Blog: In the Cellar

Wine has three main uses in the kitchen – as a marinade ingredient, as a cooking liquid, and as a flavoring in a finished dish. Here are 8 specific ways to use wine in your everyday cooking. Cook with a wine that is drinkable. Never use a wine that is corked, too old, or tastes…

Every wine collection is a unique constellation of bottles based on personal taste. There are, however, some wine regions and categories that every respectable collection should represent. Here are some of our picks you should find in any high-end wine collection. Bordeaux Bordeaux is still king when it comes to any collection worth discussing. Get…

The great thing about this cake is that it’s not fussy. Bake the cake, pour the glaze over and it sets. Done. Ingredients Cake 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (at least 70% cacao), chopped 1 cup sugar…

It’s weird, it’s wine, it’s a weird wine gift! Some are funny, some cost money, some are just downright bawdy! Mix it up this holiday season with these quirky gifts, perfect for your weird friends! Wooden Wine Glasses Sip a mellow chardonnay or an aged cabernet sauvignon in these beautiful black walnut wine glasses. Wood…

Attending a party this holiday season? Don’t give a bottle of wine to your host; they already have wine! (And if they don’t, why are you going to this party anyway?) Below you’ll find some amazing, interesting, non-bottle-of-wine gifts that will make you the hit of the holiday season. Wine Purifier Improve bad wines and…

Turkey Steer clear of tannins and embrace acidity if you’re serving turkey this holiday season. Pinot pairs well with turkey as does a well-aged Bordeaux (age softens the tannins). Looking for a great white wine for turkey? White burgundy fits the bill. Ham Ham can be served in a great many ways, so here’e a…

You don’t drink wine blindly so why would you buy wine blindly? A wine collection is a lot like a library; it should be representative of the larger world, not try to contain it. The 8 cases below are the foundation of a smart, savvy wine collection, one that isn’t all about rare labels and…

Coq au vin is a classic French stew in which chicken is braised slowly in red Burgundy and a little brandy to yield a rich sauce filled with tender meat, crisp bacon, mushrooms and burnished pearl onions. Ingredients 3 pounds chicken legs and thighs 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed ½ teaspoon freshly…

Who doesn’t love a bottle of wine as a gift? The collector who already has hundreds of bottles and obscure tastes, that’s who. For the wine lover in your life that has everything, we present this list of gifts that pair perfectly with the bottles they already have! Corkicle Air 4-in-1 Chiller, Aerator, Pourer and…

Pairing wine with food is more an art form than it is a science. So why are we giving you a list of rules to get it right? Well, just like any art form, there is a basic methodology that underlies the practice. The following seven tips are the very basics for wine pairing, but…

Looking for the perfect gift for the wine lover in your life? Go hi-tech with these cool gadgets and bring a touch of modern to the timeless beauty of fine wine. Secura Electric Wine Opener The Secura Electric Wine Bottle Opener easily remove corks in seconds. Simply place on top of your wine bottle, press…

This simple cranberry sauce is easy to throw together quickly and makes the perfect dish to bring along as a guest to your Thanksgiving gathering. Ingredients ¾ cup dry red wine ½ cup water 12 whole cloves 12 oz. fresh cranberries ½ cup packed brown sugar Method Bring wine, water, and cloves to a boil…

Picking out the perfect wine for your Thanksgiving meal doesn’t have to be difficult. Given the variety of foods and flavors served at a typical Thanksgiving feast – dark meat, white meat, tart cranberries, sweet yams – you’re better off presenting your guests with a range of options suited both to different foods and different…

Wine gummy bears are incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious to eat! Use whatever wine you want: red, white, Rosé, or even sparkling wine for the holidays! Ingredients 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup wine 3 tbsp powdered gelatin gummy bear molds Method Combine the wine, sugar and gelatin in a saucepan over medium low…

This simple yet flavorful dish is the perfect way to highlight the beautiful complexities of a good white wine sauce. Ingredients 8 oz penne pasta 1 tbsp olive oil 1/4 yellow onion, diced 4 garlic cloves, diced 10-15 thin asparagus stalks trimmed and cut in 2 inch pieces 4 tbsp butter 1/2 cup dry white…

