RagusaRagusa is the most southern province of Sicily and the whole of Italy, situated in the Val di Noto. It’s a city of great tradition, dating back to Greek times, unfortunately completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and completely rebuilt in a beautiful baroque style right after it. The city is now divided in Ragusa Superiore, newly built after the earthquake, and Ragusa Ibla, build on the site of Ragusa before the earthquake, and the most attractive part of the city. Of course, there is not only Ragusa to visit. The towns of Scicli and Modica are beautiful, with much of the architecture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. They were important towns during the historic “Reign of Two Sicilies.” Like Ragusa, many of the buidlings are in the Late Baroque style. These are the highlights, but most towns of the Val di Noto are worth visiting. These three cities can be included in a south of Sicily tour, together with the province of Syracuse, and including Syracuse itself, Noto, where the famous Caffe’ Sicilia is located and you can try one of the best cannoli of whole Sicily, and three natural reserves on the east coast, where natural wonders meat the sea: Del Plemmirio, Cavagrande del Cassibile and Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari. Cerasuolo di VittoriaOf course it is also a place of great wine culture, and in this case Cerasuolo di Vittoria (where Cerasuolo is a type of red color, while Vittoria is a city west of Ragusa) is the king of the surroundings and together with Etna wines they compose the top tier of nowadays Sicilian wines. Here the wine production is ancient, dating back to the 6-7th century B.C. when the greeks populated the area. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria is made with Nero d’Avola for 50-70% and Frappato for 30-50%, both of them typical sicilian red grapes. The wine produced within an even more restricted area can have the Classico addition. The birth date of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the same as the birth date of the city, when the founder of the city Vittoria Colonna Henriquez-Cabrera gifted a hectare of land to the farmers if they seed another hectare with vines. In 1974 it obtained the DOC status, and in 2005 the DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita, the highest level of classification in Italian wine). COS and Arianna OcchipintiTwo wineries are representing the Cerasuolo and the territory they are stand on at their best: COS and Arianna Occhipinti. COS is the acronym of the surnames of the three founders: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti e Cirino Strano. In 1980 these three young guys rented from the father of Giambattista Cilia 3,5 ha of vines grown in alberello style and the old family winery. The first vintage produced 1470 bottles, and since then they made a great job in improving year after year. In 2000 they were already using amphorae for the aging of wines, and they kept the line until this day. Their best Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the “Delle Fontane” which in the vintage 2012 gave a great result. It was aged 18 months in big wood barrels and other 18 months in cement tanks, red ruby color, at the nose fruity notes of cherry, blackberry and currant, scents of roses and spicy touch, while on the palate is fresh, elegant and Mediterranean, with adorable tannins. Arianna Occhipinti story is much more recent, in 2004 Arianna, niece of the Giusto Occhipinti owner of COS, bought 1 hectare on the Strada Provinciale 68 (County Road 68), the name of the county road that goes from Catania to the coast (SP68 is also the name of her entry-level wines). This is an important detail for Arianna cause she is since 2015 president of the Road of the Wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria and she really believes in the future of this wine and its territory. She studied Enology in Milan but came back to acquire that 1 hectare for the love of her land. The winery now owns 22 hectares, mostly Nero d’Avola and Frappato, but also Albanello and Zibibbo, two local white varieties. The top-level is the Cerasuolo di Vittoria ‘Grotte Alte’, aged at least 32 months in 25-hectoliters Slavonian oak barrels. In the 2014 vintage, it has an intense ruby red color with garnet shades, at the nose is fine and fragrant, with details of sea spray, sour cherries and oriental spices while on the palate it is intense and elegant, soft and round with a persistent and salty aromatic finish. For more on Sicilian wines, you can attend a wine class! https://www.vinology.com/class/wines-of-sicily/ The post Wines of Southern Sicily appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Via https://www.vinology.com/sicily-wine/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wines-of-southern-sicily3643873
0 Comments
