams, engaging with influencers, and leveraging the support of their wine club members. To help support them further, we've compiled a list of 50 wineries in California and what they are doing to adapt and what you can do individually to help them during this challenging time.

With the Kentucky Derby almost upon us, it's time to break out our julep cups, crush some ice and mix up some awesome cocktails so we forget how silly those women look wearing their derby hats!

Tequila tends to be a summer drink in the United States - it is synonymous with margaritas and doing shots on the beach or around a campfire. However, there is more to the spirit than just that. To help convince us, Tequila Avion sent us some great recipe ideas that will go well with your Thanksgiving celebrations this year.

By now, most of us have been hiding inside and stress is building up. While some of us are simply "done with" COVID, others are still being cautious. Heather and I fall into that later group but I've found a secret place about 90 minutes outside of downtown San Diego that is exactly what we needed for our mental health. We discovered Volcan Mountain last fall, before all this happened - but now, the winery has an even more special place in our hearts.

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.

There are times when celebrities just slap their name on a bottle or buy a distillery and there are others when it is obvious that the celebrity is actually a partner with the distillery to create something new and unique. That's the case with Matthew McConaughey and Wild Turkey Bourbon. 

Wolf Spirit distillery based in Eugene, Oregon is quickly becoming one of my favorite spirits producers due to their innovative assortment of fine spirits brands that connect deeply with a sense of heritage, history, and culture that allow them to integrate easily into any man's collection. For me anyhow, there are spirits I have and need to blend different drinks... and then there are ones like Puncher's Chance Bourbon and indeed Bosscal Mezcal (also by Wolf Spirits) that exist to create conversations around and will be featured on the shelf of my bar for people to see, while others will be stored in my liquor cabinet hidden from sight.

Bourbon's historical home is the wooded hills and hollers of backwoods Kentucky. The cool mountain streams and springs matched with the fertile cornfields and Scots-Irish immigrants looking to do something with their extra corn beyond just another round of cornbread and Johnny Cakes. However, they weren't the only farmers that enjoyed the smooth, slightly sweet tasting corn liquor we know today as bourbon. As settlers expanded westward, they brought whiskey with them and the most ingenious of them brought stills and set up production wherever they landed on the western frontier.

As a connoisseur of spirits, I'm thrilled to introduce you to the Woodford Reserve's Sonoma Triple Finish, a remarkable fusion of California and Kentucky's finest. This limited-edition bourbon is my latest discovery, one that truly pushes the envelope of fine whiskeys. Its uniqueness lies in the distinct influence of three casks - Pinot Noir wine, brandy, and bourbon.

The Humboldt Distillery is located in Humboldt County, California and makes several spirits, including vodka and rum, that appeal to those with a more humble(dt) preference. We tried Humboldt’s Finest vodka as well as the organic small batch vodka they make. Both are excellent. Our preference in sipping is perhaps with the organic small batch, but it’s a close race. For mixers, Humbdoldt’s Finest is a great one.

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, as well as a modern food scene that is one of the best in Europe.

Recently I was hosted by Crown Royal to attend a weekend of fun at the Jeff Kyle Brickyard 400.  During the weekend we were educated by Master of Whiskey (MOW) Stephen Wilson on the Crown Royal distilling process and how they come up with the blends they use in their whiskeys. 

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.

Paso Robles is an interesting example of the secret side of California. To many folks who have never visited the state, they think only of LA and San Francisco as well as possibly places like Yosemite and Tahoe. When it comes to "wine country" Napa and Sonoma are the go-to places that everyone thinks about. California's Central Coast region however is a completely unique area with wines that are just as good - and depending on your preferred varietal - maybe even better than those areas. However, what makes it truly unique is the backdrop of ranches and a feeling that you are in a completely different world than the rest of the state. That translates into wine tasting for sure... but also other great guys weekend activities such as hiking, off-road driving, and hunting too.

Everyone should have a neighborhood bar. It's one of those places that can be a home away from home where the bartenders welcome you warmly when you enter the door and you feel comfortable before you even have a chance to order a drink. That's what San Diego's The Whiskey House is to me, so when I got the opportunity to join them for a Glenfiddich tasting a few weeks ago I jumped at the opportunity. Then I discovered that they were opening a $4,000 bottle of Glenfiddich 40 year and I cleared my schedule for the rest of the evening!

With the Passover starting on April 19th, many of you may be getting ready for the holidays and others, like myself simply enjoy exploring other cultures and traditions. So I thought this was a great opportunity to take a look at what Kosher Wine is and why it is an important part of Jewish holiday traditions.

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).

Garrison Brothers was the first legal Texas bourbon but they've come a long way since those early days. While there are a lot of bourbon brands that ride on a cliche concept and good marketing without the soul that makes bourbon something special... Garrison Brothers Distillery is something special and to their credit they've come a long way from the early days when I first tried them many years ago. So, when they sent over some new cocktails to share... well... it just seemed like the right thing to do to salute a whiskey brand that everyone should have in their bar at home.