New Wines. Old Favorites.

With hundreds of varieties of red wine grapes to choose from, just 32 varieties make up the majority of the wine from around the world. 

From light Gamays to bold Zinfandels we'll help you choose the right wine with flavors from these 10 characteristics: 

red fruit, black fruit, floral aromas, herbaceous, pepper and spice, earthiness, backing spice and vanilla, leathery flavors, astringency and body.
 

Come and explore the CV Bev collection we’ve personally selected for you. 

Bordeaux

Made in the Bordeaux region of France, Bordeaux is the most famous and highly coveted wine blend in the world - always made from blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines together. 

The proportion of each depends on the location of the winery that made the wine.  It is a winery’s location on either bank that determines the proportion of Merlot to Cabernet inside each wine. 

If the winery is located on the Left Bank, the blend will have more Cabernet Sauvignon than Merlot. If the winery is located on the Right Bank of the river, the wine will have more Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon.  

Are you curious about the difference? Come talk with us to learn more about the characteristics of Bordeaux.

Cabernet Franc

Originally from southwestern France, Cabernet Franc is a black-skinned French wine grape variety that is now grown in most wine producing nations. The variety is most famously known as the third grape of Bordeaux and can be found in many of the world's top Bordeaux Blend wines - it adds herbaceous accents of tobacco and dark spice. 

It’s a perfect wine to pair with tomato-based dishes and vinegar-based sauces (such as smoky BBQ) .

Cabernet Sauvignon

In the seventeenth century in southwestern France, an accidental breeding occurred between a red Cabernet Franc grape plant and a white Sauvignon Blanc grape plant -  the most popular grape among American wine drinkers was born: Cabernet Sauvignon.

Apart from its success in Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon saw its reputation take off even further when it was planted in California. In 1976, a Cabernet Sauvignon from Stags’ Leap in the Napa Valley beat out the top Bordeaux Chateaus in the 1976 Judgement of Paris in a blind taste test. From that moment on, California Cabernet Sauvignon had a name!

As the name of the grape spread more people around the world began to grow it, including wine growers in Australia and Chile.  The result was a wine that was full-bodied with a medium level of acidity - fantastic for drinking with food.

Gamay

Gamay is a grape that has been around since the 1300s, yet many wine drinkers are not familiar with the name. This is primarily because the most famous wine the grape produces is Beaujolais, (not Beaujolais Nouveau) but Beaujolais, the mature version of the young wine available all year.

Beaujolais is a French wine appellation. In this region, the Gamay grape is used to produce red wines, and because those wines are produced in the Beaujolais region, as is the Old World wine making tradition, they take on the name of the region, instead of the name of the grape.

We like to think of Gamay as a wonderful little secret for anyone that loves Pinot Noir, but is seeking a more 

affordable alternative.

Malbec

Malbec is a wine that seemingly came out of nowhere over the past ten years and quickly has become one of the most popular red wines on the American market. It is a red wine that is a crowd-pleaser and easy to drink, with a ton of juicy fruit flavors. 

Malbec was born in France where it was primarily used as a blending grape in the country’s famous Bordeaux blend. It took off in the U.S. due to its people appeal. It was a wine discovered by regular wine drinkers seeking a wine that was both delicious and affordable. The wine’s popularity spread via word of mouth (literally), not wine lists, and to this day Malbec is still found more in people’s homes than in restaurants.

Merlot

Merlot, which in French means The Little Blackbird, is the second most popular red grape in America, after Cabernet Sauvignon. Known for being soft, ripe and elegant, most Merlots are easy drinking reds that go well both with food as well as on their own - it is often recommended as the first red wine someone new to red wine should drink.

It is believed that the first time the grape was used in making wine was in the late 1700s when a French winemaker in the Bordeaux region formally labeled the grape as an ingredient in his Bordeaux wine blend. As the popularity of Bordeaux wine spread across the globe, so too did Merlot. 