In March, Total Wine & More implemented a $2 dollar pay rise for its hourly employees, providing a much-needed financial cushion to workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Like other liquor stores, Total Wine is deemed an essential business and has therefore been able to operate during the pandemic. Not only has business been steady, off-premise alcohol sales have surged during Covid-19. Despite this, and in a confusing U-turn, Total Wine has now decided to revoke the pay rise. According to a BuzzFeed article published on Tuesday, Total Wine quietly announced the decision to store managers via a memo, but did not inform its “rank-and-file employees.” Per the memo, which was obtained by BuzzFeed, Total Wine took the decision to reverse the raise in part because of “trends in the business and external environment.” Employees were understandably frustrated, especially with sales appearing to be higher than usual for this time of year. Furthermore, Albertsons, Amazon, Whole Foods, and several over grocery stores are providing increases “hazard pay” to employees at this time. A spokesperson for the company denied that Total Wine was experiencing record sales and told BuzzFeed the raise was always intended to be temporary and not a form of hazard pay. “It was a recognition of the hard work that our team members were doing,” the spokesperson said. The actions of Total Wine are even more concerning given that one of its co-founders is Congressman David Trone, a member of the House of Representatives. Trone has been vocal in his praise of frontline workers in recent weeks and has publicly backed labor initiatives. The message sent out by his company — the country’s largest privately-owned wine, beer, and liquor retailer — appears to be at odds with this. The article Total Wine Takes Back Covid-Related Employee Raise appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/booze-news/total-wine-revoke-covid-pay-raise/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/total-wine-takes-back-covid-related-employee-raise Social distancing has sparked a lot of creativity in the ways we connect with others. Platforms such as Zoom and Netflix Party, and online drinking games have all made being apart much more bearable — even enjoyable. In Durham, N.C., adjacent neighbors came up with their own way to break the social distancing divide. In a video shared by USA Today, the neighbors quite literally broke down the barrier between them, and used a pivoting backyard fence to create a makeshift table. With the four-top set up, the neighbors were able to dine together while theoretically maintaining a safe social distance. But the plan wasn’t quite a genius as they first imagined.
As many have since pointed out on social media, the neighbors proceeded to pass each other food and drinks, and share the same appetizer dishes — all of which clearly violate safe social distancing parameters. While we respect their intentions, next time they should take some inspiration from this guy. The article Backyard Neighbors ‘Genius’ Viral Social Distancing Party Hack Is Anything But appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/booze-news/neighbors-attempt-social-distancing-hack/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/backyard-neighbors-genius-viral-social-distancing-party-hack-is-anything-but There’s some controversy over spritzes these days and we would like to solidly place ourselves on team spritz. Aperol, Campari, small-batch amari, doesn’t matter. We are pro-spritz, now and forever. With summer quickly approaching, it’s spritz season more than ever. If we’re all still home-bound by that point, we’ll need to be prepared for at-home spritzing. That’s why we always keep a set of lead-free Crystal Spritz Glasses on our bar. The stem is long and elegant and the bowl is wide enough to accommodate the hefty dose of ice that you’ll find in a proper spritz. You may not be able to travel in-person to Lake Como for now, but sipping a freshly made cocktail from these striking glasses will make it much easier to imagine that you’re there. Saluti a tutti! The article These Are The Best Glasses For Spritz Cocktails appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/picks/best-aperol-spritz-glass/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/these-are-the-best-glasses-for-spritz-cocktails Let’s cut right to the chase. By all accounts, Nicole Austin is one of the biggest badasses in American distilling today. She’s broken new ground at every career turn — from her early days bucking industry trends at Kings County Distillery, to her adventures co-founding two craft distilling trade organizations, to winning accolades for her first release as general manager and distiller at Cascade Hollow. Now, with the muscle of Diageo behind her and a vision for putting Tennessee whiskey back on the bourbon map, Austin