Wine Club Blog
Welcome to the Gold Medal Wine Club Blog. Below you can peruse our most recent wine blog posts with engaging topics ranging from frequently asked Wine Wizard questions published in our Gold Wine Club newsletter, to even some fun wine tips and tricks! Discover wine tasting guides, recipes and more to grow your wine knowledge that will impress even the snobbiest of wine snobs.
Interested in a topic we haven’t covered yet? Email us with an idea or question about wine and you may see it appear in our next blog post!

How does the same varietal taste so different depending on the country it's grown in?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Whether your bottle’s from another country or even a sub-region within the same country, the taste all comes down to terroir.
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What is an aerator?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
A wine aerator works by introducing small amounts of oxygen to the wine. Every time you pour yourself a glass of wine, you’re technically ‘aerating’ it.
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What's so great about Napa Valley?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Napa Valley is home to some of the world's most iconic wines, but what makes it so great? Here's what to know about California’s most famous wine region.
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Does music influence how you taste wine?
Kaylah Vasquez
The study of sensations surrounding the wine experience has grown vastly. Many studies have shown that music does in fact affect the perception of wine taste.
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Pairing Wine with Ice Cream
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Wine and ice cream pairing is a thing? You bet it is! These two sensory powerhouses can come together for a hedonistic treat. Here’s what you need to know.
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What makes a wine dry?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
You've heard the term ‘dry wine’, or maybe even off-dry, but what does a dry wine actually mean?
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What happens if a winemaker creates a bad wine?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Similar to cooking or baking, not all wine turns out perfect. What happens if a winery ends up with bad wine? Here's what you need to know.
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Wine Subscriptions - How are the wines actually chosen?
Subscription wine clubs deliver an assortment of bottles to your doorstep, but how do they decide what wines you'll be getting? Here's what you need to know.
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Behind wine bottle marketing...What goes into a label?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Check out the many ways savvy marketers influence your wine buying decisions.
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10 Wine and Taco Pairings
Kaylah Vasquez
From fish tacos found in Baja California to the infamous rolled Guatemalan tacos there is something for every palette and nearly every wine.
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Why do winemakers choose different types of barrels to age their wines in?
Erin O'Reilly - Certified Specialist of Wine
Oak is one of the few tools a winemaker has to shape a wine’s style, so it's no surprise that when it comes to barrels, winemakers have a lot to say.
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Keep the Smoke in the BBQ: A Run-Down on Wine Smoke Taint
Natalie Burnham
As conditions change around the grape-growing world, smoke damage to wine grapes, known as smoke taint, is one of the most pressing issues of modern winemaking.
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