When the grape arrived in California in the mid-nineteenth century, instead of being blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, American winemakers began making wines using 100% Merlot. The grape grew easily and they discovered Americans really loved the softness of the fruit and its low tannin levels. With a plummy taste and notes of chocolate, Merlot has also taken root in New York and Washington State, as well as Australia and Chile. 

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is, without a doubt, the most romanticized red wine in the world. No other grape brings out such emotion and devout worship among its enthusiasts. One of the reasons the Pinot Noir grape elicits such devotion is because it’s really hard to grow, which results in a great bottle of Pinot Noir being a rare find. 

Pinot Noir was born in the Burgundy region of France and it’s in Burgundy where the best Pinot Noir is still produced. Like many other regions of France, Pinot Noir producers do not refer to their Pinot Noir wine as Pinot Noir, but instead call it red Burgundy, after the region where it’s made. 

The wines from Burgundy have flavors of ripe red berries, sweet black cherries, mushrooms and what sommeliers call forest floor, that smell you get from freshly fallen damp leaves. While wonderful, red Burgundies can be quite expensive, over the past century, producers around the world began to try to growing the grape. 

Today great and affordable Pinot Noir can be found in California, Oregon, Australia, Chile and New Zealand. Pinots from these regions tend to be bigger and richer in flavor, tasting fruitier than the Pinots from France.

Sangiovese

When it comes to Tuscan wine, Sangiovese is king. Although the grape appears in many appellations of the region, that doesn’t mean all Tuscan reds taste the same. The region demonstrates just how different Sangiovese can taste from one appellation to the next. 

Terroir, climate, tradition, blending, and aging all affect the characteristics of Sangiovese wines, leading to endless exploration for Sangio lovers. Flavor-wise, Sangiovese is defined by ripe and tart red fruit, particularly sour cherry; savory herbs like fennel, rosemary, and thyme; other non-fruit notes like tomato, iron, and balsamic; and distinct clay or dark rock and it can be anywhere from medium- to full-bodied but always has characteristically high acidity.

Shiraz or Syrah

Are you ready for this? Syrah and Shiraz are the exact same wine. When Syrah arrived in Australia from its birthplace in France, Australian winemakers took to calling it Shiraz, instead of the grape’s original name, Syrah. 

No matter what you call it, Syrah is one of the darkest red wines on the market. Darker than Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine is so dark that if you were to hold a glass of the wine up to the light, you’d have a very hard time seeing through it. 

It is known to be full-bodied, and features flavors such as berries, pepper, tobacco, and even smoked meat. 

A great bonus to drinking Syrah is that due to the high level of tannins present in the wine, Syrah has one of the highest level of health-benefiting antioxidants.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel is a wine truly made famous by California - a big, ripe red wine that comes with some of the highest alcohol content of any red wine on the market. Due to the hot sun of California, Zinfandels have come to be known for their jammy, fruity characteristics.

Interestingly, the grape has no ties to any of the iconic wine regions of Europe, such as France, Italy and Spain, that were known to have brought many different grapes over to the New World. Instead it was found that the grape was born in the last place many would expect: Croatia. 

One of the most popular types of Zinfandel is what is known as Old Vine Zin - wines that are made from California grapes grown on vines that are at least fifty years old. These Zinfandels are known to be even bigger in flavor and intensity than their younger counterparts.

Zinfandel is a juicy wine that’s begging to be opened at a barbeque.

Drink pink! 

Beautifully balanced rosés are flooding the market from winemakers around the world.  They’ll take you by surprise! 

While we’ve come to expect great Rosé wine from Provence, some of our favorites this year come from Italy, California,

and Bordeaux. 

Perfect for the Spring and Summer, Rosés are a more subtle version of their red wine varietals and can be used solo or in a blend. From a soft, subtle shade to a deep orange-pink, Rosés can be ultra dry to nice and fruity. 