is hitting new strides. “One of the things that blows my mind about Nicole’s journey is how almost perfectly her narrative reads like a tale,” says Christopher Williams, the chief distiller and blender at Coppersea in New Paltz, N.Y. “You look at it, and it almost seems like, well, naturally that was the only thing that ever could’ve happened as a result of that story.” After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., in 2006, Austin started off her career in environmental engineering. “I thought I was going to be the next Erin Brockovich. That was 100 percent my plan,” says Austin. “I was going to takedown evil polluters and look great in miniskirts while I did it.” It turned out that working on massive waste management infrastructure and scaled engineering projects didn’t afford her much time to find and expose polluters. When she switched gears and moved into distilling, it was practically on a lark. Out at a bar, on a date, the bartender poured her a whiskey and started talking about how it was made. Austin became so enthralled she completely ignored her date and listened to the bartender talk about whiskey for the rest of the night. Learning about distilling was a sea change. “Suddenly,” she says, “it was completely obvious that was what I was meant to do.” She has been blazing trails ever since. Breaking New GroundIn 2011 at 27 years old, about a year after landing her first job in the spirits industry as Kings County Distillery’s master blender, Austin distilled a rye whiskey that later won Double Gold at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. “It’s rare as a distiller that you actually get to touch every part of the process,” she says. “But the first time Kings County made rye, I actually touched every part of the process.” She underscores that this was at a time when critics were questioning whether craft producers were even making anything of value and some were “really poo-pooing the use of small barrels.” John Jeffery, Master Distiller of Bentley Heritage in Minden, Nev., and cofounder of the Good Guys, a private industry Facebook group of about 100 craft distillers, says Austin was one of first people to prove that craft distillers could put out high-quality products. “She was really a steward of quality, which I think was super important.” From Kings County, Austin went on to work as a consultant with the legendary Dave Pickerell, which, she says, was like doing a crash course in American craft distilling. In 2016, she took a job with William Grant & Sons as the commissioning engineer at Tullamore D.E.W. in Ireland, her first industrial-scale distillery. That was when she finally truly felt successful, which, in her mind, meant she could stop worrying about paying her rent. Helping to Shape the American Whiskey IndustryIn addition to ascending in her own career, Austin has devoted herself to raising others up within the spirits community. She helped found the New York State Distillers Guild with Coppersea’s Williams and Brian McKenzie of Finger Lakes Distilling, and was president of the regional trade organization from 2012 through 2015. She was also a founding board member of the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and remains an affiliate member. “Rarely have I seen someone who commits as much time and energy to promoting the industry as she does,” says Jeffery. “She convinced us that trade organizations were a way to band together and fight for the industry — that it was really the way to raise all the boats.” Williams, who also worked with Austin on the legislative effort to establish Empire Rye as a New York State regional style, adds that Austin is a hugely collaborative person and the initiatives they worked on were designed to bring the state’s distillers together and elevate the whole lot. “We saw early on that just one of us out there is drifting in the sea, but if we’re all together, we’re an armada and can’t be ignored.” And while her efforts to mobilize the distilling industry at the state and national levels is impressive, John McKee, the owner of Headframe Spirits in Butte, Mont., and the other cofounder of the Good Guys, says that hands-down, the most impactful thing Austin has done so far for craft distilling is to help get the federal excise tax (FET) reduced as part of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. “How many hundreds of millions of dollars has her work saved the entire industry on the FET?” he asks. “I’m always surprised that so few people understand how directly impactful she and Mark Shilling were in getting that thing through,” says McKee. He laughs, imagining Austin mulling over what would benefit the industry most: Driving corn prices down? Finding cheaper bottle suppliers? “She was like, no, ‘let’s get the FET carved by a fifth.’ I mean, holy crap, that level of [thinking] — it has nothing to do with mashing and distilling, or selecting barrels.” It’s the sign of a true well-rounded master distiller who understands that it’s about more than just the juice in the bottle, he says. He brings up the tattoo on Austin’s arm — the bill number for the FET reduction. “It’s just not said enough, and I can’t imagine a larger impact nationwide that anyone in the industry could really claim.” Each year McKee and Jeffery anoint a distiller — albeit in a tongue-and-cheek way — as King of the Good Guys, a group expressly created so distillers could share information and help each other out. Last year, after whiskey that was made during Austin’s watch at Kings County won best-in-class gold at the ACSA Awards, they crowned her the group’s queen. When she took her new role with Diageo, Austin was afraid she’d no longer be embraced by the craft side of the industry, so being named Queen of the Good Guys was momentous. “It’s just a silly thing,” says Austin. “Like, I got thrown in a pool by the previous king, but at the same time it was also really meaningful to me.” The insider honor just goes to show that she’s exactly the kind of unicorn distiller that can keep one foot firmly planted in the craft camp even while the other is charting new territory on the commercial side with the world’s largest alcohol producer. Austin even asked McKee how they were going to make her Queen of the Good Guys if she wasn’t “‘a craft gal anymore.’ And the whole answer to that,” he says, “was that she really still is.” “She’s our queen,” says Jeffery, “because she’s a badass. She’s perfect for it. ” Forging Ahead in a New ChapterIn March 2018, Austin relocated from Tullamore, Ireland to Tullahoma, Tenn., to take over operations at Cascade Hollow, where her responsibilities would span both the distillation-production side and the brand-sales side. “It’s really about one person holding accountability across the entire Cascade Hollow Distilling Company and caring about every detail,” she says. Her first innovation at Cascade Hollow, George Dickel Bottled in Bond, a 13-year-old Tennessee whiskey, won both Whiskey of the Year from Whisky Advocate and “Best Buy” in Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Spirits of 2019. “That was beyond my wildest dreams,” she says. “When blending that whiskey, I specifically set out with the goal of trying to make the point that Cascade Hollow belongs in the pantheon of American greats — that we’re among the best whiskey producers in the U.S., and that we have an authentic claim to that heritage. For that to happen, it was like hitting a grand slam at the World Series your first year in the majors.” Steve Rust, the president of reserve and new business commercialization at Diageo, says it’s telling. “We’re thrilled Nicole’s efforts and contributions to the industry were quickly recognized through the Whisky of the Year award,” he says. “This recognition is a great honor for Nicole and George Dickel, but also shines an important light on Tennessee whisky, reminding consumers of the exceptional offerings available within the category.” Coppersea’s Williams also points out that what Austin is doing at Dickel is bringing craft thinking into the larger context of industrial distilling. “That decision to do bottled-in-bond,” he says, “is directly correlated with her ethos in craft distilling.” Innovating in TennesseeSo what is Tennessee whiskey — and what does Austin want you to know about it? “It’s bourbon!” she exclaims. “Boy, if I could shout that far and wide.” It’s an original style of bourbon filtered through a maple charcoal mellowing process that “let’s distillers reach for big, bold, complex fruit flavors.” She laments that “this big bourbon boom happened and no one looked at Tennessee.” But she’s going to change that. These days, Austin thinks about innovation in two different ways. “Now that I’m working with a brand like George Dickel that has 150 years of history, I think about what kind of things I can do that’ll bring respect to it. That’s what Bottled in Bond was all about.” On the flipside, resurrecting the historic Cascade Hollow Distilling Company name was done precisely so that Austin would have the freedom to experiment. She’s excited to be tapping into the creative thinking processes she used when she was distilling craft spirits, and asking, “What completely new and weird different thing can I do here that has nothing to do with George Dickel?” This sentiment is echoed by Nic Smieszek, Cascade Hollow’s special projects lead. Working with Austin has taught him about the importance of understanding the history of a whiskey and how to remain loyal to it while seeking opportunities for innovation. “And those opportunities,” he says, “are how crazy can we go, how off the wall? It’s a cross between staying true to who [we] are and learning how to take our whiskey to the next level.” Smieszek