So Your Winery Tasting Room has Reopened? 

6 Hospitality Tips to Practice – Always

It’s been almost 3 months since California's state-issued a SIP (Shelter in Place) order for all winery tasting rooms to close their doors. Now the green light has been turned on for Tasting rooms to reopen with careful care and adherence to the COVID guidelines. 

I think many of us would agree that if you placed one ear to the ground, you could almost...

Who knew that the way we would all be connecting with our favorite wine fans and wine brand devotees would be through this new "normal' medium we cleverly refer to as "Virtual Wine Tastings"?

If you are anything like us here at The Wine Militia, you knew that it would only be a matter of time before you knew that you needed to put on some big brave pants, swallow your pride and figure out the best way to host your wine sessions. 

We...

By now many of us have witnessed on social media the unfolding of the nightmare wildfires that have affected thousands of our wine country friends and family. From childhood homes being reduced to ashes to the dream winery melting into a river of wine.

All of the fires hit close to home but perhaps the most devastating for Wine Country was the Tubbs Fire & Atlas Fire that has reportedly burned over 34,000 acres. All fire fighters an...

**Watch*** The weather this weekend is perfect for that pink, refreshing wine...Rosé! Watch as we crash the "Top 3 Local Grocery Stores" searching for delicious picks. 

Have you ever opened up a nice bottle of wine you had been holding onto for some time? Then pour the wine into a decanter, only to see a cluster of black matter at the bottom of your wine glass? You are not alone. Many people have stood there scratching their head along with you and asked ‘What is that?’ Let’s take a look at the explanation behind these little bits of mystery we call wine sediment. I've been asked many times as an...

Have you ever order a bottle of wine in a restaurant to impress your date, become super excited about the sommelier bringing the bottle, present the bottle and say ‘Voila! Here is your wine monsieur!’ – Only to see that the Orange County sommelier is twisting the top off of the wine bottle? What happened to the anticipated popping sound of the cork being released? If you are like most, you might feel as though the romance police ha...

When looking at a bottle of wine one may begin to wonder “where did this particular size come from?” or “why is this bottle shaped one way and another differently?” These are all great questions and we are about to dive into the answers here.
 
Why Glass?
Often viewed as a newer development, glass has literally been around for ages. Some of the first finds of glass were found in the Northern Middle East. Natural deposits of obsidia...

When determining whether or not a plot of land and its soil are properly suited for vineyards, it is important to achieve a certain balance between the soil, air, and water.

 Step One:  Soil Sample & Terroir Check 
 Soil combinations are important when choosing specific types of varietals to be planted.  Ideal soil situations allow the vine to explore the terra and retain a reasonable amount of water without becoming over saturated...

If you have witnessed the entertainingly ceremonious swirling of wine in the glass, it can be both curious and odd if you are new to wine. Whether you have tried this or not, there are some things you should know about the swirling of wine. Believe it or not there is a purpose to this seemingly over-pretentious act.

First of all we need to look at wine as a whole. The way wine is produced, bottled and packaged is an involved proce...