Cartology is pertinently named for its mix of five vineyards, stretched through the center of the Cape. All are old, gnarly, bush-trained vines.
Read MoreRotgipfler and Zierfandler, not Riesling and Grüner Veltliner, were the local whites that flowed into the Habsburgs’ crystal. These largely off-the-radar white varieties hail from a thermal region, also known for its spas, just south of Vienna.
Read MoreBriefly, for the uninitiated: “orange” wines are made from white grape varieties. Rather than discard the skins once the juice is pressed from the grapes, the skins and juice remain together during the fermentation and aging processes. This contributes the orange color to the wines, along with tannins and denser texture, the latter two characteristics more akin to red rather than white wine.
Read MoreThis blend of Grenache, Syrah and Carignan offers a rich and welcoming nose of briar patch fruits entirely absent of oak influence. The tannins caress softly and the acidity lurks subtly. The voluptous and youthful loveliness of the very pure fruit make for easy sipping.
Read MoreGermany is Kerner’s homeland, but in New York, we mostly see those that hail from Italy’s Alto Adige. They are often from Valle Isarco, a Kerner hotbed.
Read MoreMenu in hand, we quickly decided to order a white then open one of our reds. Then, diving deeper into the list a few more minutes, we abandoned the BYO idea. I hovered over the Italian whites not only because the cuisine was Italian but also because the options were equally delicious and cool. There was a Vitovska, a Greco di Tufo and a Garganega, but this Kerner called to me.
Read MoreFourteen of us gathered in the cozy private dining room. I was promptly charged with choosing the reds. (The happy couple, whose 20th anniversary we were fêting, brought the whites, all from the year they met.) With barely a glance, I plucked a delectable magnum of Frappato.
Read MoreMy parents and I sat down for lunch with one of my best pals. Just days away from Christmas, we three ladies were feeling festive, so nothing but bubbly could do. (Dad enjoyed his usual iced tea.)
Read MoreA brilliant pairing! The white miso, sake and mirin marinade contributes an unctuous sweetness that melds seamlessly with the wine’s decadent fruit.
Read MoreI took away two things from that evening. First was the deep impression Gerko’s open-mindedness to winemaking experiments in a very traditional region left on me. Second was my deep desire to convince him that fermentingin oak would leave less of an oak imprint on his Rieslings. (He seemed to think this was a rather far-fetched idea, but it is absolutely true.)
Read MoreAlways hunting for new, southern Italian wines hailing from regions other than Campania, Abruzzo, Puglia and the islands, I bought Terre di Balbia’s 2006 SerraMonte Rosso because it’s fifty percent Magliocco. All I knew of this grape was that it usually plays a supporting, not a lead, role, and little is planted.
Read MoreHas Sean Thackrey done a 180°? This was my impression when I tasted the 2010 vintage of Pinot Noir Clone 114 from his new Cassiopeia project in the Wentzel Vineyard.
Read MoreHaving just fled my laptop, on which I’d been tapping all day, I fleeting wondered how this beverage bearing a Darwin-inspired name might inspire the finishing touches of my article in the morning.
Read MoreMy companion pointed out a Negroamaro aged in Anfora under the first, “light in color” category. How impossible could that be? A grape named “black bitter” that makes a wine light in color? Well, it can be done, and this unusual example is done very well.
Read MoreGenerous in youthful fruit and near lavish in minerality. Blackberries, cassis and sage mesh with asphalt and animale.
Read MoreYesterday I was chatting with an old pal, recounting my stops in seven countries over the last ten weeks. Chuckling, Alaric replied, “You’ve always had a tendency to wanderlust, Christy.” I travel frequently to visit vineyards and to speak about wine, and my love for exploration extends beyond well beyond border controls.
Read MoreIn the heart of Istanbul’s trendy Beyoğlu district, Mikla’s wine list represents a wide array of Turkish producers, including wines made from both local and international grapes. Impressively, no borders exist on this list; you will find representation from every major wine-producing country, including Austria, Portugal and the USA.
Read MoreThe key was the dry Tamâioasa Româneasca (a white wine with aromas akin to Gewürztraminer and Muscat) laced into the unsweetened quince purée. Both elements showed fruit impressions without sweetness.
Read MoreOvertly aromatic and loaded with varietal notes of lime, honeydew melon and peach blossom. Perky acidity, light body, low-ish alcohol and cleansing, dry finish.
Read MoreThe pickles’ vinegar notes mimic the wine’s acidic punch while the garlic and savory spices harmonize with the wine’s mineral undertones. Best of all, the jalapeño flavor in the pickles echos the hints of green bell pepper in the wine.
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