A Brief History of Time…in Chianti
Besides making vino delizioso, or as we say: delicious wine, Italian winemakers love to 1. Complain about wine laws, 2. Break wine laws and 3. Make new wine laws. Chianti, as Italy’s most beloved DOC, has a vibrant and contentious history that is both fascinating and frustrating that demonstrates the idiosyncratic charm of our Tuscan […]
Port: It’s the Schist!
There are few wine regions of the world more romantic and dramatic as the Douro Valley in Portugal. The steep terraced vineyards that line the banks of the Douro River have been producing wine since before the Common Era. AS with most wine origin stories, Port’s roots reside in the monasteries of the region. The […]
Thanksgiving Wine Pairings
The holidays, while festive, can add to your stress levels with the preparations of the traditional feasts, gathering of family and the pressure to make sure you do better than last year (#nolumpymashers). In addition to making sure you don’t forget the salt in this year’s green bean casserole, you want to present your guests […]
Walla Walla Valley: The Dirt, literally
I recently went on a wine-centric trip to the Pacific Northwest. The itinerary included the Walla Walla Valley in Southeastern Washington and the Willamette Valley of Oregon. One of the attributes of these regions, or of any wine region, I find incredibly fascinating is the diversity of soil and rock formations that give the wines […]
Chianti Classico – The darling of Italy
Chianti (Kee- Ahn- tee) is a classic wine of Tuscany (located near Florence, Italy), based on the Sangiovese (San-gee-Oh-Vase-see) grape. To be called Chianti, the wine must be produced in the Chianti region and be made from at least 80% Sangiovese grapes. It can be 100% Sangiovese, but winemakers like to blend in international varietals […]
Marsala & Sherry
In this holiday season, people tend to cook more. They especially tend to cook with things that they’ve never cooked with before like Sherry and Marsala. Here is a little breakdown for when the question is raised…and it will be raised…about Marsala & Sherry. Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily. It is a DOC […]
A Guide to Holiday Pairings
The holidays, while festive, can add to your stress levels with all of the preparations of the traditional feasts, gathering of family and the pressure to make sure you do better than last year (#nolumpymashers). In addition to making sure you don’t forget the salt in this year’s green bean casserole, you want to present […]
Wines of the Month: France
A Primer… A good way to begin with France is to learn the grape varieties that go with each specific region. We will start broad and then hone into the different areas or Appellation d’Origine Controllée (AOC)- protected designation of origin: which is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, […]
October Wine of the Month: Spain!
FOCUS: Rioja THIS MONTH SAVE 20% on all Spanish Wines when you buy 3 bottles or more. Spain is one of the world’s leading producers of wine. From the alluring white wines of Galecia, the Sherries of Andalusia, the deep rich reds of Jumilla and the iconic Tempranillos of Rioja and Ribera del Duero; Spain […]
Valentine Cocktails to Love
February in Indiana can mean many things like Black History Month, Groundhog Day, the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, or horrible, cold, bitter weather that… we digress. The great news is there are no broken hearts here at Big Red Liquors over the list of Valentine Cocktails we have assembled that contain ingredients which are currently […]