Frederic “Fred” Savart is a one-man operation in every sense of the word. From his tiny 10 acre Premier Cru plot just south of Reims, Savart applies a driven, artisanal approach to every part of his production. Savart farms the clay-based soils of Ecueil completely organically and without pesticides. Savart’s wines have become favorites among…

With over 800 grape varieties and hundreds of years of winemaking history, it can be frustrating to know where to begin when it comes to Italian wine. That’s why we put together this quick guide to get you started in the amazing world of Italian wines. Italian Wine Terms DOCG: Denominazione di Origine Controllata e…

Autumn is here and although we’ll miss the cookouts, swimming pools, and vacations, there’s a lot to look forward to as the seasons change such as family holidays, fall weather, and the gorgeous changing foliage. While we’re not quite ready to break out the Cabernet, one important consolation of summer’s end is the chance to…

The Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi winery can trace its history all the way back to 1308. The family is known to have supplied wine to such wine-loving historical figures as Michelangelo and Henry VIII. As one of Italy’s oldest wineries, Frescobaldi has grown to be one of the most important wine producers in Italy, with nine…

When a cheeky Parisian sommelier served a glass of Chardonnay to famed Volnay winemaker Guillaume D’Angerville, he probably didn’t expect to change his life. D’Angerville was so sure it was a Burgundy in his glass, he was astonished to hear it came from a Jura vineyard. Thus began D’Angerville’s obsession to discover his own little…

Harvest time in Napa Valley is a whirlwind of hard work that sweeps up almost every one in a veritable crush of activity. Somewhere in that great grape maelstrom, a sense of shared commitment and celebration is forged. Slowly, traditions form around the tempo of the harvest. Blessed Blessing the Grapes: one of the oldest…

See Part 1 here! Napa Valley may be a giant in the world of wine, but its actual wine production is relatively small. The floor of Napa Valley is only 30 miles long and 5 miles across with 46,000 acres under cultivation all over Napa. To put that in context, the wine growing region of…

A near-perfect climate combined with proximity to bustling San Francisco have made Napa Valley the premier wine region in the New World. Beginnings: Pioneers Grape production in Napa Valley began in the nineteenth century with George C. Yount. Yount’s vineyard grew to encompass land that included what is now Rutherford, Oakville, and Yountville, now considered…

Learn how to read and understand French wine labels with this handy guide. Bottling Location: where the wine was bottled. Estate: the name of the Chateau or Estate where the wine is from. Type of Wine: the specific type of wine in the bottle. Vintage: the year the grapes were harvested. Classification: the wine or…

We’ve put together a list of 10 wine racks anyone can make! A home wine rack is a great solution to short term wine bottle storage. Even better, you can easily make one yourself! These are just a few beautiful designs to get you started! Wall Wine Holder from Rogue Engineer This simple design is…

Here at Prime Cellar, we do everything we can to ensure that the wine you order from us gets to you in perfect condition. The first step is a quick weather check. When We Ship During summer and winter, wine shipped across the country can be exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations leading to undesirable off…

What could be better than meaty, slow-cooked ribs? Meaty, slow-cooked rubs in a rich, velvety red wine sauce! Ingredients 5 pounds English style bone-in beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces Kosher salt and black pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 medium onions, diced 3 medium carrots, peeled, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 3 tablespoons…

Here at Prime Cellar, we read a lot about wine: ratings, reviews, blogs, and news. We thought it’d be fun to share some of our favorite sites with you. Without further ado, here is the Prime Cellar 2019 Wine Resource Roundup. Reviews and Ratings Cellartracker has crowd-sourced ratings and a way to keep track of…

Whether you’re planning a quiet get-together or a large dinner party, making sure you have enough wine for guests is, if not your number one job as host, it’s way up there. How many glasses of wine do you need for each guest? Most guides recommend 3 glasses per person. That’s easy but it’s a…

The first thing to know about dry white wine is that the dryness doesn’t come from the grape. Dry white wine is a style of wine that certain wines (and certain grapes) are traditionally made in. So, how do they make a wine dry or sweet? It’s all about the winemaking process. As grapes ferment,…

