Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Hot wines for hot summer nights!
Here in the high mountains of North Carolina, our summertime temperatures typically remain balmy below 80 degrees with little humidity. This year we have ruptured that 80 degree mark far more than I want to think about, but luckily we have a little secret to keeping ourselves cool and relaxed here at Christopher’s Wine & [...] 8/4/2010 6:47:27 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Friday: Premium Wine Tasting!
When we hear the term premium, we tend to think exceptional quality and vitality. Premium Wines should always fit that bill as they should be juice sourced from the best vineyards into the hands of the best wine makers to execute an art form that transcends science. Premium Wines should dance on the tongue and [...] 7/28/2010 7:06:06 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
And to the future…
We survived Sunset Stroll last night. Anyone that missed it missed a great block party! We had tons of folks come by and visit with us and the artists admiring the works created from their minds as well as the art of the juice. A perfect mid-summer night’s dream for us! Now we’re bracing ourselves [...] 7/17/2010 5:20:40 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Sunset Stroll- drinking your way through great art!
Tonight is the July Sunset Stroll and Christopher’s Wine & Cheese is thrilled to have some new artists hanging on the walls! World renowned artist Janet Montgomery has long been a friend of ours and she agreed to place a few pieces of her treasures on our walls. Janet is best known for her oil [...] 7/16/2010 6:54:33 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
American Made- The Red, White and Blue Experience…
This Friday, 02 July 2010 Christopher’s Wine & Cheese is pleased to announce the Carolina Wine Academy presentation of American Made Wines in celebration of July 4th! We will begin with an Pinot Gris out of Willamette Valley, and move over to a Sauvignon Blanc from Napa for the white wines. The reds will be [...] 7/1/2010 8:19:38 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
The mystery of wine – part 1
I always taste out wines with people and describe the characteristics of what they will most likely be tasting in any particular wine. I am always very cautious to emphasize that if  what experience in the flavors, aromas, or feel of the wine differs that it is ok, the answer your senses give you for [...] 6/15/2010 10:31:25 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
A New Wine, A New Grape – Cuatro Pasos Rosado (the world’s perfect rose’)
As a wine shop owner, there are few things that get me as excited as finding a wine made from a grape which I am not familiar with. Often, I am left wondering who would buy that wine, but there are those isolated instances and products that you simply know ill be a hit. This [...] 6/12/2010 11:35:02 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Sunset Stroll- Wine, Art, & Christopher’s
June is here and Blowing Rock is set to celebrate Art in the Park this month. Christopher’s Wine & Cheese, along with all the other merchants along Sunset Drive are prepared to help you and yours celebrate the arts this weekend starting on Friday Evening with our Monthly rendition of “Sunset Stroll”! We’ve worked out [...] 6/9/2010 9:41:07 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Coturri Freiberg Vineyards Zinfandel
Zinfandel when handled right has always been one of those wines that can be described as deep, rich, and opulent. Coturri’s Zinfandel from the Freiberg Vineyards is no exception to that rule. However,  this zinfandel takes those terms to a whole new dimension as the flavors are more intense, or extracted than one would expect. [...] 6/7/2010 7:17:11 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Another debate on corks vs screw caps – where do you stand?
I’ve always been more on the side that screw caps are probably better as far as consistently sealing up the wine – but that tableside service with a cork was always going to have a bit more flair over the screw cap. One of the best marketing gimmicks I ever saw was a winery (I [...] 6/6/2010 7:31:04 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Coturri Rose’ – slightly dry and totally drinkable
Typically, I have our intern write reviews of wines we taste out.  I changed my mind for the Coturri wines and decided to write them up myself; I probably should be doing more reviews of this nature for you and this is a great set of wines to start that off with! I’m sitting here [...] 6/5/2010 11:08:53 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Wine flights for Shriner’s Fundraiser all weekend
We’re very pleased to be doing another fundraiser for the Shriner’s organization this weekend while they’re having their summer conference here in town.  We’re pouring a flight of 3 reds and 3 whites for $9, the profit as well as 10% of the weekend’s sales will be donated to the Shriners, so stop in, sip [...] 6/5/2010 9:22:19 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Coturri Wine Tasting with the Vintner Himself!
