July 2026: What's Up @ Wine Stop?
Every month, we keep you up to date on what’s happening at Wine Stop—new arrivals, upcoming tastings, and where we’ve been (and where we’re going) in search of wines for you. We’ll share what we’re tasting, what we’re learning, and a few wine tips along the way. After 10 years, it’s time to share more than just bottles.
Half of 2026 is already gone. We just marked World Lambrusco Day on June 21 — so it feels like the right moment to ask: which Wine Stop wine did you enjoy the most over the last six months? And what made that bottle earn a place in your memory bank?
Was it the moment you drank it? The aromas that jumped out of the glass? The balance? The texture? The people around the table? The food next to it? Or simply the fact that it made the soul smile?
Leave us a comment below. We'd love to know which Wine Stop bottle stayed with you.
Are you a soccer fan? The final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place on Sunday, July 19, at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. We've heard rumors that Portugal is going to lift the trophy. Who knows. Whoever wins, it's a great excuse to hang out with friends and family and watch the game together.
In between, we celebrate America's 250th anniversary.
Someone recently said that this generation may be the last one to die and the first one to live forever. Will they be around for America's 500th? We'll leave that question to the futurists.
Wines, however, do not live forever.
The vast majority of wines are made to last a year or two. That's it. Some don't even make it a full year. But ageability is not what makes a wine great. Drinkability does. Enjoyment does. The kind of pleasure that makes the soul smile does.
When a wine is crafted, not merely produced, you usually feel it in the glass. It has life. It has texture. It has a reason to exist beyond a flavor profile created for a market.
Another way of looking at it is this: Place vs. Product.
A wine from a real place — a vineyard, a village, a specific landscape — will taste a little different every year. Weather changes. Vines get older. Winemakers learn. The wine carries those changes with it.
A produced wine works differently. It aims to deliver the same market-driven taste profile year after year. Reliable, perhaps. But rarely memorable.
That difference matters to us — it's the same idea behind our "Buy places, not styles" thinking, if you want to go deeper on it.
Our two new wines from Chile — one red, one rosé — are scheduled to arrive in New York/New Jersey on July 20. From there, they'll travel by refrigerated truck to Wine Stop. Cross your fingers: we hope to have them on our shelves during the first week of August.
Like all of our wines, Alvaro tasted these two on location and selected them because they felt right for Wine Stop. Fresh, useful, honest, and ideal for August drinking.
We get asked every year if we are open on July 4th. Since Wine Stop is now closed every Monday, we have decided to keep Wine Stop DTLA and Wine Stop SVLK open on Saturday, July 4, from 10 AM to 5 PM. Wine Stop ECPK will be closed.
The Sake Study begins in mid-July at Wine Stop DTLA. You'll be able to reserve a quiet study hour online and taste six classic sake styles over 45–60 minutes. Tech sheets will guide you through the historic and modern styles and help you understand what's in the glass.
If The Sake Study turns into a successful Wine Stop event, we may add another tasting set with even rarer sakes down the road.
We also fell in love with the Japanese KAGUA beers a few years after the DTLA store opened its doors. Far Yeast Brewing Company has since expanded beyond Rouge and Saison with Blanc and IPA. These beers are brewed in Belgium, while their Tokyo line is brewed in Japan.
The Tokyo series includes Blonde, White, IPA, and a seasonal addition called Mori a Mori, made with sake yeast. It's truly delicious — the kind of beer you taste once and immediately want to revisit.
Until next month, we invite you to read our July wine blog entry: Fame Is Not a Tasting Note.
Have a great summer filled with BBQs, picnics, backyard grilling, and a delightful glass of Wine Stop white, red, rosé, sparkling, fortified — or whatever makes your summer table better.
Here's to Summer 2026!