Very Daring

Thought to be the oldest branded wine in the United States (dating from circa 1835), Virginia Dare was named after the first child born of English parents in America. The white Virginia Dare was originally given the not-very-PC name Minnehaha; the red, Pocahontas. The wine was made from scuppernong, a variety of native grapes that were found growing along the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina. (The grapes are named after the Scuppernong River). During Prohibition, the company that made Virginia Dare stopped making wine and instead manufactured flavorings (which depend on alcohol during extraction). In 2016, Francis Ford Coppola renamed his Geyser Peak Winery in California to Virginia Dare Winery. The Virginia Dare Extract Company is still manufacturing flavor extracts in Brooklyn, NY.

What is the primary grape variety used in making the Greek wine retsina? (Note: Retsina was a recent Wine Word—do you remember?)

A. Malagousia

B. Savatiano

C. Xinomavro

D. Moschofilero

Savatiano is the most cultivated wine-producing variety in Greece and the primary grape used for retsina. The grapes roditis and assyrtiko are also sometimes used. Savatiano is mostly grown in Central Greece in the wine region Attiki (Attica). As for malagousia and moschofilero, both are aromatic grapes said to make the best aperitifs in all of Greece. Xinomavro, a high acid and tannic red grape is known for making dark, brooding wines which are a specialty of northern Greece.

Smoke Blunder

With the fires that have killed nearly 50 and devastated 162,000 acres of wine country not yet fully out, famous San Francisco chef Michael Mina is heralding the opening of his new SF restaurant. Its… Continue reading

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