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Where to get free wine storage

Let’s face it, most people like it when people like them. We here at The Wine’dUp are no different (especially after a couple glasses of wine). Wine is a passion that has been blissfully blabbed about by wine-o’s of all levels for thousands of years. In the spirit of that dire desire to share what we love, we are giving away free wine swag to those who “like” us on their favorite social networks, including Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, and whatever else is out there. This month we have named Twitter and Google+ as the networks choice. Follow us on Twitter, give us a tweet, or tap a Google+1 to enter our May contest to…
Top 100 Wine Websites

Wine’d Up readers have spoken & they have selected the “Top 100 Wine Websites” on the web today! We have been surveying our readers, chatting with fellow wine-o’s at our favorite drink spots, and shoulder tapping wine tasters out at the wineries for the past 10 months with thousands of submissions. While surfing the web and reading about our favorite subject, wine, watch for this seal… When you see this seal you will know that you are at one of the most reputable and well liked wine websites in the world! We are taking new votes every day. Use the comment form below to vote for your favorite wine websites (your vote will not…
DeLille Cellars Offers a Feast of Sensational Flavors

Collaboration by Matthew Delaney and Sarah Meadows Samples received courtesy of DeLille Cellars for review purposes While working on a project last year with Ed Leard at WineMatch.Com, who has toured wineries all up and down the West Coast, I had the extraordinary luck of inheriting some of his knowledge about local wines. It’s hard to believe it has been eight months since he first introduced me to DeLille Cellars by praising Chris Upchurch as WineMaker of the Year and Greg Lill as the best person to know in Washington wine. Then came my first taste. I dream of someday making wine of my own and from that point forward my dreams forever changed; they…
How Wine is Made – Special Infographic

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Become a Port Expert in 90 Seconds or Less (Portugal Will Thank You)

Sometimes when I’m standing in the grocery store admiring the shelves of wine I envision opening a box of 64 Crayons. I stare at all the colors and wonder when you would ever use Fuzzy Wuzzy, Jazzberry Jam, or Magic Mint. But when you were a kid, you made opportunities to try each color in the box; it didn’t matter if your sky was Mango Tango and your grass was Pink Flamingo. Like Crayons, wine comes in more varieties and styles than I can keep track of, so I decided I would create opportunities to try variations I had not previously considered. In the spirit of this decision I bought a bottle of Porto and…

Fresh Articles

Do You Need Wine Insurance?

Guest Post by Rachael at MoneySupermarket.Com (Matthew): I have to be honest, when Rachael first approached us about writing this article, I knew nothing about wine insurance. I assumed that if something were to happen to my home everything in it would be covered under a standard policy. As Rachael explains, that isn’t necessarily true. Which reminded my of a day several years ago when I had thousands of dollars of equipment stolen out of my car only to have my insurance company say, “oh, your trunk isn’t included in your insurance unless you pay extra!” Well, I would hate for your wine collection not to be included and you lose out, so I’ll let…

Good wine ruins the purse, bad wine ruins the stomach

Guest Post Written By: Cynette Lovelyn Montoya Wine Cellar Innovations, Content Writer “Good wine ruins the purse, bad wine ruins the stomach” There is a whole lot of truth in this old Spanish saying. Good wines don’t exactly top the popularity charts all the time no matter how amazing they may seem to the taste buds. Even if you do a rough interview, you will come to learn that there aren’t many people who are willing to shell out megabucks for an excellent quality wine. Perhaps the only times they would spend for anything inside a bottle that would be over $20 are really special occasions that you can’t wriggle out of celebrating. Under ordinary…

Should the Plastic Wine Bottle Fad Gain Momentum?

Swept along with the everything “Green” movement are a number of wine enthusiasts and environmentalist who have begun to rally behind the use of plastic wine bottles. When I first read an article about the momentum-gaining fad, I sighed deeply; not a sigh of relief but a sigh of displeasure emanating from my soul. I immediately stopped to analyze my initial aversion to the idea of opening a screw-top green plastic bottle and pouring wine from its threaded opening. Was this in fact a genius idea that would revolutionize the wine industry? Or will I be forced to stockpile glass bottled wine and resist the coercion to accept that plastic-y taste. I decided to read…

Why Your Wine Might Soon Be Like Chicken McNugget Paste

I’m in the middle of reading Making Sense of Wine by Matt Kramer, and I’m here to confess it has changed me. Not just as a wine author, but as a wine lover. I have a self-imposed duty to taste and write about wines for people of all levels of enjoyment, but Matt Kramer has really honed in on what I want my wine experience to be. He opens his book by talking about how, in essence, commercialization has changed the way the masses view and taste wine. I’ll be the first to admit that I have long been an enemy of the fake, empty, lifeless merchandise that commercialization has force fed our generation, and…

Become a French wine expert in 180 seconds or less… vous êtes les bienvenus

If I asked the average person whether a Grand Cru Classe Chateau Pavie Saint-Émilion 2005 1.5Ltr AOC was a good wine, it’s doubtful many would know what type of wine it was, let alone the quality level. But this French Bordeaux easily sells for over a $1,000 a bottle. Like many other wine drinkers, I’m not fluent in French and typically the only way I could tell whether a French wine was premium was to type the vintage into my iPhone and wait for the query of reviews to populate. French wine is highly regulated by the government; even the text size on the wine bottle label has specific criteria and meaning. So, to assist…