We offer a selection of Rosé wines from the following varietals:

          Cabernet Sauvignon

          Grenache

          Malbec

          Merlot

          Pinot Noir

          Sangiovese

          Syrah

          Tempranillo

          Zinfandel

From light Chenin Blancs to rich Chardonnays you can sum up the primary flavors of white wines by the presence of these 10 characteristics: citrus fruit, stone fruit, tropical fruit, honey, overall body, creaminess or oiliness, astringency, bitterness, herbaceous and floral. So, what's your flavor?

Come and explore the world of white wines with  us.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the most popular white wine on earth - travel to any wine region in the world, and you’ll find at least one vineyard growing Chardonnay. It’s a wine that can be simple or regal, aged for many years or consumed immediately – with flavors that range from oaky, full-bodied with hints of vanilla and butter to zesty with flavors of lemon, green apple, pineapple and figs. 

Chenin Blanc

Chenin Blanc was born in the Loire Valley of France, as far back as the ninth century. It was mostly cultivated for use as a sweet white grape used to make sparkling and dessert wines, which is why many Americans never heard of the wine until recently. 

Chenin Blanc’s voyage to the American table all began to change in 1655 when the grape left France and traveled to South Africa. It’s Chenin Blanc from South Africa that the majority of Americans are now the most familiar with - tropical fruit flavors of melon, pineapple and banana that go along with a very distinguishing flavor of green apple. It’s a wine that goes well with all sorts of dishes, but it’s particularly great with poultry and fish.

Pinot Gris

The second most popular white wine in America, Pinot Gris is a dry white wine that has a punchy acidity with flavors of lemons, limes, green apples and honeysuckle.

While most believe Pinot Grigio originated in Italy, it was actually born, like many of the most popular grapes of the world, in France, where it is known as Pinot Gris. Thought to be a mutation of the red grape Pinot Noir,  Pinot Gris’ skins are not green like other white grapes, but instead have a greyish blue hue, which is what gives them their name.

At its most basic, Pinot Gris is a refreshing white wine - when served cold, is the perfect respite from a hot summer’s day. 

Reisling

Riesling is an aromatic, deliciously refreshing wine that tastes like the nectar of apples, apricots, peaches and pears and comes in the tall slender glass bottle. Usually crisp, due to its high levels of acidity - Riesling is known for its strong floral aromas.

The common assumption is that all Rieslings are very sweet, and while most Rieslings have at least a touch of sweetness, many Reislings can be very dry, as well – it just depends on where the wine was grown.

Rieslings from Germany and California tend to be of the sweeter variety.

Rieslings from the Alsace region of France, Austria, the Finger Lakes region of New York State, and Washington State tend to be dry.

Riesling pairs well with all food types, but where it really excels is with spicy food.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular white wines in the U.S. Often referred to as “grassy,” it is known for its refreshing crispness, due to its high levels of acidity and low amounts of sugar.

The Sauvignon Blanc grape originated in the same region as America’s two most popular red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – the Bordeaux region of France. In Bordeaux, it is believed that the grape was given the name Sauvignon Blanc from the French word sauvage, which means wild, because the grape grew like a weed throughout the region. Instead of being fermented and bottled on its own, winemakers in Bordeaux chose to use Sauvignon Blanc in their white blends and to make the dessert wine Sauterne.

From the nightlife of Paris, Sauvignon Blanc traveled around the globe and found another champion in New Zealand, who would finally make the grape’s name known worldwide. The rest of the world took notice of these vibrant wines and, soon after, wine regions such as California, Chile and South Africa were also making stellar wines from the grape.

Sémillon

Sémillon wine is loved for its full body, like Chardonnay, but with flavors closer to Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc. Depending on where Sémillon is grown it can range from being a zesty, palate-cleansing wine like Sauvignon Blanc to a rich, creamy, lemon-flavored wine like oaky Chardonnay. 