has also collaborated with Austin on launching an internship program that brings bartenders and other industry professionals into the distillery for a full day of hands-on work where they learn about the distilling process by actually doing it. So far they’ve had about 60 people from the mid-Tennessee area participate, and they’re hoping to eventually open the program up to invite others from across the country. “It’s been really cool,” says Smieszek, “to put this together and see how it’s turning people that liked George Dickel before into these self-proclaimed brand enthusiast spokespeople who are running around Nashville saying, ‘Have you been to George Dickel? Have you met Nicole Austin?’” What’s Ahead?Community, collaboration and sustainability are top of mind for Austin. She spends a lot of time thinking about how she can showcase local farmers, suppliers, and distillers. “To me,” she says, “trying to source well has been a really big part of ethics and sustainability.” She’s also taking Dickel’s existing production methods and implementing more eco-friendly operations. “We’ve got a lot of pretty aggressive sustainability initiatives,” she says. She’s evaluating materials and space, changing up the maturation process and starting to use some smaller barrels. She’s also thinking strategically about water usage and — not surprisingly — waste management. The biggest news on the horizon is Austin’s Liquid Innovations project, which involves everything from new mash bills and yeasts to new spirits. She’s experimenting with a range of fermentation, distillation, and production methods, with not using maple charcoal mellowing, and with using it on different spirits to see what it brings to them. She’s also very interested in exploring what Cascade Hollow might be capable of producing besides Tennessee whiskey. In addition, Austin has a number of small-scale experiments in the works, driven mainly by things she loves like apples and white whiskey. (She knows she’s out on a limb with the latter.) There may be some upcoming collaborations with brewers and other producers, too. “It’s pretty exciting to have so much whiskey to work with,” says Austin. “Never in my years as a craft producer have I ever had that experience, with thousands and thousands and thousands of barrels that were all mine to do what I wanted with them. I’m like a kid in a candy store.” The article How Groundbreaking Distiller Nicole Austin Is Reinventing Tennessee Whiskey appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/distiller-nicole-austin-reinventing-tennessee-whiskey/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/how-groundbreaking-distiller-nicole-austin-is-reinventing-tennessee-whiskey “Red blend” is a “does what it says on the tin” kind of term — it tells you everything and nothing about what’s inside. Put simply, a red blend is a wine made with a blend of red wine grapes. The category has come to signify a particular type of New World red wine, often from California, that has been blended to resemble classic European regional wines, such as Bordeaux. (No, Bordeaux, although a classic blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, is not considered a “red blend.” Yes, we need to come up with better terminology around red blends.) If your red wine preferences tend toward monovarietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir, it’s time to give red blends a chance. The fact that they are tailor-made to suit individual winemakers’ preferences and goals means that there is a wide range in flavor profiles — and prices — of red blends. To help you navigate an admittedly ambiguous category, we’ve pulled together a list of the best red blends we’ve tried in the past six months. The wines on this list have all been graded A+ to B in VinePair’s wine reviews written by VinePair tasting director Keith Beavers. Within each letter “grade,” wines are listed by price, lowest to highest. While half the bottles on this list are $35 or under, there are also a few worthy splurges that decisively prove that “blended” isn’t a synonym for “cheap.” Here 25 of the best red blends you can buy right now. Tablas Creek Vineyards Cotes de Tablas Red 2018 (A+) ($36.00)This is a great American wine. It has depth and a big personality, while not sacrificing subtlety. This bottle is a joy to drink, and I am not sure I want to share. The nose smells like blackberry compote and fresh cracked black pepper. Also, if you’ve ever been in an herb garden, your brain will go straight there when you stick your nose in the glass. The tannins are grippy, framing all of this awesome. Instead of steak, I’m thinking about roasting some pork or maybe grilling up lamb. BRB. Clos du Val Winemaker’s Signature Series Three Graces Red Blend 2016 (A+) ($170.00)The legacy of fine wine in Napa Valley is highly maintained here. This is an incredible