It's already tomorrow in Hong Kong...

God, I wish that movie had a different ending.

We’re back. It’s still hot. I’m still sweating. The drip is still immaculate. Listen, Jesus turned water into wine and that cold glass of wine is hitting REAL DIFFERENT right now, friends! (Don’t tap me for that, mom) Another Thursday where you open this newsletter and I give you the bochinche (gossip) on wine. We’re growing slowly but surely, so I would like to shout out the new subbies. Welcome! To the OG’s – I love you *heart sign*! These past weeks have been insane. Yet, I get a sense of peace when I write these and the feedback from the last newsletter has been really heartwarming. If you missed the last one, click here!

Quarantine taught me how to be present. Yes, I know we can’t be physically be present (maybe for the social distance sneaky links – mask up!), but I know how to make it work for me and the people who I love and adore. I’ve even grown closer to some of my friends that I have known for years. Yet, I’ve learned to appreciate all the memories. My friend Jayme, reminded me the other day that we used to be outside last year. I laughed and cried as I thought about the day I took shots at this popular cookout in Philly called PNK – Pretty Nasty Kookowt, wearing a shirt saying “F*ck It Up, Sis!”. I was knocking back shots of Henny, D’Usse, and Ciroc and then found myself at Sardi’s (it’s a Peruvian spot in Philly) trying to recover. Was I wilding? Of course. Do I regret it? Hell nah. I say all that to say that as we are in this space, enjoy what you can, while we are here and make it work!  Me, personally, I’ve just hit the DIY stage with pedicures becoming my latest obsession. May or may not birth my next side hustle, but let’s dive into the wine for now.

First, a reminder for the audiophiles - we have a podcast! Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Anchor, and Spotify. Please be sure to leave us a comment and rate us!

Second, did you fill out the community form yet? If not, click the link! Your feedback is needed. More importantly, that’s how you get a shot at free wine.

Also, have you followed us on Instagram? We have an extra giveaway for every 100 followers the account gains! (More chances to win free wine!) If you go on our IG page, you’ll also see a highlight for the past winners. We need you to share your bottles with us, so tag us on IG or send me the picture!

For this week, we’re back to answering questions sent in by our lovely fam bam!

A lot of members asked “How should you go about picking a bottle of wine?”

If you’re a newbie, check out the diagram below. Dr. Liz Thach created this Wine Palate Life Cycle wheel which shows how one develops their wine palate over time. A 2018 study done at Sonoma State University that actually backs this up. Most people start with sweet whites or rosé, then later evolve to appreciate more distinguished wines, like reds. Reds or wines that are more distinctive. Light-bodied wines are great entry points to learning how to enjoy a variety of wines.

I also like to think about flavors I like, then find bottles that align with those profiles. I read the labels. I also check out second-label wines. Second-label wines are the cheaper, yet great quality alternative to expensive wines (we’ll get into this in another newsletter). I do check out the sale racks as well. When it comes to wine that is on sale, however, keep these two things in mind:

1. The ideal consumption window for that specific vintage (year) is probably over

2. The wine isn’t selling, so inventory needs to be cleared out. It doesn’t mean it’s a bad wine, but it’s something to consider.

Most wines I buy range from $8 – $50 depending on what I’m buying. However, I’m not afraid to splurge when I feel like it. Keep in mind expensive doesn’t always mean good. I also like to ask the reps in the store or website for some of their recommendations too (I like to learn too). It’s good to ask because they could put you on to a wine you probably wouldn’t have thought of.

I hope this helps as you start your wine journey, and this opens up so many avenues that we can delve into.

Coley’s Final Notes!

What I’ve been sipping on lately – Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs Brut Réserve, a sparkling wine by André Delorme. This chardonnay based wine comes from Burgundy, France. It’s a medium gold color, with lively bubbles. You get peach and pear flavors with lemon zest on the finish. It’s a bit dry, but I think that’s why I like it so much. This wine doesn’t do too much and I found it to be a nice starter wine. This would pair well with seafood. This wine was relatively inexpensive. So if you find it, grab it. It’s definitely worth the buy and even makes a great gift. 

We like Andre too, but here’s another alternative – Brut Cava by Segura Viudas. The price target is $11 but you might get it on sale for $9. It’s clean and elegant, yet rich in flavor. This sparkling gives aromas of citrus and tropical fruits. It is very fresh and well balanced on the palate. Quite dry and long on the finish. Love this as another starter wine and it compliments pizza, grilled chicken or shrimp.

My latest pickups! – Riviera Rosé (2019) by Margerum. I kept on getting ads for this, so I picked it up. It gives off a pale pink color with hints of orange. This is a Grenache based Rosé, so I’m interested to see how my palate reacts to it. I’m very fond of Grenache wines so I don’t expect to be disappointed. It’s advertised as a full bodied wine, so I will post an Instagram review this weekend. I also purchased the Malbec (2019) by Bodegas Callia. This has flavors of cherry, plum and cinnamon. Argentinian Malbecs are very revered. Cory L, asked for a deep dive into South American Reds, so look out for that in the upcoming newsletters as we transition into fall.

Upcoming Holidays – National Tequila Day (7/24). My favorite Tequila at the moment is the popular Blanco from Casamigos. I think it’s very smooth and it lives up to the hype. I do want to try Teremana, which is produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. What tequilas have you guys been drinking?

Wine and Cheese Day (7/25) – Who doesn’t love wine and cheese?!? Unless you’re lactose intolerant – but I feel like there is some good non-dairy cheese out there? (I will be investigating this too…) It’s really a dope pairing and I will dedicate a whole newsletter to this. If you do partake, let me know. I’ll share some cheeses on IG stories this weekend.

What I’m wearing – T-Shirts from SHFT WORLD. It’s a social conscious lifestyle and apparel brand. I love their mission statement and they make some pretty rad tees with taglines that inspire and motivate. Latinx owned and woman-owned. For the rest of the month of July, use the discount code SHFTER to get 20% off all products on the site. Click here to buy a tee!

Finally, THE WINNERS OF THIS ISSUE’S GIVEAWAY ARE:

Molly H!

Bonus Bottle Winners:  Sandy C. and Thomas G.  

I will reach out to get your information and ship the bottles your way! xo.

This concludes the fourth issue of #WineDownWithCole – Stay vino’d up and indulge in a glass.