In the US, Sémillon wines are usually a great price for their quality - Sémillon has the pedigree to be alongside the most popular white wines in the world. 

Viognier

Viognier (“Vee-own-yay”) is a full-bodied white wine that originated in southern France – it is for those who love to stop and smell the flowers. Most loved for its perfumed aromas of peach, tangerine and honeysuckle, Viognier can also be oak-aged to add a rich creamy taste with hints of vanilla. If you love to brood over bolder white wines like Chardonnay, Viognier is definitely something you’ll like to swirl.

Other Finds

Visit us to learn more about white wines we have personally selected from around the world - how they taste, where they grow and what you’ll enjoy eating with them.

“Come quickly, I am tasting stars.” 

Dom Perignon perfectly described the magic of champagne when he experienced his first taste. 

Whether you’re seeking Champagne from France or sparkling wines from Italy, Spain or California -  we are here to help you celebrate the simple things in life as well as the special moments.  

Come explore the world of bubbles with us.

Sparkling

Sparkling wine is (arguably) the most technical wine in the world. What makes the stuff so technical is that it undergoes not just one fermentation (to make the alcohol) but a second fermentation to make bubbles. Throughout the entire winemaking process, the winemaker has a lot of choices to make that will greatly affect the way the final wine tastes. 

Sparkling wine has four levels of sweetness. 

Extra-Brut - the driest kind of sparkling wine you can buy. 

Brut - the most popular type of sparkling wine. The wine is dry with just a hint of sweetness. 

Extra Dry - This type of sparkler is dry, but not as dry as Brut or Extra-Brut, meaning it retains a slight sweetness. It’s not sugary sweet, although they are noticeably sweeter than Brut wines. 

Demi-sec - This is a sweet sparkling wine - drink it with dessert because there is a prevalent amount of noticeable sugar.

Champagne

The most iconic sparkling wine in the world is a blend of grapes including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier and the most treasured Champagne wines age for a minimum of 3 years.

Since the wines are aged in bottles under high pressure the bubble finesse is fine, persistent and sharp. Vintage-dated Champagnes often have almond-like flavors along with orange-zest and white cherry.

Cava

Cava is a traditional method (the Champagne method) Spanish sparkling wine produced mainly in the Penedès region of Catalonia. It is most often made using a blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo grapes and can be either white or rosé.

Cava is typically rich and complex, with zesty citrus flavors, a nuttiness and a distinct minerality. The bubbles are also much more fine, and contribute to a smoother and more creamy mouth feel.

Prosecco

Prosecco is a sparkling white wine produced primarily from the Glera grape in the foothills of the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Like any wine, it’s a whole lot more complex. 

Prosecco tends to have more present fruit and flower aromas, which are a product of the grape. Because the wines are aged in large tanks with less pressure Prosecco bubbles are lighter, frothy and spritzy with less persistence. Finer Prosecco wines often exhibit notes of tropical fruits, banana cream, hazelnut, vanilla and honeycomb.

As it happens, the kosher wine world is ultimately not that different from the regular world of wine – good wine starts in the vineyard. 

Whether you are selecting wine for sacramental purposes or simply enjoyment, we invite you to come and explore our collection of Kosher wines. 

Here's to Ohio!

In the mid-1800s, eccentric millionaire Nicholas Longworth pioneered U.S. wine production when he began growing Catawba grapes along the Ohio River to make sparkling wine. The wine became sought after both across America and abroad, and it put Ohio at the center of the country’s wine industry. The vines ultimately fell victim to disease, which halted wine production that same century. But over the last few decades, it’s begun to flourish again. 

While most of the bottlings crafted by Ohio’s 280 wineries stay within the state, their quality reaches beyond borders. Several have been entered in—and won—national and international competitions. This region is booming with new vineyards and wineries - the winemakers are passionate about what they do.

We have taken the time to explore some of the best wineries in Ohio to provide you with the best Ohio has to offer.