Wine investment is a big thing these days. In fact, in the past ten years, the value of wine as a luxury asset has increased 147% according to Forbes. While we all know we’re supposed to have a diversified investment portfolio of stocks and bonds, there’s a whole world of assets out there to invest…

One question we hear all the time is How do you store your wine? We understand that this is a central question for wine lovers and collectors. Wine is a delicate substance and maintaining its attributes while encouraging even more favorable ones to emerge over the course of years is truly an art form. Dangers…

Although the Rothschild family has controlled their celebrated chateau since 1853, the modern story of Chateau Mouton Rothschild begins in 1924. It was then that the young Baron Philippe Rothschild insisted on bottling all his wine at his Bordeaux estate, an unusual move at the time but now an all but universal practice. The reforms…

With Easter Sunday right around the corner, we start thinking of Roast Leg of Lamb or Prime Rib Roast for dinner. And with those glorious meats we want wines that not only pair well but that enhance the meal. Prime Cellar has recipes and suggested wine pairings for your Easter Sunday, or for that matter any day of the year…

Since 1983, Denis Bachelet has been creating world-renowned wines at his tiny estate in Gevrey-Chambertin. Bachelet’s philosophy, “La finesse avant tout” – finesse before all things, manifests in his meticulous attention to every step of the wine-making process, from planting to harvest. The result is the creation of pure, graceful wines, full of elegant beauty…

Seasons are relative. February can be freezing or mild, depending on where you live. It follows then that choosing wines for the season can be a tricky business. Well, we’ve plowed ahead and selected a few wines that we think will pair well with the season, no matter what the thermometer says. So, whether your…

The holidays are fast approaching like a charging rhinoceros, so why not sit back, kick up your heels, and drink some Champagne? It’s not like the rhino’s going to care. And this wine has gas in it!   2010 DEMIERE ANSIOT NEYROT $118/bottle 92 points, Wine Enthusiast Based in the Côte des Blancs Grand Cru…

Celebrate Thanksgiving with these classic Thanksgiving dinner wine pairings. Or shop our selection and find your favorite bottle. Better yet, email us at info@www.primecellar.com and our expert wine director can help you stock your cellar for the holidays.   2015 YVON METRAS FLEURIE $72/bottle Yvon Métras has roots (several-generations deep) in the Beaujolais wine farms and…

[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text]I’m here in Burgundy on day 12 of the 2018 harvest in Chassagne-Montracht. I know we all get a little tired reading harvest report after harvest report proclaiming the greatness of the vintage at hand, but…according to…

Wine rating systems can be a touchy subject. Some people swear by them and some swear at them. We might not all agree on whether using a 100-point rating system like Robert Parker’s is the best way to know what wine you should buy. When a 100-point wine does come along, however, we can all…

Temperatures are skyrocketing and the only solution is to roll up your sleeves, get out a big old ice bucket and fill it with some summer stunners to help ward off the heat: From the new California School of wine makers, Arnot Roberts focuses on pure and lighter styles of winemaking in California and provides…

2004 KISTLER CHARDONNAY HYDE, CARNEROS $98/bottle 94-96 points, Robert Parker Always a show-stopper in terms of aromatics, the flowery 2004 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard offers hints of smoky hazelnuts, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, buttered apples, and white currants. With exuberant fruit, full body, terrific definition and precision, it should provide plenty of pleasure over the next 6-8…

The 1990s were a simpler time, filled with pagers, dial-up modems, and Urkel on every TV screen. While you might not miss everything about the 90s, you can be sure that we still have the best thing the decade ever produced. Check out our selection of hella cool wine from the 90s here!

