vinepassport-blog

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First snow of the season has us craving a nice red wine to warm us up! Cozy up with a Vine Passport Tasting on your next snow day! (at Denver, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CE4mKrynhVP/?igshid=tgxv67axwwew

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Who says you can’t pair wine and wings? Charbono is a fan favorite here at Vine Passport! Its deep color could fool people, but it is a medium bodied, easy drinking wine that pairs with so many different types of food! Our friends at @tvinewinery introduced us to this grape and told us that they love to pair it with pizza and barbecue! We can’t disagree that it compliments both of those options very well. . . Charbono is a little bit tough to get your hands on because Less than 80 acres are actually grown in the US! Mostly because Charbono needs the same climate as Cabernet Sauvignon... and unfortunately, the popular grape got all the good land! But That doesn’t stop a few awesome wineries from taking on this wonderful grape! . . It used to be believed that Charbono was an Italian grape, but after some research, it was found to have the same DNA as the French Corbeau grape! In Argentina, the same grape is grown under the guise of Bonarda! Maybe you have already had Charbono before until it’s alter-egos, but if you have not, it is SO worth a taste! https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPzDR2Ji1l/?igshid=1gxckhew80tet

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Sending all the love, prayers, and good vibes to the regions that are battling wild fires! Visit www.NapaValleyCF.com to donate to the 2020 Napa County Wildfires Fund! https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKStsGpyAw/?igshid=1uq4xt4nh9qtz

[vinepassport-blog]

Wine is so much more than just a drink! It can be the bridge between us, whether we’re 6 feet or 6 time zones apart! There is something special about opening the same bottle of wine with loved ones over a Zoom call. Especially for a celebration of love 💕 (at Denver, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEIKZyxJ3XG/?igshid=g9cloi6tk0ym

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Can you name this wine region? Hint* it is home to the Pinotage grape! https://www.instagram.com/p/CD-XnwmJPlo/?igshid=1tryh81oyllet

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At Vine Passport, we can customize a tasting to be exactly what YOU want! We can do educational tastings where you learn how to taste wine and compare flavor profiles, we can do cheese pairing tastings where we evaluate how wine and cheese pair together, or we can do a simple night in tasting that has however much structure you wish to have! (at Denver, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD7N5SFJMe0/?igshid=7o5yafuq1ovc

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This isn’t what you would expect to see when we talk about beautiful wine country, but let me share with you the story behind these photos. In 2017, Napa Valley was ravaged with wild fires & this specific vineyard was a victim of the destruction. Prior to the fires, I had scheduled a private tasting here at Helena View Johnston Vineyards. Since the fires destroyed the property weeks before my visit, I was expecting my tasting to be canceled. To my surprise, when I got the owner, Charles Johnston, on the phone, he asked me & my friend to still come to the property for a tasting with him. . . We did not expect much, but when we pulled up onto the charred grounds, Mr. Johnston had a picnic table set up in the middle of his property. He set up a spread of artisan cheeses, locally baked bread, & olive oil dipping sauce. He opened the trunk of his car & exposed a few cases of wine that he had available for sale. Mr. Johnston poured his heart & soul into a tasting for two young women who he didn’t even know. He shared with us the stories of his vineyard, old photos of when it thrived, & he was brave enough to relive the horrors he experienced in the fires. . . The last photo shows two of the bottles that I still have from my tasting this day. One is exactly what it seems, a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon; the other is a special bottle that is near & dear to my heart. It is a shiner bottle of their 2015 Mt. Veeder Red Wine. Shiner bottles are unlabeled bottles with no identifying marks. Most wine is kept unlabeled until they are ready to be sold so the labels look fresh & clean. This specific bottle was stored in the building that you can see was burned down in the first photo. Mr. Johnson & his staff saved as many bottles as they could before the fire devoured their land. To me, this bottle represents the strength & passion of the staff who put so much love into this wine. . . These are the moments that inspired me to launch Vine Passport. I want to share these stories with you all to help you discover the love that is poured into every glass. (at Calistoga, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4_O_dJStf/?igshid=1dsd1hbbspxtn

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It’s no secret that the founder of Vine Passport loves @tankwinery! We just got a shipment in of one of their new releases, Buena Onda! Buena Onda is a 2019 Carbonic Carignan. The grapes come from a place that many would refer to as “California’s greatest vineyard,” otherwise known as Evangelho Vineyard. Only 43 cases of this wine were made and we were lucky enough to get our hands on some. We just had a wonderful conversation with our friends at Tank and we can’t wait to share some of their incredible wines with our Vine Passport family! Thank you @tankwinery for making sure we never dream alone ✨ (at Tank Garage Winery) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD1pCMYJ7u_/?igshid=1ux7a7qet865f

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Any view can be made better with wine! Whether you are in your living room, at the lake, having a picnic in the park, or in the mountains, Vine Passport can help bring the magic of a wine tasting directly to you! (at Sterling Vineyards) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDzRZqNJ856/?igshid=rycz4ffrjrba

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Hi! My name is Kimberly and I am the founder of Vine Passport! When I’m not indulging in good wine and great company, I usually am jet setting the world as a flight attendant for a US based airline. Recently, My company offered us an opportunity to take an extended leave of absence due to Covid-19. I took this leave and I will be on the ground until March of 2022. Though this scares me half to death, I knew I had to seize this opportunity to make Vine Passport a reality! . . I grew up in the liquor and wine industry working at my dads shop since I could walk. Here I started to acquire a passion for wine. My interest in wine grew, so I enrolled in a course at @rutgersuniversity, called Wine Insights, where I not only had the chance to taste delicious wines every Thursday, but I also got to expand my knowledge of wine making and wine tasting. This class really brought wine to life for me and made me realize how much more there is to wine than just a drink. I started associating memories with wine and I quickly came to realize how special wine can be during any occasion. I remember my grandpa having big barrels in his garage and throwing me in them to stomp on grapes, I remember the moments shared with friends and family over a specific bottle, and I remember the milestones in my own life that were marked with popping open a special bottle of wine! . . Once I started traveling to wine country and attending wine tours, I realized that the story of wine starts long before the bottle reaches us. I became intrigued with learning those stories and sharing them each time we opened a bottle of wine! With every bottle of wine I opened, I learned where it came from, who the winemakers were, what their story was, and if they had any special and unique techniques in their process. Little did I realize, I was bridging the gap between the grapes and my own mouth. Wine was no longer just a drink, it became an experience; an experience that I want to share with everyone. I know that wine country may seem like a world away, especially with the current pandemic, so I want to help people experience the love and passion that goes into every bottle, even from their living room! (at Clarksburg, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDxdap4ppAL/?igshid=153s1zysmx6u3

[vinepassport-blog]

Self care comes in many forms! Sometimes it’s a personal charcuterie and cheese board with a bottle of wine 🍷 . . We can’t wait to help you unwind with some great vino! No matter the size of your group, Vine Passport can make it an evening to remember! (at Denver, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDu7ZmUJBX9/?igshid=1ahoagbv8w0vm