Welcome to our newest series, The Somm Set. Each month we’ll be sitting down with a guest sommelier and uncovering their guilty pleasures, cellar staples, and everything in between! Follow as they hand-select their favorites from our warehouse, giving you the inside scoop on cellar must-haves!

This month on The Somm Set, we’re excited to feature Paul Grieco, Sommelier. Join us as we explore everything from his passion for wine, favorite wine and food pairing, and his newest endeavors.

Sangiovese The Vinous Lord
Exploring Interesting White Wine
German Riesling
Read Our Interview With Paul Grieco
The Somm Set Home
 

This week from Paul Grieco:

Firstly, and most importantly, a very Happy International Women’s Month. Please join me in raising a hearty glass of grape juice in honor of all the women in our lives.

Secondly, I hope you dove deep into our Riesling diatribe last week BECAUSE it is Riesling’s birthday on Saturday, March 13th…no joke! Apparently, on March 13th, 1435CE, a young woman named Margaret walked into a wine bar in Rüsselsheim and ordered a magnum glass of Riesslingen (she was very thirsty). The bartender, a Count John IV, kindly obliged and Margaret, satiated and inspired, traveled home to Antioch where she slayed a dragon.*

Thirdly, we will venture into the far reaches of the Benchmark Cellar today (it apparently stretches 10 miles in length, running from Calistoga, under Diamond Mountain, and ending somewhere near Mt. Veeder…crazy!). Our focus today is on interesting red wines. Merriam-Webster defines “interesting red wines” as being made from any red grape, other than Cabernet Sauvignon, grown anywhere on the planet (except Canada). One of Stephen Hawking’s final projects before departing this mortal coil was to document the number of vitally different red grapes on our planet; suffice it to say, even his grasp of quantum mechanics could not calculate the numbers involved. Which leads to our conclusion and my demand of all of you: call up Benchmark Wine Group right now and tell them you must have immediately…

A red wine, from an appellation that you have never heard of before, made from a varietal/s you cannot pronounce that will send your mind racing for platitudes and your belly yearning for more.

Enjoy the wine journey because IT IS A DAMN JOURNEY.

*Please note that parts of this tale may or may not be true*

Big cheers.

Check out all the wines mentioned below!