Piedmont enjoys an unrivaled seat among the world’s very finest wine regions. Located in northwest Italy it is the home of more DOCG wines than any other Italian region, among them such well known and respected names as Barolo, Barbaresco, and Barbera d’Asti. Although famous for its austere, tannic, and floral red wines made from Nebbiolo, Piedmont’s greatest success story…

If there is one talent that the French have aside from winemaking, it would be their penchant for regulations. From what can grow where to how much you can harvest, the French wine world is tightly regulated. Every once in a while someone comes along and bucks the standard to create something truly great. This…

When you are the scion of a great Burgundian family, much is expected of you wine-wise. Should you then go on to marry the daughter of another great Burgundian family, the expectations increase. In the case of Pierre Yves Colin-Morey, the question is not has he hit the mark, but how much further can he…

2015 KISTLER LAGUNA RIDGE PINOT NOIR $299.98/bottle 94-97 points, Antonio Galloni The 2015 Pinot Noir Laguna Ridge Vineyard exudes depth, power and concentration. Extroverted and ample, the 2015 boasts magnificent richness from start to finish. Inky blue and purplish fruit, lavender, violets and licorice are fused together in the glass. A final taste reveals a creamy,…

2014 LAFON CLOS DE LA BARONNE $132/bottle 88 points, Allen Meadows   2015 DOMAINE LEFLAIVE SOUS LE DOS D’ANE, MEURSAULT PREMIER CRU $174/bottle 89-91 points, Wine Advocate   2009 DOMAINE DUJAC AUX COMBOTTES, GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN PREMIER CRU $245/bottle 93 points, Anotonio Galloni   2012 FAIVELEY CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU, CLOS DE BEZE $299/bottle 94 points, Wine Spectator  …

Beginning in 2000, La Paulée was brought to the US for the first time. Since then La Paulée has been celebrated in San Francisco, in New York, and in Aspen, Colorado. La Paulée de New York and La Paulée de San Francisco have received rave reviews by press and guests alike. In his review of…

In 1923 the modern day La Paulée was initiated by Jules Lafon, one of Burgundy’s most respected wine growers, when he decided to revive the traditional medieval grape harvest celebration to which Cistercian monks invited their vineyard laborers. Lafon held his first Paulée at his Meursault Domaine, inviting some of his friends to a small banquet in the…

La Paulée is a traditional Burgundian celebration held at the end of the grape harvest. This was once a widespread practice throughout France but now most often refers to the festivities held in the village of Meursault. La Paulée de Meursault is part of Les Trois Glorieuses, “the three glorious days,” that take place around Beaune…

Rightly famous for their single vineyard Clos des Goisses, Philipponnats have lived in and around Mareuil-sur-Äy for 500 years. Having focused for many years on the Clos, the family have since expanded their production to include more vintage as well as non vintage wines. The name of Cuvée 1522 is a tribute to the year when the…

Frederic Savart is a force to be reckoned with. Fred is first and foremost a farmer and winemaker but right behind that he is a bonafide wine geek. Constantly evolving, Fred makes almost a dozen wines from just 4 hectares. In his own words, his winery is “a laboratory of terroirs and a creator of…

There are wines that define a style, then there are wines that define a region. If a winery can achieve both of those things in one wine then you know you are dealing with some serious juice. Domaine Jamet is one of those wineries. The brothers Jean Paul and Jean Luc Jamet took over from…

“Brothers come quickly, I’m drinking the stars!” The immortal words of Dom Pierre Pérignon, the Benedectine monk popularly responsible for the creation of sparkling wine. Even though in the modern era we’ve found this tale to not entirely be true, it’s still a lovely story. The wines which bear his name need no introduction. When…

There was a time in the not too distant past when we got our wine news from magazines. When you anxiously awaited the vintage reports to come out and for Mr. Parker or Mr. Suckling or Ms. Robinson to declare the vintage good bad or otherwise. Once in awhile these critical voices would lineup in chorus…

Located right over the border from Pomerol in St. Emilion sits one of the most storied Libourne estates, Chateau Cheval Blanc. Since its founding in 1832, Cheval Blanc has been consistently producing one of the finest wines in the world. With 39 hectares of vineyards the estate produces a wine that tends slightly towards their…

As our gift to you, please enjoy FREE SHIPPING all month long on orders of six bottles or more. No promo code needed, just fill your cart with six bottles or more to enjoy free shipping! 1998 MOUTON ROTHSCHILD MAGNUM $975/bottle 96 points, Robert Parker Like many of its peers, the 1998 has filled out spectacularly. Now in…

