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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...

So we’re sure you’ve heard there’s a hurricane coming. To help you get the most out of our Hurricane Preparedness Sale we’ve created our own checklist to get you ready the Wine Gourmet way! 1. Stock up on water. We know water is a necessity for survival but did you know wine is on average 85% water and beer is on average 90-95% water? We like to pretend it all works the same way. Make sure you stock up on your beverages during our Hurricane Preparedness Sale: 20% OFF storewide and 25% OFF cases if you mention this post through September 15th!...

Many of us are lucky enough to have grandparents that love us dearly and spoil us excessively. This Sunday on National Grandparent’s Day make sure they know just how much they are loved and appreciated. Check out our guide below for 8 types of grandparent’s and gifts they’ll love! 1. The Formal Grandparent Their fine china is always perfectly polished and not a thing is ever out of place for this type of grandparent. Let their favorite bottle of wine double as the focal point of their beautiful home with the Centerpiece: Tabletop Decanter. 2. The Funny Grandparent Or should...