SHASHA'S WINE CLUB - Blog

Let’s Taste...

10/13/2025

Weis Dry Riesling and Grüner Veltliner

This is the first of six installments taken from a tasting we did at Weis Vineyards in the Finger Lakes of NY. Weis is located on Keuka Lake in Hammondsport, NY. Weis is our favorite Finger Lakes Winery and Tambi was kind enough to let me record her presenting the tastings to us. In this video alone, three winners of the 2025 New York Wine Classic are represented. Weis Vineyards for Winery of the Year, 2024 Grüner Veltliner for Best White Wine and Best Grüner Veltliner, plus we are tasting their delicious 2024 Dry Riesling. I was clearly distracted by my ridiculous hair when tasting the Dry Riesling, so I didn't give the best representation of my experience, but it truly is a delicious wine.

Let’s Experience...

9/24/2025

Wine Tasting at Tuscan Sea Grill

I am super excited to introduce my new theme song that another of my wonderful college friends (and April Lindner’s handsome hubby) Andre St. Amant created for me!!! I absolutely love it!!!

We had such a great time at the Riviera Wine Mixer at Tuscan Sea Grill in Newburyport, MA in August. They. Had a great wine selection that appeared to be curated from their impressive wine list. The reason their wine list is impressive to me is because it doesn’t just contain you typical chardonnays, pinot grigios and merlots, it has a wide variety of varietals that (unfortunately) we don’t see often on restaurant menus. The wine vendors were very nice and knowledgeable, and we met some great people. Can’t recommend the wine tastings at Tuscan Sea Grill enough!

Let’s Taste...

9/17/2025

Earthquake Zinfandel from Michael David Winery

Our most recent ShaSha’s Wine Club trip took us to Lodi, NY in the Finger Lakes and in this episode my peeps Ann and Deb are tasting Earthquake Zinfandel from Michael David Winery.

Let’s Taste...

9/10/2025

Weis Vineyards Grüner Veltliner

I am so happy that I chose to taste the Grüner Veltliner with another of my dear friends from college who came for a visit, Dorothee Heisenberg, because she was able to educate me on the correct pronunciation of this varietal. I was close, but I was pronouncing the V in Veltliner as a V and it should be pronounced as an F. So, Weis Grüner Veltliner is pronounced VICE GROONER FELTLEENER. Learning something new is a reason to get up in the morning! Tasting this delicious wine is another!!!!

Let’s Taste...

8/29/2025

Weis Vineyards Pinot Blanc

On this beautiful summer day (please excuse the bathingsuit, too eager to taste the wine to bother to go back and get my cover up!) I was joined by my dear college friend, award-winning poet and author April Lindner as we taste Weis Vineyards Pinot Blanc. Weis only sells their Pinot Blanc at their winery or online to their wine club members. Their winery is located on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes Region of New York and they produce many German varietals. We love their wines and are members of their wine club. I highly recommend visiting this winery in the Finger Lakes and tasting their wines. They are excellent.

Let’s Taste...

8/22/2025

Hazy Mountain Vineyard Dry Petit Menseng

Tommy and I had the opportunity to do some wine tasting in Afton, Virginia near Shenandoah National Park and the beautiful Hazy Mountain Vineyard and Brewery. We thought they did a great job on their white wines bought several bottles while there. Since Beth (and her husband Jeff) were the people who introduced us to Virginia wines (and, very possibly, wine tasting at wineries in general), it was perfectly appropriate to share the Hazy Mountain Vineyard Dry Petit Menseng with her. A very unique and delicious wine, tasting it is an experience in itself. I highly recommend taking a trip to the beautiful area of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and while there make sure to go for a tasting at Hazy Mountain Vineyards. I wish we had more time there so that we could have tasted their beers, too!!!

Let’s Taste...

8/17/2025

Principessa Gavia Gavi DOCG

My college friends visited for a weekend so I took the opportunity to do some tastings with them. Because we were super lucky and had beautiful warm weather, we drank whites all weekend, so the next four episodes will feature white wine.

In this episode, my college roommate and chosen family Beth and I are tasting Principessa Gavia Gavi DOCG. I love the story of this wine... In the 6th century, Principessa Gavia fell deeply in love with a soldier. Her father, Clodimir, King of the Franks, forbade their marriage, so the lovers eloped to a remote village in northwestern Italy. Charmed by the local white wine, the newlyweds revealed their identity and were brought before the king. He realized their happiness and forgave the couple. The King blessed their union and named after his daughter both the village and its wine. It is said that their romance lives on in each glass of Principessa Gavia Gavi.

The wine itself is lovely. It's great with or without food and perfect for enjoying on a warm summer day. I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think!

Let’s Experience

8/6/2025

Tuscan Seaport Wine Tasting

Tommy and I were able to get tickets for the Tuscan Seaport Wine Tasting in July and we had a lovely time. We tasted some interesting wines that we had never had before and made some new friends that we hope to see at future wine tasting events. It’s a very relaxed event with some delicious bites and several different wines to try. If you are looking for an opportunity to meet some new people, enjoy time with your current peeps and experience some wines, the wine tastings at Tuscan Seaport are a great opportunity.

Music by https://www.bensound.com
Artist: Marcus P.
License code: ZFU9EXWVPA3UQYMH

Let’s Taste

7/29/2025

Austin Hope Rosé

Rue and Alexa joined me in tasting Austin Hope Rosé, an absolutely gorgeous wine. We did have a little distraction during the tasting, you can hear Alexa’s son Jacob in the background, but we all loved this wine.

Austin Hope Rosé is a dry European-style rosé made with Paso Robles flair. Grown on the Hope family estate in the Templeton Gap District, this wine is composed of Grenache and Mourvèdre cultivated exclusively for Rosé production. The emphasis here is on elegance and minerality, with luscious flavors of strawberry and citrus. Crisp, refreshing and delicate—but not to be taken lightly.

I highly recommend giving this rosé a try, it is really beautiful. Please let me know your thoughts.

Let’s Taste...

7/24/2025

The Prisoner Wine Company Friction Viognier

After a long day it was so nice to come home to a beautiful bottle of The Prisoner Wine Company Friction Viognier. Prisoner says that Viognier is a variety loaded with aromatic and flavor intensity. The fruit is harvested a little less ripe than other varieties to capture more of the natural acidity and to hold up the wine and balance the oily nature of the variety. The grapes are fermented for two days in stainless steel tanks and then finished in neutral French Oak barrels. Notes of Meyer lemon zest, white peach, white flowers, and a hint of tangerine define the aromatic profile. The wine is elegantly structured with subtle tannins, and round edges driven by notes of citrus oil, limoncello and minerality with a crisp backbone.

This wine was wonderful with the Chicken Cordon Bleu dinner that Tommy made accompanied by a butter, thyme, Viognier, cream sauce that I created to go with it.