This week will see the holiday season kick into high gear. Whether you’re shopping for turkeys, presents, or snow shovels, don’t forget to pick up some bubbly. We’ve selected some truly excellent Champagnes to help brighten the season (and manage the stress)! Happy holidays! NV JACQUES SELOSSE AMBONNAY LE BOUT DU CLOS EXTRA BRUT GRAND CRU 96…

Thanksgiving dinner is the most celebrated meal of the year. That also means it can be the most stressful, too. While we can’t cook your turkey, we can pick your wine. It’s simple, pick Pinot. Why is Pinot Noir the best wine for for your Thanksgiving meal? It has moderate alcohol, low tannin, and medium-to-light body. These qualities make Pinot…

We’ve never understood why Chateau Lynch Bages doesn’t seem to wind up in the discussion with the other big boys of Pauillac. Often times, even in the great vintages, the scrappy Cinquièmes Cru out performs some of its more “high brow” neighbors. The history of the estate stretches back to the late 1700s, but the…

In the western hills of Oakville off Highway 29 sits one of the most storied wineries in California, Harlan Estate. Founded by William “Bill” Harlan in 1984, Harlan Estate has year in and year out produced one of the finest wines, and certainly one of the highest scoring wines in the Napa Valley. We are…

In light of the ongoing wildfires in Northern California, Prime Cellar would like to offer these amazing wines from Sonoma to remind everyone why we love Sonoma wine!   2005 KISTLER CUVÉE CATHLEEN CHARDONNAY $198/bottle  96-100 points, Robert Parker The 2005 Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard Cuvee Cathleen is a selection of the finest lots from all the vineyards, but most…

In light of the ongoing wildfires in Northern California, Prime Cellar would like to offer some outstanding Napa wines to remind everyone why we love wine from this hard-hit region so much! 2008 LEWIS CELLARS RESERVE $125/bottle 94 points, Wine Spectator Aromas of melted black licorice, dried currant, sage, herb and cedar are firm and focused,…

Fires in Northern California are still burning, and the toll in both property damage and human lives remains unknown. In this very difficult time, our thoughts and prayers are with the thousands of people affected by this tragedy and those still fighting to stop the destruction. You can help fire relief and recovery efforts by…

As if you needed an excuse to open a bottle of champagne, we give you one of the finest food and wine pairings known to man or beast: champagne and fried chicken. Located in Avize Domaine, Jacques Selosse produces some of the most singular champagnes in the world. While the rest of his contemporaries emphasized…

by Eric Asimov. Originally published by the New York Times. Many people seek an easy formula for choosing better wines. I’m often asked if I can suggest a book, or a class, or a particular wine magazine. But trying to master the vast array of wine producers from almost all corners of the earth is…

November 19th – National Zinfandel Day With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, zinfandel is always on my mind. This varietal offers big bold fruit characteristics with the spicy/peppery finish that jumps to mind when asking to pair ham, turkey and flavorful stuffing at Thanksgiving dinner. There are only 71,000+ acres of Zinfandel planted in the world and…

November 7th is National Merlot Day! After the movie Sideways, Merlot has had its ups and downs, mostly downs. This is a wonderful varietal that can be the backbone to many great wines all over the world. Mostly grown on the right bank of Bordeaux, this varietal is actually the most planted varietal in France!…

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and we know how busy it can be getting ready for guests and preparing menus. To make the job a little easier, we’ve picked out five great wines from Italy that will pair perfectly with any Thanksgiving dinner. Whether you’re attending a dinner or hosting your own, any of these wines…

As always we kept a crazy busy schedule tasting over 1000 wines from the new baby vintage of 2015. We stayed in the Medoc, at Ch. Beauragard in Pomerol and at Ch. Le Thil in Leognan. The hard work was well worth it, I know the wines inside and out and the comparison vintage is…

The wine world lost one of its greatest ambassadors this week with the passing of Paul Pontallier the passionate managing director of Ch. Margaux. For the full obituary on Mr. Pontallier see Decanter.com Just this last Saturday right before leaving work I emailed Paul to ask him, for about the hundredth time, to request a…

