First Vine Website
First Vine Wine Producers
- Azienda Agricola San Benedetto
- Bodega Hiriart
- Bodega Traslagares
- Cave la Romaine, Vaison la Romaine
- Cave la Vinsobraise, Vinsobres
- Champagne Bernard Mante
- Château de Clapier, Mirabeau
- Château de Roquebrune
- Château les Donats
- Domaine de Mairan
- Domaine de Montvac, Vacqueyras
- Domaine des Mathurins, Cazedarnes, France
- Domaine Fond Croze, St. Roman de Malegarde
- Domaine la Croix des Marchands
- Domaine Marion Pla
- Domaine Sainte Cécile du Parc, Pézenas, France
- Meridiana Wine Estate
- Società Agricola Bulichella
Food Writing and Food Sites
Other Stuff We Like
- Alliance Française
- Cap de Castel
- DCanter
- Each Peach
- Federal City Caterers
- Garrett Peck
- Georgetown Spice and Tea Exchange
- Goodwood
- Hillwood Museum
- iGourmet
- J Chocolatier
- Le Clos Saint Michel
- Le Salon de Sophie
- Lincoln Park Studio
- Nana
- National Parks Conservation Association
- Opera Now Podcast
- Parterre Box
- Pera Batlla Restaurant
- Peter Jon Shemonsky Fine Jewelry
- Pew Environment Group
- Replacements
- Society of the Cincinnati
- The Brookings Institution
- The Inn at Little Washington
- Towleroad
Wine Blogs and Sites
Wine Blogs in the DC Area
Author Archives: firstvine
Farewell to customers and readers
Surprise! A First Vine blog post. I had to look back at the date of my last one – May 29, 2021 – to remind myself the last time I wrote something for this blog. I’ve had breaks before, but … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Farewell, first vine, Gratitude, Last post, Thanks, Wine business
5 Comments
If you’re counting calories, don’t count on a wine label
As beach season approaches, I inevitably get more e-mails about the health benefits of wine. The usual formula is wine = health and beauty aid + weight loss, with the occasional happy-time chaser. I ignore them unless they seem to … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alcohol calories, alcohol content, Alcohol percentage, Cabernet Franc, Calorie labeling for wine, Calories in wine, Cantine Borga, Cantine Borga Cabernet Franc, corn, FDA labeling rules, first vine, First Vine Washington DC, Green bean salad with edamame and corn, Green beans, Impossible burgers, Ingredient labeling, Labeling rules, Nutrition labeling, Nutrition labeling for wine, Side Salad, TTB labeling rules, wine alcohol content, wine delivery washington dc
2 Comments
Not quite Chewy.com, but maybe Drinkie.biz?
When the official Covid lockdown began back in mid-March of 2020, many people made an abrupt shift to working from home. For those first months, at least here in DC, most businesses were closed except for “essential” ones, and restaurants … Continue reading
Losing smell and taste when they’re your job
To most people, a temporary loss of their senses of smell and taste might be annoying at worst. But what about when your livelihood depends on those senses? A friend sent me a link to a Reuter’s article on French … Continue reading
A regulatory axe to grind (or throw)
My husband Cy and I never miss the Health Code Violations blurbs in the Washington Post every Thursday. While it seems a bit ghoulish, they shine a light on how local government functions. Admittedly, it’s not nice to read that … Continue reading
Lead-ing the way to bottles past
There’s no humble way to say that you’ve had the opportunity to open an old bottle of nice Cognac, so I’m not even going to try. I did it, and I’m glad. But there was a surprise… The bottle belonged to … Continue reading
New wines relieve the headaches of getting them here
After waiting months and months, a shipment for First Vine finally arrived here in DC about two weeks ago. We have wines from two new producers in Italy and an old favorite from France. So, hooray! I really like the … Continue reading
Reopening Installment #2: Déjà Vu-19
We’re in the midst of a crisis. The majority of the scientific community agrees it’s a crisis and that there are important yet relatively simple things we can do to stop it from getting much worse. It affects public health … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Coronavirus and the economy, Coronavirus and the wine industry, Covid-19, Covid-19 and the wine industry, Effects of Global Warming on Wine, Federal aid to the alcohol industry, Global Warming and Wine, Online alcohol sales, Online wine sales, Out of state wine shipping, State-to-state wine shipping
1 Comment
Reopening installment #1: A little bragging is in order
For years now I’ve been trying to explain that we just don’t have good data on sales of wine and other alcohol. And I’ve been complaining that the companies that compile, analyze, and disseminate these data issue grand proclamations that … Continue reading
Social Distancing Installment #14: Stay six feet from the price at tastings
After my virtual wine show experience back in April, I started talking with Italian producers about getting samples to taste. Eighteen bottles of wine arrived all in one week. Cy and I were able to taste some of them. But … Continue reading
Vine Art ... from the palate of first vine wine online 