bottle with brooding dark berry and smoked salt aromas. In terms of structure, it’s the definition of full-bodied with seamless tannins still folding into the wine. This is the kind of wine that hits your palate and you can’t help but pause and enjoy the moment before you take the next sip. It’s more than the price of a pair of AirPods but damn, is it amaze. P.S. Garcia Bravado Red Blend 2016 (A) ($21.00)This wine is so well built. It’s comprised of five grapes and the result is a seamless, fruit-driven, earthy, incredibly balanced wine. It smells like herbed steak tartare and blackberry compote sprinkled with fresh cracked black pepper. The palate is full and juicy, with excellent integration of tannins, making you just want to chew on it. Buy as many as you can afford, because this wine is only going to get better. But it’s ready for a lean steak dinner, stat. Tablas Creek Vineyards Patelin de Tablas 2018 (A) ($23)This wine has concentration and depth, along with some great acidity giving it a nice grip on the palate, but not at all overwhelming. It smells like rich earth and a batch of just-plucked wild berries, still smelling of the bark of the vine they grew on. You will also recognize the subtle hint of balsamic (the thick, aged stuff). If there ever was a focused casual wine for a meal with good friends and a rack of lamb smothered with garlic and mint, this is it. Early Mountain Eluvium 2016 (A) ($35.00)If you aren’t comfy with e-commerce this might be the time to figure that out, because this wine is only available on the site and is one of the best red wines coming out of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Heck, it’s just an amazing red wine, period. It is soft yet powerful, elegant yet structured, with balanced fruit aromas of cherries and blackberries with a waft of fresh tobacco (a sign of well-managed vineyards) for good measure; and the palate is velvety, yet deep. You’ll drink this wine and keep saying, “Really? Virginia?” Yeah, really, this wine is wonderful. King Family Vineyards Mountain Plains Red 2016 (A) ($70.00)Damn, this is how I like my big, full-bodied, Bordeaux-inspired, higher-alcohol, oaked red blends. That it’s all these things, and extremely balanced, is such a success. It sets into your palate like a comfy duvet with blackberry fruit and black pepper, and a tight tannic framework. This wine will cost you some pennies, but it is a great wine to see how structured Virginia wine can age (it’ll go for another 10 years, easy). It’s only available on the winery’s site, but is worth your e-commerce time online. Castello di Cacchiano Rosso Toscana IGT 2015 (A-) ($17)Welcome to old school Chianti, when white wine was blended in. It’s no longer allowed for DOCG, but not IGT! This wine is an exact representation of how it used to be done, while showing absolute quality (OK, there’s a skosh of Merlot, too; whatever!). The white wine (Malvasia Bianca) folds into the wine, touching the structure with light acidity and livening up this extremely soulful (meaning you sip, pause, and can’t help but reflect), and earthy wine. You’ll get the classic aromas of cherry and strap leather, and I doubt this wine is filtered because it has serious depth and tannins that are still softening. Ever made a Florentine steak? When you sip this wine, you’ll be Googling recipes. Intrinsic Red Blend 2017 (A-) ($21.00)It’s not often that we get a badass label with a badass wine inside but, hell, yeah! Here we are. The tagger/writer/full-sleeve tat vibe the bottle conveys comes through in the wine. Soft and fruit-forward with a juicy palate, it’s easy to sip and share. This wine is straight-up chill (actually, you could chill it. #feelme). You’ll dig this wine and keep looking at the bottle thinking, damn, this is good. Pair this with designing your next tag or tat (just get the tat) or open it for a straight-up pizza party. What a crowd pleaser. San Pedro Sideral 2017 (A-) ($23.00)It’s time to take a new look at Chilean wine. It’s not the bargain wine you are used to. More and more great wine from the Andes are in our market, like this one. At a quarter of the price of high-end Cali red blend, this wine has what you are looking for. Tight, dark, focused fruit, with slightly peppery notes. There is a little more acidity here than on the West Coast, too, so this wine won’t weigh down your palate, but make that meat dish you’re preparing taste like it was awarded five stars. King Family Vineyards Meritage 2016 (A-) ($36.00)Virginia wine is coming along so well. The only setback is that most of it is only available on e-commerce. But damn if some are worth your time and money online. This is a wonderful, full-bodied Bordeaux-style blend with depth and aromas that will call to mind blackberries, cracked black pepper, and cassis. It’s just under 14 percent alcohol, which is a perfect environment for