It matters not if you are checking out classic cars, riding your motorcycle, going to a rock concert or just sitting on your front porch - we are all in for some HOT. AUGUST. NIGHTS. So we thought we would look out for our family of palates by sending you some delicious summer sippers.

We have gotten so much feedback about how much you have loved the vintage explorations in recent months, that this August we though we could explore more of that as well as compare some really fun grape varieties built to combat the scorching summer temperatures.

Fun Facts about Sauvignon Blanc

1.) The Sauvignon Blanc grape is OLD. Like, really old. Remember good ol’ 1534? Neither do we. But perhaps we should, given this is the year Sauvignon Blanc was first recorded in France. In the 500 years since, it’s spread like a vine to all corners of the globe, from Australia to New Zealand and from Chile to North America (where it’s often called Fumé Blanc).

2.) Please don't call Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre. Only Sauvignon Blancs from the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley can be called Sancerre, a protected appellation whose proponents have strong views on the matter. These wines are elegant, lean and refined. Another popular French expression of the grape is known as Pouilly-Fumé, another protected appellation grown around the Pouilly-sur-Loire region. Sauvignon Blanc originated in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley in France. These two French wine regions lay claim to the now universally-famous wine Sauvignon Blanc. The name likely derives from the French words sauvage, meaning wild, and blanc, meaning white.

3.) According to the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Sauvignon Blanc is the 8th most planted wine grape variety planted in the world overall (3rd among white varieties). Its vines can be found growing everywhere from France and New Zealand to Austria’s Steiermark region to Turkey’s Güney plateau to the Uruguayan Coast .

Fun Facts about Tempranillo

1.) Tempranillo is a very old varietal dating back over 3000 years ago when it was believed that the Phoenicians brought the grape to the Peninsula of Spain and Portugal.

2.) It is the fourth most planted grape in the world with more than 80% grown in Spain.

3.) Tempranillo is a grape with many, many pseudonyms. In Spain, Tempranillo may also be called “Cencibel,” “Tinto Fino,” “Tinto del Pais,” “Tinto de Toro,” “Tinto Madrid,” “Ojo de Liebre,” “Valdepeñas,” and “Ull de Llebre.” In Portugal, the grape is known as “Aragonez” and “Tinta Roriz,”, but is also called “Aragones,” “Tinta Aragoneza,” “Arinto Tinto,” and “Tinta de Santiago.”