We typically think of sweet wines with dessert, but sweet wines can work just as well with the beginning and the middle of a meal. Foods that have a natural sweetness to them should blend nicely with the wine, especially when there is caramelization (a combination of sugar and heat), Maillard reaction (a combination of amino acids, sugar and heat) or a crisp pastry or fried batter.
Read MorePanko-Crusted Veal Picatta: The idea of this pairing was to blend the wine’s subtlety with the delicacy of veal. It worked brilliantly!
Read MoreNanny Goat 2015 Pinot Noir Central Otago: This is classic Otago. Rich in body but refreshingly acidic, it is packed with blueberries and mulberries. And, it’s all about the fruit - an abundance of fresh, zingy, super-pure fruit. No doubt that, with its elegantly lacy palate and fine, talc-like tannins, this is Pinot Noir, but there’s none of the earthiness or forest-floor one often finds.
Read MoreWith many reviving sectors of the lesser-known or somewhat forgotten corners of the wine world, it is easy to think there is just one region, one style or one grape. It happens often elsewhere. Just think of the US, California, Napa Valley and Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s a lot more to California wine than this one hallmark. So, it is no surprise that in a less well-known region like Hungary, stereotypes and simplifications happen all the time.
Read MoreThe results of the radical shake-up of Italian white wines over the last two decades continue to surface in the US markets, and this fall I had the chance to taste through a new range of wines available from Vias Wine. The wines of the grandly historic Castello di Spessa, which dates back to the 13th or 3rd century CE (either being plenty old!) offer an excellent representation of high quality winemaking with local varieties without wallet-emptying prices.
Read MoreThis wine defies my typical usage suggestions for sweet wines. I often think of sweet wines as “dessert in a glass”, or something that can replace dessert when thirst still calls yet the tummy is too full for more food. One of the primary differences here is that the Ben Ryé possesses a decadently sweet attack yet a surprisingly dry and clean finish.
Read MoreGrant P Taylor 2015 Pinot Noir Central Otago: This is brilliant Kiwi Pinot Noir. Stuffed with ripe boysenberries and tart cranberries, it runs through the full range of red and black fruits from the time you crack the capsule until you pour the last dribble.
Read MoreDavid Finlayson 2013 Chenin Blanc Single Vineyard Old Vine Camino Africana 13.5%: This characterful wine is composed of fruit harvested from bush vines planted in the Bottelary Hills of Stellenbosch in 1947. These vines are some of the oldest in the Cape.
Read MoreSokol Blosser 2013 Pinot Noir Estate Orchard Block Dundee Hills: This is much too young to open now. Had I only known! This is a feisty kiddo now that needs some time to settle down and expand its horizons further.
Read MoreDonnafugata 2015 Grillo Sur Sur: This wine’s color looks pale, like lemon pulp in color. It’s savory on the nose with notes of crushed slate, grapefruit zest and veggie broth. This is a relatively lean Grillo – and all the better this, rather than some of the variety’s more blowsy expressions – that is nonetheless character-filled.
Read MoreI’ve had some lovely wines from Michigan. Most of those I’ve tasted have been white wines, and the vast majority have been highly imbibable. In fact, there have been enough good ones that I am eager to continue tasting other wines from the region. That’s often not typical for an up-and-coming area.
Read MoreCoppo 2010 Barbera d’Asti Pomorosso: This is swank wine. It is sweet with unabashedly youthful fruit highlighted by savory touches of enticing development, like fallen autumn leaves and damp clay. This wine dances on the edges of palate happiness.
Read MoreTrinchero 2012 Forte Napa Valley: This estate-grown wine boasts exceptional concentration. In fact, it’s a bit of a monster! It is inky black in color, bold in its full body and strident in grainy tannins. Alas, this is a classic case of a high-end wine seeing a retail shelf or restaurant wine list far before its time, even if it is now four years post-vintage.
Read MoreChatzivaritis 2015 Rhoditis Eurynome: Rhoditis means rose, and this variety absolutely brings tremendous fragrance into the glass. The bottling also has a cleverly disguised, 21% of the “acid black” variety Xinomavro made in a blanc de blancs fashion. The palate is full of honeydew and Canary melons with whispers of gingerbread.
Read MoreLieb Cellars 2013 Sparkling Rosé Reserve: Impressively vinous, this pale, peach-colored sparkler is made of two-thirds Pinot Noir and one-third Chardonnay. It smells of rose petals, honeydew melon and fuzzy peach skin.
Read MoreSome wines stop you in mid-thought. They tend to be polarizing and are either heart-stoppingly delicious or revolting. This is a beauty.
Read MoreI’m not entirely certain, but I seem to remember that Inama’s was the first Soave Classico I tasted.
I think that any time you taste a wine for the first time, it becomes a standard bearer. As such, I feel lucky that Inama guided me to understanding Soave - the best of Soave, that is. But, that was (gulp) 15 years ago. Both Soave, Inama and I have changed. What’s happy to note is that if we all have, I still think Inama is brilliant.
Read MoreMaeli 2014 Bianco Infinito Veneto IGT: This is a highly unusual blend of Moscato and Chardonnay vinified to dryness. Harmonious yet full of contrasts, this smells of Moscato but tastes like Chardonnay. Light in body and dry from start to finish, I can only describe it as the unlikely but enticing combination of Moscato d’Asti and Premier Cru Chablis.
Read MoreAnother year, another en primeur campaign. How long this system can sustain itself? It seems every year the fuse gets shorter. What 2015 offers is a highly mixed bag. There’s something for everyone, but without careful research, everyone may not love what he or she purchases.
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