Meeting Tony Coturri was an experience that I will never forget and that I’m glad I had the opportunity sit down, try his wine, and talk with him.  I did not expect to see Mr. Coturri walk in dressed in blue jeans and a grey beard that made him look like he was playing with [...] 6/3/2010 8:55:33 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
A short introduction to the newest Intern
My name is Zach Horton and I am the new intern taking Justin’s position as he has graduated and left college.  I am a senior and a marketing major at Appalachian State University; I am a member of Kappa Alpha Order and Appalachian Chemical Society.  I love to watch sports with my emphasis being on [...] 6/3/2010 3:54:32 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Vida Organica Sparkling Chardonnay – from the wine virgin
Vida Organica Sparkling Chardonnay was the very first wine I reviewed at my first tasting that I attended when I became an intern. I looked back at my blog posting and it’s amazing to see how far I’ve come. I was able to pick out much more flavors this time. There were bright flavors of [...] 5/4/2010 9:10:47 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Frey Cabernet Sauvignon – from the wine virgin
The first wine of the evening was a still wine opposed to a sparkling wine. This wine was said to not be very clay and murky tasting, so it was first so the palette could be cleansed later. However, I thought that Frey Cabernet Sauvignon was quite an interesting and tasty wine. It was made [...] 5/4/2010 8:58:57 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
organic wine tasting – from the wine virgin
This past week was unfortunately possibly my last wine tasting at the shop as an intern. It was definitely a nice ending and was really fun because I was able to revisit some of the wines I have had in the past. I was very surprised to find sediment in the bottom of my glass [...] 5/4/2010 3:04:25 AM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Organic wine tasting – fri apr 30 @ 5:30
At its most basic level, organic wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. At Christopher’s Wine & Cheese, we have one of the best selections of organic wines, red and white. While most people may think that organic wines taste of clay, you [...] 4/30/2010 3:30:46 AM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Hope Shiraz – from the wine virgin
The last wine of the evening was a shiraz by Hope. I really love shiraz or syrah wines at the moment. This particular shiraz was quite delicious. As expected, it had a jammy, blackberry smell and flavor. It was relatively smooth with a bit of pepper. The pepper was where this shiraz seemed to be [...] 4/18/2010 3:30:55 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Tiamo Pinot Grigio – from the wine virgin
Tiamo Pinot Grigio was a fun white wine from the event. Pinot Grigio is one of the first wines I ever started drinking, even before I worked at the wine shop and didn’t know anything at all about wine – so it’s always fun to come back and revisit it. And also, the ones I [...] 4/17/2010 3:30:25 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
X-Winery Cabernet Sauvignon – from the wine virgin
I was really excited for this wine. For one I’ve never had an X-Winery wine and I’ve always seen them in the shop, and I love Cabs. X-Winery Cabernet Sauvignon did not disappoint. The flavor was very deep and bold, like many cabs. It had the smell and flavor of a deep berry or plum, [...] 4/16/2010 3:30:08 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Il Cuore Chardonnay – from the wine virgin
The Il Cuore Chardonnay was very interesting. With most chardonnays I have tasted, they have been very smooth, buttery, and fruity. This chardonnay still had some of these characteristics, but overall, it wasn’t as fruity as others. There was a bit of honey and musk in the scent and taste.The sweetness was muted when the [...] 4/15/2010 3:30:00 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
napa cellars sauvignon blanc – from the wine virgin
I’ve had a few different wines from the Napa Cellars vineyard before and they have all been exquisite. The Napa Cellars Sauvignon Blanc was no different. It was smooth, just as I would have expected. The major scent and flavor was citrus. The wine was a mixture of sweet and dry, which is what I [...] 4/14/2010 3:30:25 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Domaine De Chateaumar Cuvee Bastien – from the wine virgin
The first still wine of the night was a red called Domaine De Chateaumar Cuvee Bastien. The smell was a bit of a berry, not quite a dark berry like most red wines, and there was also a bit of an herbal scent. These flavors were mimicked in the taste. Overall, it was a very [...] 4/13/2010 3:39:25 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Brut Champalou Vouvray sparkling wine – from the wine virgin
We started the cooking demo off with a sparkling wine, which is what we usually do. While I am partial to the blush or red sparkling wines, the Brut Champalov was still quite an interesting starter to the evening. I believe the last sparkling wine I had was the sparkling sake, and this was quite [...] 4/12/2010 6:00:17 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
greens, eggs, and ham cooking demo – from the wine virgin
Last Friday’s event was a cooking demo that featured what would normally be Easter leftovers, but in a creative and delicious way. We had clam-filled deviled eggs, a ham salad, and southern fried chicken sushi. The food was interesting and the wines were amazing. As any cooking demo we’ve had in the past, it was [...] 4/12/2010 3:30:55 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
One Wine, One Deal, One Day – Social Buying power comes to the wine world