the wine to show it’s layers as it opened in the glass. Gamble Family Vineyards Paramount Red 2016 (A-) ($91.00)The definition of high-end, well-structured, and impeccable California/Bordeaux style (only in grapes, not character) lies in this bottle. It’s powerful yet elegant, showing off its awesome right now. It’s not done, though, and wants to soften a bit around the edges. It has a beautiful concentrated fruit core, with great acidity teaching your palate lessons in balance. It’s crazy expensive, but if you’re ballin this is a great bottle to ball out with, in a year or two that is. Murphy-Goode Red Blend 2015 (B+) ($12.00)There are nine, NINE grape varieties in this wine. NINE! And somehow it works. Tons of this wine is made, and there are no real discerning characteristics, other than some dark-fruit notes, silky tannins, and a palate you want to chew on. Which is great! Because this is a big ol’ sloppy, juicy burger bottle. This bottle wants to get messy with you and wash it all down. And it’s under $15. Buy a case, fire up the grill, and get on that group text chain. It’s time for a cookout. Santa Julia Reserva Mountain Blend 2018 (B+) ($12.00)This is a solid, affordable go-to for red blend lovers. It has deep, dark fruit, and a nice heft on the palate. You’ll dig the mocha and vanilla, and the concentration. If you need a wine for a steak night with a big group, this is a great bottle. Hell, get a case. Newton Vineyard ‘Skyside-Red Label’ Claret 2017 (B+) ($21.00)Well, this wine is nice and smooth. It’s also a success in this price range. You will dig the soft, supple fruit, framed by a nice, prominent tannin structure. You’ll enjoy the subtle aromas of blackberry and blueberry fruit with a waft of pepper. It’s also balanced enough that it will appease the softer palates as well as the more full-bodied wine lovers. Tenshen Red Blend 2018 (B+) ($24.00)This wine is huge. It has 15.5 percent alcohol, which is way up there. It has dark stewed berry fruit aromas and some mocha. It has all the makings of an intrusive, intense wine that can’t pair with anything other than itself, but it isn’t. Instead, the palate is soft and smooth with well-integrated tannins and deep blackberry fruit and a mocha core. The acidity (so Central Valley) is nice and high so it won’t overwhelm you. I’m thinkin’ messy BBQ slaw and some sunshine with this wine. Enjoy! Coquelicot Estate Mon Amour 2017 (B+) ($45.00)This is a wine that leans heavy into the organic side of things. It’s balanced, with soft fruit and good acidity. The tannins are well integrated, with a nice light weight on the palate. But with all this there is a definite leathery soil aroma masking what would be vibrant blue and blackberry aromas. If you dig that “natural” feel in wine, this is your higher-end Cali style, and would jive with good friends and a cheese plate. Dueling Pistols 2016 (B+) ($47.00)This wine is soft and powerful. It has a luscious, juicy core with tannins that are so woven in you won’t feel them but know they’re there when they whisper to you in the finish. It’ll definitely pair well with some roasted chicken or steak, but damn, I dunno, that might take away from the wine’s awesome. Jamieson Ranch Vineyards ‘Versada’ Red 2017 (B+) ($65.00)It’s pricey, but balanced, and worth your money if you’re diggin’ on this red-blend trend we are in right now. This is a powerful wine with good acidity and softened tannins. It’s young but smooth and drinking well now. This bottle has harmony and will please multiple palates, making it a great wine to share with good friends. Chronic Cellars Purple Paradise 2017 (B) ($15.00)This is a party wine, hands-down. The wine does not reflect the blend, but who cares, right? The alcohol is high and will burn a bit going down, but that’s rock ’n’ roll. The label is a skull with flaming dice for eyes, like a concert poster from the ’70s, so it will look cool at a Halloween party, a rager, or paired with BBQ at a cookout. Quinta do Vallado Tinto 2017 (B) ($20)The alcohol here is a bit too high, and it messes with any subtle aromas that might emerge. But it’s deep, dark, and inky with some prune and blackberry fruit flavors that are somewhat balanced for a boozy wine. It won’t do for a simple Netflix and chill night, but for a big, protein-heavy meal it could work. Maison les Alexandrins Cotes du Rhone Les Terrasses de l’Eridan Rouge 2016 (B) ($21)If you are in a wine shop or supermarket and see this wine, it works as a last-minute pickup. It has balance and dark general fruit, with good acidity and tannin. It is not going to knock anyone out of the park, but is a solid, easy-drinking red for a wine table at a party, or maybe a gift for a host. Bootleg Sonoma County ‘Prequel’ Red 2015 (B) ($31)The label looks like a Lichtenstein on weed after a Quentin Tarrantino film and the liquid doesn’t smell or taste like the