Wow, it is already March and time seems to be flying! For wine lovers it is already an exciting year with so much great wine being available from all over the globe and more coming on the horizon. From California there continues to be a wide selection of Cabernet Sauvignons from the lush and plush…

Where does a wine specialist go for a weekend getaway vacation to re charge his batteries and rejuvenate the soul after the busy holiday season? How about Napa Valley! That is exactly what I did with my wife Kim, son Alton and our family friends from Tampa Florida, Rick, Sherri and their 8 year old…

As most of you know, my main employment is in the retail wine business and the last 8 weeks of the year are really tough. I make a quick trip to Asia to see our PrimeCellar customers on November 1st and then it’s back to the frying pan! By the time Christmas is over I…

It has been two long years since my last trip to Asia for PrimeCellar so I was even more excited than usual. My trip started with a midnight flight Monday on China Air direct to Taipei; it was a rough flight with lots of turbulence so sleeping was difficult. After a transfer to Hong Kong…

Wine lovers around the world will be very pleased with the 2015 vintage from California and Bordeaux. It does not happen often that the more difficult growing season occurred in California, but that was the case in 2015 with both regions reporting outstanding quality. Below are the candid comments from my friends, the winemakers and…

As I reported in this column in July, the 2015 vintage in California has indeed turned out to be hot year with an early harvest and lighter than average production. Warm to hot weather vintages in California are pretty much the norm producing the style of wines that have made Napa and Sonoma famous; wines…

Customers have asked me this question over and over again for a few decades now; if you could choose just one wine to drink on your last day of life and last dinner what would it be? My answer is any vintage of Ch. Latour. During my almost 40 years in the wine business I…

Dear PrimeCellar members and friends, I hope you and your families are enjoying the warm summer weather. I have just returned from a two week vacation with my 11 year old son Alton, it was a father and son trip to get away from the rigors of busy city life, and spend some quality time…

I often refer to the weather in Bordeaux as turbulent and erratic and this always seems to surprise people. The famous worldwide reputation this region has earned leads people to believe that the weather is always great. The reality is that Bordeaux deals with weather adversity almost every year; this can come in the form…

Words can hardly express how excited I was to hear that PrimeCellar would be representing the iconic Napa Valley wines from Grgich Hills Estate in Asia. You don’t often get the chance to sell an estate whose wine literally changed the entire landscape, industry and perception of California wine around the world and forever. That…

Where do you start when describing a love affair that started almost 40 years ago and changed your life forever; I suppose at the beginning. The year was 1978 and I was 23 staring at the wine selection at K&L Liquors in Millbrae California which at this time was 3 by 5 feet in size…

When I received the news that the Kelleher Family 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, “Block 21” and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon both won Gold medals at the American Fine Wine Competition my first thought was; it’s about time, what took them so long! From my first taste of the Kelleher wines was at the Family Winemakers Tasting at…

Break out the Ch. Mouton Rothschild! Well I have to admit that when I started writing this I had no idea that I myself am a Green Wood Goat being born in 1955! Apparently I am gentle, calm, creative, thoughtful, persevering honest and frank which suits me just fine. Good jobs for me would be…

As you most likely know by now the drought stricken Napa Valley got a very strong wakeup call on August 24th at 3:20 am when a 6.0 earthquake rolled thru northern California. While we are used to a little rock and roll here in the San Francisco bay area, this was the largest quake since…

On my visits to Hong Kong some of my fondness memories have come at the fantastic race courses of Happy Valley and Sha-Tin where I have experienced some very good luck. That luck was in the winning of a few Trifectas, a wager where you have to pick the first 3 horses in the exact…

Dear Prime Cellar members and friends, I hope you and your families are enjoying the warm summer weather. I have just returned from a two week vacation with my 11 year old son Alton, it was a father and son trip to get away from the rigors of busy city life, and spend some quality…

As we move into the month of July one of the most critical aspects of the 2014 vintage has just occurred in the vineyards and that is the flowering of the vines. The little white flowers that will eventually become the grapes have opened up in fine weather conditions in both California and Bordeaux this…