Category Archives: Uncategorized

Four things I learned about wine this year

Posted on December 7, 2018 by firstvine

Another year nearly done. Time for another “Things I Learned” blog post, right? Unlike previous attempts, though, there’s a twist this year. All of these topics have pushed me to do more digging, ask more questions. Three of these four … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Azienda Agricola San Benedetto, buy wine online dc, Christmas cookies, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Internet retailing, Speculaas, Studies on wine and health, Tom Natan, Vin Santo, Vin Santo del Chianti, Virtuose de Saint-Chinian, wine and health, Wine and pregnancy, Wine competition, wine delivery washington dc, Wine retailing, Wine shipping, Year-end roundup | 1 Comment

21st century independence, French style

Posted on October 25, 2018 by firstvine

Back in one of my previous ramblings about what’s changed over the time I’ve been importing wine, I wrote that I thought there were more independent producers in the Rhône Valley and the Languedoc than when I started the business. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AOC Saint-Chinian, buy wine online dc, Cooperative wineries, Independent wine producers, Muffin Tin Baking, Number of independent producers, Saint-Chinian, Spinach and Feta Pies, Tom Natan, Vignerons Independants, wine delivery washington dc, Wine producer statistics | 2 Comments

A tale of two (wine) media

Posted on September 28, 2018 by firstvine

So…this happened: the wines I import from Domaine Marion Pla in the Languedoc got a lovely review in the Washington Post. I didn’t know about it, though, and was surprised when I started getting orders for the wines. My customers … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Wine reviews | Tagged Bois de Montlobre, buy wine online dc, home preserving, Languedoc Wines, Les Vignerons du Pic, Online wine reviews, Pati Jinich, Pati's Mexican Table, Pickled jalapeños, Print wine reviews, Tom Natan, Tuna Minilla Casserole, Washington Post, Washington Post wine reviews, Water Bath Canning, wine delivery washington dc, Wine reviews | 1 Comment

Subsidizing French vineyards for the future

Posted on September 13, 2018 by firstvine

Last week I profiled Marion Pla, winemaker of Domaine Marion Pla in the Languedoc in southern France. She had told me about wanting to make white wine and having to buy new land that already had white wine grapes growing … Continue reading →

Posted in Château d'Assas, French vineyard subsidies, Grenache Gris, Uncategorized | Tagged AOC Languedoc Wines, AOC Saint-Chinian, buy wine online dc, EU agriculture subsidies, EU subsidies, EU vinyard subsidies, French agriculture subsidies, French vineyard subsidies, Grenache Gris, Herb and Egg Frittata, Kookoo Sabzi, Nadiya Hussein, Novrooz, Persian food, Tom Natan, wine delivery washington dc, Yotam Ottolenghi | 2 Comments

Grandma knows best, and other tales of a family winery

Posted on September 4, 2018 by firstvine

In February, I attended back-to-back wine shows in Lisbon, Portugal, and Montpellier, France. I met a lot of winemakers and winery reps and tasted plenty of good wine. I’ll probably end up buying from a few of them. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Domaine Marion Pla, Uncategorized, Wine Producer Profiles | Tagged AOC Languedoc Wines, AOC Saint-Chinian, Around My French Table, buy wine online dc, Domaine Marion Pla, Dorie Greenspan, Family wineries, Languedoc Wines, Les Larmes de Jeanne, organic wine, Petit Bonheur, Potato Chip Tortilla, Profonde Gratitude, Saint-Chinian, Tom Natan | 2 Comments

Unlike grapes, truckers don’t just grow on trees (well, vines, but you know what I mean)

Posted on August 27, 2018 by firstvine

Long time no blogging! Those who noticed might have wondered what the silence was about. First, they don’t call it the summer doldrums for nothing. Wine sales for First Vine slump in the summer and it doesn’t seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged first vine, shipment delays, Tom Natan, Trucker shortage, Trucking shortage, wine delivery washington dc | 1 Comment

Fungicides used most on wine grapes are one less thing to worry about, despite the numbers

Posted on May 18, 2018 by firstvine

Three years ago I wrote what has turned out to be my most-read blog post, a summary of a study on pesticides in French wine. A French consumer protection organization, Que Choisir, tested around 100 French wines for 165 different … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungicides in wine, Uncategorized | Tagged Botritis, buy wine online dc, Cave la Vinsobraise White, Chicken Bouillabaisse, Copper Sulfate, downy mildew, Essential oil of sweet orange, Fungicides in organic farming, Fungicides on wine grapes, Fungicides used in French vineyards, Pesticides in Wine, powdery mildew, Saffron, Tom Natan, wine delivery washington dc | 2 Comments

Does wine shorten your life, or does life without it just seem longer?

Posted on April 18, 2018 by firstvine

I’ve read as many studies on alcohol and health as possible for the past decade-plus. And also the media coverage that goes with them. As I’ve mentioned before, wine studies are often big news. And by the time the coverage … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, Wine and health | Tagged Articles about wine and health, buy wine online dc, Chateau de Clapier Calligrappe, health benefits of wine, Is wine good for you, Tom Natan, wine and health, Wine and longevity, wine delivery washington dc, wine writing | 2 Comments

Winemakers fight global warming with science and tradition

Posted on March 27, 2018 by firstvine

In my last post I mentioned some of the impacts of global warming on grape growers and winemakers, as told to me by winemakers at two European wine shows. While extreme weather and shortened growing seasons were shared concerns, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming, Uncategorized | Tagged Effects of Global Warming on Wine, global warming, Global Warming and Extreme Weather, Global Warming and Wine, impact of AOC rules on adapting to global warming, increasing grape yields to adapt to warmer conditions, innovative wine storage, Tom Natan, Ways winemakers combat global warming | 1 Comment

Global warming from winemakers’ perspectives

Posted on March 13, 2018 by firstvine

I didn’t expect to be writing about global warming so soon again after my last post. But I spent a week at wine shows talking to winemakers, so of course the subject came up. It was a pleasure talking to … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Warming, Uncategorized | Tagged buy wine online dc, Domaine la Croix des Marchands Methode Ancestrale, Effects of Global Warming on Wine, global warming, Global Warming and Extreme Weather, Global Warming and Wine, National Meatball Day, Sesame-Ginger Meatballs, Tom Natan | 3 Comments

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Four things I learned about wine this year

21st century independence, French style

A tale of two (wine) media

Subsidizing French vineyards for the future

Grandma knows best, and other tales of a family winery

Unlike grapes, truckers don’t just grow on trees (well, vines, but you know what I mean)

Fungicides used most on wine grapes are one less thing to worry about, despite the numbers

Does wine shorten your life, or does life without it just seem longer?

Winemakers fight global warming with science and tradition

Global warming from winemakers’ perspectives

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