The Shenandoah Valley Wine Growers Association

Port wine, most of the time simply called Port,  is a sweet wine from the Douro Valley of Portuguese, the second oldest wine region in the world.
Contrary to some beliefs, Port did not get it’s name from the country of origin, but from the city of Porto in the 17th century.  During this time, much of the wine was brought to market in this city to be exported.  Port is a full bodied fortified sweet wine that is typically higher in alcohol content than other wines.

It is also available in drys and semi-drys, but is famous for it’s sweet varieties. It is traditionally served after dinner with desserts or cheeses. Port makes a great wine gift for the hostess of any dinner party.

Marseille growers were the first to plant a vine in Côtes du Rhône. This area was the first wine producing region in France. The Rhone River made exporting wine very easy. The Romans then developed the vineyards. To this day one can still visit Roman Monuments in Vienne city.  Côtes du Rhône now has over 170,000 acres of vineyards with 450 million bottles of wine produced.

Hermitage red wines are some of the most famous coming from that region. The Condrieu area is known for it’s exquisite full bodied dry white wines. It uses the rare Voigner grape to produce 500,000 bottles of this beautiful and exceptional white wine.

Cabernet Sauvignon wine is one of the most popular wines, It is named for the grape used to make it. The word sauvignon is thought to be derived from the French word sauvage which means wild, but this history is up for debate. It used to be thought that the Cabernet Sauvignon grape was an old variety.

Recent DNA testing founds that Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc were parents of Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Sauvignon has a fruity, herbal flavor. It tends to have more tannins, be hardier, spicier and fuller. It goes well with pasta, chili, beef, and lamb.

Icewine is very rare. it is one of the most delicious luxurious wines you will ever find. 1794 was a very harsh cold year. So as not to waste the precious grapes, wine makers pressed the frozen orbs anyways. Each grape only produces one drop of juice when pressed frozen. Incidentally they found that the wine made from these icy fruits were smooth and and extremely sweet.

The taste is initially a well-balanced fruity, acidic flavor and ends with a crisp, refreshing burst. The cost of Icewine can range from $45 to over $300 due to the risk involved in allowing perfectly fine grapes to sit on the vine until deeply frozen.  Once you’ve tasted the magical flavors, you will be hooked. Pair this with some gourmet snacks and you have the perfect compliment to your dinner party.