This week we launched www.onewineonedeal.com – a  Social Buying service for wine set up along similar lines as www.groupon.com – people can ‘opt in’ to a deal on wine (approximately 50% retail) buy helping to spread the word among their social circle to take advantage of group buying power.We’re working with our wineries and distributors [...] 4/7/2010 10:32:28 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Greens, eggs, and ham cooking demo – fri apr 9 @ 5:30
Easter Sunday is over and all of our family functions have past. However, one thing that may still be lingering about is all the leftovers. But who’s complaining? If you love the leftovers or didn’t have a chance to get some delicious, home-made Easter treats, you should definitely come by for quite a feast for [...] 4/5/2010 3:30:35 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Revah Pomegranate Wine (armenia) – from the wine virgin
The last wine of the evening was a pomegranate wine from Armenia. Revah Pomegranate Wine didn’t have much of a smell, but there was a small hint of vegetables and an earthy scent. I could be completely off, but this wine definitely through me for a loop. I was expecting to smell fruity pomegranate when [...] 4/4/2010 3:30:51 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Jefferson Petit Verdot (Virginia) – from the wine virgin
This red wine was another favorite of the night. Jefferson Petit Verdot was from Virginia, which was very surprising since I definitely don’t believe I have tasted a wine from there. It was an incredibly smooth wine with a dark berry smell and flavor. In my opinion, I could taste a bit of bittersweet chocolate [...] 4/3/2010 3:30:42 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Musar Cuvee Rouge (Lebanon) – from the wine virgin
The Musar Cuvee Rouge is from Lebanon and was one of the more interesting wines of the night. It was a very fruity wine with a small hint of spice. The berry was not as deep or pronounced as the previous wine, but there was a bit of an earthy taste.The one thing that stood [...] 4/2/2010 3:30:13 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Badger Mountain Pure red (Washington) – from the wine virgin
Badger Mountain Pure Red was one of the better wines of the night, and it was surprisingly a boxed wine.  This wine is from Washington state and is an organic wine. The smell was incredibly bold, spicy, and sweet – all in one. There was also a deep, rich, dark berry scent. Unfortunately, the smell [...] 4/1/2010 3:30:35 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
China Silk Marco Polo – from the wine virgin
This is probably the only wine I have tasted from China. China Silk Marco Polo is a cabernet/merlot/grenache blend. I tasted this without knowing the type of wine, but I could smell and taste a sweet, peppery flavor. From this I could pick out that it was a cabernet at least. The only difference between [...] 3/31/2010 3:32:59 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Gruet Chardonnay (New Mexico) – from the wine virgin
The Gruet Chardonnay was one of the best white wines I have ever had. It had quite a deeper honey smell than the previous wine. It had a bit of a musky smell to the honey scent, but still smelled very sweet. This wine is from New Mexico.The taste was exquisite. It was incredibly smooth [...] 3/30/2010 3:30:21 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Carlevana Feteasca (Moldova) – from the wine virgin
The first wine of the evening was a very light and crisp white wine, Carlevana Feteasca. This particular wine was from Moldova and I do not think I have ever had a wine from the Feteasca grape. I really liked this white wine because it was heavy on the honey, and I really enjoy the [...] 3/29/2010 6:15:03 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Wines of south america tasting – fri apr 2 @ 5:30
Come join us for an evening with some of the most exquisite new world wines. South America is home to some of the most interesting and distinctive wines. Some of the wines we’ll enjoy will have quite a kick, as most will be from the Chile and Argentina regions. South America is able to create [...] 3/29/2010 3:30:58 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
wines from unexpected places – from the wine virgin
Last Friday’s event was all about tasting wines from places where you normally wouldn’t expect to have wine. We had wines from all over the world, and even a delicious and very ‘unexpected’ boxed wine. We had wines from regions of the world where I wasn’t even sure if grapes grew. What made the event [...] 3/29/2010 3:30:42 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Hakuryu Ume-shu sake – from the wine virgin
The last sake of the evening, Hakuryu Ume-shu,  was the sweetest. It was described to me beforehand as a “juice box,” and this description was pretty accurate. The smell was a little moldy, and while it didn’t smell sweet, it definitely tasted of plums.It also looked a lot like apple juice. I don’t know if [...] 3/27/2010 3:30:58 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Hakuryu Ume-shu sake – from the wine virgin
The last sake of the evening, Hakuryu Ume-shu,  was the sweetest. It was described to me beforehand as a “juice box,” and this description was pretty accurate. The smell was a little moldy, and while it didn’t smell sweet, it definitely tasted of plums.It also looked a lot like apple juice. I don’t know if [...] 3/27/2010 2:30:58 PM

Christopher`s Wine & Cheese Blog
Ozeki Nigori and Daku – from the wine virgin
The Ozeki Nigori sake was very much like the Dreamy Clouds in appearance.  However this one did not have the banana flavor at all. It was more creamy in taste and tasted more like milk. The look was even a bit more milky.The taste almost resembled pure coconut milk with an acidic finish. It was [...] 3/26/2010 3:30:52 PM