Tears of Wine- How much alcohol is in your wine

This is not the title of a melancholy ancient Roman tragedy, nor is it the sorrowful chorus of an emotionally moving ballad. You won’t find tears of wine as despondent lyrics in a somber country tune. But you will find tears of wine in your wine glass; especially the vintages with a high alcohol content. Simply observing this intriguing occurrence can reveal details about your wine that you may not realize. Furthermore, tears of wine are formed by a remarkable chemical and biological interaction that has more profound effects than just indicating the alcohol content of wine varietals. Tears of wine owes its existence to arguably the greatest chemical compound on earth; water. Water is…

DeLille Cellars and Chris Upchurch – Wine Masters of Washington

“Winemaking is a lifelong endeavor.” This truthful and passionate statement was made by professional winemaker and owner of DeLILLE Cellars Chris Upchurch. He has devoted the majority of his life to the art of growing premium grapes and making exceptional wine. DeLILLE Cellars is located in Redmond, Washington, a state which has been producing fine wines and experiencing well-deserved increasing popularity as a result. In contrast with many winery websites, DeLILLE Cellars does not provide a lengthy history or focus on a vast list of achievements, rather their sight is set on future wine vintages; perfecting grape growing and wine production. Despite DeLILLE Cellars’ modesty, it is clear from the information available and numerous positive…

Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley

After perusing nearly 600 reviews, it’s clear that medieval castles always have great appeal; who wouldn’t want to visit and tour one? The giant drawbridges, protective moats, and old stones beckon us with intriguing history. Castello di Amorosa, although built within the last twenty years, still provides the castle experience with the added enjoyment of wine. Wine lovers visiting Castello di Amorosa are greeted with roaming sheep, peacocks, chickens, and even a castle dog. After arriving, self-tours of the castle grounds can be taken at no charge. But, if you intend on touring inside the castle, whether guided or self-toured, you will have to pay the $17 admission fee regardless of wine tasting. Carriage rides…

J Vineyards and Winery

After reading through a couple hundred reviews, the consensus among reviewers is that J Vineyards & Winery produces exceptional sparkling wines. The J Cuvée 20 Sparkling Brut NV and J Brut Rosé NV are regarded, not only by reviewers and critics, but by J Vineyards & Winery themselves, as two of their finest wines. Their vintage bruts also received commendation but some felt their whites were uninspired and thus overpriced. While J Vineyards & Winery has been praised for elegance and offering appropriate food pairings, many reviews noted that the $20 tasting fee was hefty when compared to other similar experiences. In addition, the majority of reviewers also observed that the fee was not discounted…

Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards

Shameless Hussy, Burning Desire, and Double Dip Magnum: Do I have your attention yet? These are but a few of the indulgent wines offered by Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards. The story goes something like this; during the 1930’s, an entrepreneurial man ran a rowboat taxi ferrying miners across Lake Chelan to Point Lovely where pleasures were sought in the form of a brothel. Today, the area’s rich history adds influence and appeal to the highly-praised wines produced by Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards. One reviewer’s comment seemed to encapsulate the essence of many other reviews. She wrote, “No stuffy, pretentious wine snobbery, just great wine and good conversation.” Most who take the time to…

Ask the Wine Maker

Life and Wine… It’s all about the details

Good Morning! I normally write about wine and I promise I will get to the subject of wine, but I have to share with you while the feelings of my morning are still so fresh. I just returned home from Floresville, Texas and I was a volunteer for Extreme Home Makeover. I was not swinging a hammer or loading furniture. I worked in the food tent and I think I made about 40-50 gallons of coffee and unloaded about 6 vans of food and bottled water. I have been an avid watcher and total crying mess of the show for all these years. I sometimes watch and listen to the stories of the people who…

How To Choose Wine To Bring To Holiday Parties

Good Morning! I know this is not my normal blog subject but I keep receiving emails asking the same question and I thought I would just address this and if you have questions you will not need to add stress to your holiday, it’s supposed to be fun! The question is about giving wine. The questions all sound something like this: How much wine should I take to a party? Is it ok to drink what we take to the party? How much should I spend? Is it proper to give it as a host gift? How do I make sure the host does not open the wine for everyone? The list goes on and…

TJR Select Wine Harvest 2011

Good Morning! I was told watching my journey is kinda like having a baby, you can watch someone be pregnant and finally when the baby arrives you forget about the months you carried the baby, and you’re left with a cute and perfect little bundle that you are holding and you forget all the pushing and the months of being uncomfortable. I giggled when I heard someone say that. I have never given birth to a child, but if this is what it is like, my mama and every other mom in the world needs way more than a Hallmark card on Mother’s day! I have recently finished the harvest of the 2011 vintage of…

Tammi: Wine Maker

We are blessed to have Tammi Ramsey writing for The Wine’dUp. She is the wine maker for TJR Select Wines and soon to be famous as a contestant on Season 2 of The Winemakers on PBS, premiering fall 2011. Tammi’s passion for wine shines through in everything she does, especially her writing. You can feel the love she has for her profession in every article. We look forward to seeing her on PBS this fall!

What Harvest “feels” like….

Good Morning! I was ask what harvest is like and it is hard to describe in some ways and in other ways I can easily tell you about the activities and emotions that go along with it. Harvest is all aspects of the year rolled into one. From the weather, to the cellar to the monies spent, also all the education gained over the year and a lot of prayers. First, if you think of the harvest in the terms of a business, you have to consider scheduling, labor, costs and equipment needed. The weeks before the harvest you are moving (racking) the wine currently in the barrels and stainless steel tanks into bottles and…