News — Education

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé: The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived! Happy Beaujolais Nouveau Day! Us Americans cherish the fourth Thursday of November every year as we feast on turkey, but in France, the third Thursday of November calls for fireworks and one of the year’s biggest parties! Not for the celebration of independence or a new year… but the end of a tiring harvest for the winemakers of eastern France’s Beaujolais Region. Now with millions of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau distributed each year and held for release at 12:01 am, it’s no wonder the rest of the world takes part...

Happy International Stout Day! This rich, strong brew has an even stronger history that dates back to the late 1700’s beginning with porters and royalty. I’m sure you’ve heard of Imperial Stout and maybe even wondered where it got the name “imperial”. We’re here to feed the curiosity. Although it’s historical meaning is “proud” or “brave”, the word stout came to mean “strong” by the 14th century. “Stout” was later coined by the alcohol industry in the 1700’s to simply identify alcohols with a higher alcohol by volume (ABV) and rather bold flavor. They evolved from the classic porter style...

We all know alcohol isn’t real medicine, but once upon a time… cocktails kinda were. You’re probably wondering what in the world we’re referring to: that would be bitters. Their brief history from a medicinal treatment to cocktail ingredient might just be your conversation starter for the holiday season!  Taste receptors on our tongue are responsible for stimulating taste and allowing us to differentiate between flavors that are savory, sweet, salty, bitter and so on. As for the bitter taste receptors, evolutionary speaking, they acted as a signal to the body to avoid consuming particular plants before the body possessed the enzymes to break...

While most revel in beer during Oktoberfest, did you know October is Virginia Wine Month? This month marks the 30th annual celebration of Virginian viticulture! With over 300 wineries in the commonwealth, Virginia has become the second-largest wine producer in the south and the fifth largest in the nation. Our land is rich in history as Virginia’s wine production dates back to 17th century colonization and our founding fathers. From laws requiring the landowners to tend their own grapevines to Thomas Jefferson’s life-long connection with wine making. In elementary school we all learned about American colonization and agriculture, but they...

The Virginia Tourism Corporation has it right when they say "Virginia is for Craft Beer lovers". Over the last decade, the beer business in Virginia has rapidly grown but did you know August is Virginia Craft Beer Month? After a transformative legislation passed, the month long celebration was established to honor these masterminds and their impact on Virginia's economy. Back in 2012 former Governor Bob McDonnell observed the influx in Virginia's craft beer industry and signed Senate Bill 604. This bill allowed the retail sales of beer on brewery premises and in public tasting rooms, ultimately transforming the state's industry. With the...