Love It and Drink It Blog

Wine has been a popular beverage for thousands of years and is a truly global product. However, despite the global popularity of wine, winemaking styles and flavors vary dramatically from different regions.

For those reasons, here’s a look at some of the most important global wine statistics and the countries with the top production.

General Wine Statistics

The Top 10 Producing Wine Countries

The top 10 producing wine countries in the world are:

• Italy
• France
• Spain
• United States
• Argentina
• Chile
• Australia
• China
• Germany
• South Africa

Is The Wine Industry Growing?

The wine industry has enjoyed steady growth over the past several decades and is predicted to maintain a growth rate of four to eight percent in 2020 and beyond.

The total wine m

If you’re preparing for a dinner party or elegant event, a bright and festive wine is probably on your list.

But what’s the difference between sparkling wine and champagne? Or are they the same thing?

While sparkling wine and champagne are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between the two drinks, and you don't want to use the wrong term around a wine specialist.

Here’s everything you need to know about the two drinks and how they differ.

What Is The Difference Between Sparkling Wine and Champagne?

Sparkling wine is an umbrella term, and champagne is included under that umbrella. In other words, all champagnes are sparkling wines, though it is only one of many types of sparkling wines. For example, prosecco, cremant, and cava are also types of sparkling wines

Selecting the perfect Christmas wine can be overwhelming, especially if you have guests coming. In addition, choosing the ideal wine depends on the kind of meal you plan to serve or if you prefer to serve wine alone.

Therefore, we boiled it down to five different wine groups that are popular worldwide and have a festive hint that pairs well with Christmas feasts.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the very best wines to compliment your Christmas dinner as it’s relatively high acidity and low tannins make it easy to pair with a variety of different foods, including a Christmas ham or turkey. If you’re planning on celebrating with a ham, consider a smoked or baked ham with your Pinot Noir as the salty flavor of the ham blends well with the earthy tones of the wine.

 In addition, its bold red color, cranberry aroma, and vanilla spice make it a Christmas classic and is destined to be a hit with everyone at the table. You can enjoy your Pinot Noir during din

Ham is still the highest indexing holiday meat and is also a popular everyday meal, with 55 percent of consumers claiming to consume it outside of the holiday season.

So what kind of wine should you serve with it?

Whether you like red wines or white wines, crisp or dry, our wine connoisseurs hand-selected the very best wine and ham pairings from around the world. 

Therefore, if you plan to serve wine with ham, here are a few worth checking out.

Chateau Ste Michelle 17 Riesling

The Chateau Ste. Michelle 17 Riesling has a light body to compliment a glazed ham and also pairs nicely with a cured ham. Made in Washington's Columbia Valley, this medium-dry Riesling offers a crisp aroma of apples and other festive flavors and is a fun drink to share

Whether you're organizing a special celebration, bringing a gift to a friend, or planning your own special evening at home, a sweet dessert wine will provide an excellent finish to the evening.

Therefore, our connoisseurs have hand-selected the world's best sweet wines that will be appreciated by both beginners and wine enthusiasts alike.

This list has something for everyone, from crisp ice wines featuring flavors of lemon and honey to bold vint port wines of deep chocolate woodland flavors.

Best Sweet Wines

If you’re craving an exotic sweet wine to finish a satisfying meal, here are a few of the best dessert wines from our wine connoisseurs.

Sandeman 20 Year Tawny Port

This Port wine offers a unique blend of vanilla, spices, honey, nuts, and dried apricots to produce a pleasantly sweet and rare flavor. As a classic p

At Premier Wine & Spirits, we're proud to support the institutions and organizations that make Western New York special. Buffalo is a special place, and when Burt Notarius founded Premier Wine & Spirits in 1969, he recognized the importance of giving to the organizations that do so much for our community. Every year, the stores of the Premier Group donate thousands of dollars to local organizations, including Hospice Buffalo, The Burchfield Penny, The Martin House, Oishei Children's Hospital of Buffalo, and many others.

Here's a short video highlighting some of our charitable work in the Buffalo region.

Wine and music go together like the moon and the stars.

Aging of Bourbon starts with the process of charring new oak barrels. The purpose is to caramelize the sugars inherent in the wood, which in turn delivers a distinctive aroma and flavor spectrum to the whiskey, as it ages in the barrel. Given the wave of popularity Bourbon producers have enjoyed, in tsunami proportions mind you, it was only a matter of time, when a few creative wine makers would pioneer the unique idea of aging wine in Bourbon oak barrels. Here on the cutting edge are two of our favorites:

As a general rule, the best summer wines hail from growing regions that are cold.  This makes sense, as cooler climates result in grapes that are less ripe, and therefore lighter in body and higher in acidity.  One region that never seems to fail at people-pleasing is the Loire Valley in northwestern France.

Ahh summer! Between the bugs and the heat, it's never been MY favorite season, with one exception: delicious, delicious barbecue! Naturally, beer is a perfect pairing, as well as sangria, margaritas or any lively, fruity cocktail, but did you know there is a plethora of fabulous wines that compliment BBQ dishes as well?