“I’ve been gone for a minute, now I’m back with the jumpoff…..”

Life has been showing its ass but I’m still standing.

Hi Family, it’s Coley. I feel somewhat refreshed and ready to write again. In this chapter of wild climate change, earthquakes and forest fires, I found myself at the beach. I went to Cape May with my friend and it felt like we were at the end of the world for a few hours. Standing at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, surveying the forever invisible line of water – I watched the sun, set so calmly. In that moment I was in awe at how can something so simple could be so beautiful.

The past Labor Day has been the most active I’ve been this quarantine. I’ve been to a beer garden, checked out some art, enjoyed amazing Indonesian food (Hardena for the real ones) and snow crabs, and even managed to get some sleep. To be active for 5 days in a row for the first time in 6 months? WHEW CHILLAY! That’s the tweet, that’s all I got to say. I feel more alive than ever, like there’s a Drake line to perfectly describe the moment (it will come to me later). But coming from pure joy to being dragged all over the place by work – y’all just keep a sis in prayer: P4C – Pray 4 Cole

To those who are new here, Hellurrr! To the O.G’s – you know the vibes! Just a newsletter where I talk some sh*t, give you a few tips on wine, and help you wind down. Simple as that. Friendly reminder, every subscriber is eligible to receive free wine. Let me, the Cava Queen, the Malbec Madame, bless your home with a bit of joy. (Also, new logo - Who Dis?)

During the past two weeks, we gained 100 more followers on the Instagram. I also went live, during which a lovely lady paid it forward by gifting two people a bottle of wine. Also, shout out to Binou Bee Cooking and Desi – for allowing me to join her live. If you want to pay it forward, email me! I would love to share the love and give you a shout out. The community isn’t it without you - the reader, the giver and the lover.

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!

Next, we continue the streak of community questions!

Lee R. asked: What are some tips when it comes to aerating wine?

First, to aerate wine means to expose the wine to air, giving it a chance to “lay” properly, or breathe before drinking it. It’s like letting the wine find its pocket, where it performs perfectly on your taste buds. The reaction between gases in the air and wine helps fine tune or enhance the flavor. All wines do not need to be aerated. Your wine will go bad if you aerate the wrong ones, and we don’t waste wine in this community.

White wines don’t need to be aerated because they don’t have the huge amount of pigment molecules found in red wines. Pigment molecules are what help change the wine’s flavor when the wine is being oxidized. The white wine exception is if they are aged, earthy ones but even then – you are treading a fine line. Be careful. Taste first then determine if it is needed.

Not all red wines need to be aerated either! Cheap reds, especially fruity ones, do not need to be aerated. They taste best at first open. Oxidation will have you mad when your wine is flat in 30 min and just awful in an hour (yes, I tried it myself and took an L for the team).

The wines that benefit most from aeration are earthy flavored reds. The aged ones need to aerate in order to show out that range, hunny! Depth of flavors are displayed when opening up due to the fact that they are considered “closed” at first uncork.

Pro Tip: If an inexpensive red gives you a strong alcohol scent when you open it, pour the wine and allow a few minutes for the odor to disappear.

What do you need to aerate wine? You need an aerator or a decanter. All aerators are not the same – so don’t expect the same level of oxygen from each one. A decanter is a large glass that can hold the entire bottle of wine. Most have a small neck, for easy pouring and a curved shape to prevent wine sediment from getting into the glass.

If you don’t have any of these things, pour wine back and forth between two containers or just swirl the wine. Some people hyper-decant by putting wine in a blender. It’s never that serious, just swirl.

I hope this helps!

Coley’s Final Notes!

What I’ve been sipping on lately – Lighthouse White by Cape May Winery ($14). I had a chance to visit and I was impressed with this one. It is a solid table wine. An apricot aroma giving you candied peach rings on the palate, while ending with a medium cantaloupe finish. The acidity is low on this one and for those who love sweet wines – this gives me a bit of a moscato vibe.

I am also linking three other wines I’ve enjoyed lately and featured on Instagram if you missed it.

Rosé (2019) by Apothic Wine – I come alive in the night time! Hee Hee! Click here

Sweet Riesling by Chateau Ste Michelle – The perfect sweet Riesling, if I do say so myself!  Click here

24K Gold Edition by Blue Nun Winery – A fancy wine this is. Still not sure how I feel about ingesting gold flakes. – Click here

Unimpressive Wine? – Rosé (2019) by Hampton Water ($19.99). People raved about this one. It’s actually rated 4 stars and up on most wine sites. For me, I could have passed on it. I felt like I couldn’t really find anything spectacular to talk about and it honestly tasted like water - flavorless at best. I think the marketing team gets you with the advertising, but I found it boring. Many more and better Rosé on the market to try. Save your coins.

My latest pickups! – Rosé (2019) by Maison No. 9 – A Post Malone Project Rose. ($21.99) This one came highly rated, so I wanted to see what the hype was about as well. This wine supposedly has scents of pineapple, pear and strawberry. It is said to be on the dry side with a clean finish. Pairings that are suggested are shellfish, summer salads and roasted chicken. I’m trying to cling on to summer as much as I can so why not end it with this?

Pazo das Bruxas Albarino (2018) by Torres ($17.99) – This wine caught my eye due to the description of “hedonistic upon entry”. I need to grow up, I know. But it’s claimed to be an excellent aperitif and has citrus and white peach notes. Pairings suggested: goat cheese, grilled seafood and white fish.

Upcoming Holidays – International Grenache Day (September 18th)

The Power of the Black Dollar – WDWC Editor Joshua (!!!), Carl and Nev put out a quick snapshot of black consumerism in relation to tequila sales. Click here to check it out.

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

Anna C.

Bonus Bottle Winners: Quinn M and Finnian S.

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

(For those who won bottles last issue, Wine.com decided to do a system overhaul - hence the delay. They will be on the way to you this week! I’ve been on it.)

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

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Cole’s Links*

1.      WINE DOWN WITH COLE IS NOW A WINE.COM AFFILIATE! Listen, this is major. The commission I make on these links are going to help further the mission and be reinvested right back into you. So going forward, all wines that I can link will be linked! Just click and boom! THERE IT IS!

2.      If you’re new to Wine.com, I have a code for you to help save $25-30 off your first order of $100. Click here to use it.

3.      We’re now also a Coravin affiliate. Coravin’s Wine Preservation System enables wine lovers to pour any wine, in any amount, without removing the cork. If you want to check it out or purchase one, click here!

4.      We have an official SHFT WORLD CODE FOR THE WDWC Community. 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. Use “WDWC” at checkout for 15% off your purchase!