grapes that made the wine. It has a whopping high alcohol content, and whatever subtleties the wine had have been eaten by the heat. But it has a sweet fruit core and good acidity, so, with its cool bro label, it’s a fun gift wine or a bottle to drink with goopy BBQ. But hydrate, cuz yes, that says 15.1 percent alcohol. Aia Vecchia Sor Ugo Bolgheri Superiore 2016 (B) ($35)If you like big, oaky, high-alcohol, dark fruit, and vanilla-driven red blends from the likes of California, you’ll like this wine. It’s hot and sweet with young tannins that grip your palate and hang on well after you’ve sipped and swallowed. It requires heavy doses of protein to balance with a meal, making it a good steakhouse or steak- in-your-house wine. J. Lohr Cuvee Pom Red Wine 2015 (B) ($47.00)The name “Pom” is a nod to the Merlot-based wines on the right bank of the river in Bordeaux, and the wine has hints of this, but with much higher alcohol. The Bordeaux vibes come in waves of plush peppery fruit and some subtle tannic edges. But the core of the wine is all Central Cali, where the heat really ripened the hell out of these grapes, calling for a good amount of oak. The result is a bold red blend with good acidity and chocolate and plum aromas that would be a nice gift for full-bodied wine lovers. Le Dix de Los Vascos 2015 (B) ($60.00)This wine may need some more time in the bottle. There are indications of soft fruit and a juicy structure, but it’s still a bit rough. This may be a good bottle to lay down for a year and see where it goes. Or gift to someone who digs that stuff. The article 25 of the Best Red Blends for 2020 appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/25-best-red-blends-2020/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/25-of-the-best-red-blends-for-2020 Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Covid-19 Conversations” takes an inside look at how the coronavirus crisis is impacting all areas of the alcohol business. In this installment of Covid-19 Conversations, VinePair CEO Adam Teeter speaks with Fancesco Zonin, vice president of the eponymous Casa Vinicola Zonin based in Italy’s Veneto region. Zonin offers insights into the wine industry in Italy, including how wine consumption hasn’t decreased during the pandemic outbreak, but rather has shifted from on-premise to retail and online sales. He also discusses the nuances of adapting fine-wine sales under these circumstances, as the business pivots to promoting its wines online. Looking at the long term, Zonin predicts that restaurants and on-premise accounts will continue to champion high-end wine sales. He believes that high-quality wine requires more than an online platform to succeed, and that it instead requires the passionate storytelling provided by a sommelier or restauranteur. The article Covid-19 Conversations: Francesco Zonin on the Future of Italian Wine appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/covid-19-francesco-zonin-italian-wine/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/covid-19-conversations-francesco-zonin-on-the-future-of-italian-wine This is one of those mouthwatering wines that, with each sip, heightens your anticipation of the next one. Frog’s Leap’s Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a California classic that attained iconic status long ago and, based on the 2018 vintage, shows no sign of losing ground. This wine was the first made by Frog’s Leap almost four decades ago, and has remained the flagship offering of the family-owned winery in Napa’s Rutherford district. That’s for good reason: It would be hard to confuse Frog’s Leap’s Sauvignon with just about any other from Napa, the rest of California, or elsewhere. As with all of Frog’s Leap’s wines, the grapes are grown using organic methods and are dry farmed, meaning no irrigation is used. Additionally, as Frog’s Leap notes on its website, “the wine is still made from 100 percent Sauvignon Blanc grapes, farmed in such a way as to keep the alcohol low, the acidity high, and the flavors crisp, refreshing and complex.” Alcohol is listed at a modest 12.7 percent, a sharp contrast with some Napa Sauvignons that come in as high as 14.5 percent. And yet the wine has a wonderful balanced complexity, achieved with techniques such as brief skin contact and lees aging, but without the use of oak. That complexity includes notes of melon and green apple, hints of fresh oregano and ginger, and a burst of lime on the long, mineral-textured finish. There’s just a touch of the “grassiness” that defines so many Sauvignon Blancs. The wine is made for all kinds of seafood and vegetable dishes, and is also great on its own as an aperitif. It’s widely available, too: Wine-Searcher lists an average price of $25, with many stores offering it for less. The founder of Frog’s Leap, John Williams, writes that “in too many California cellars Sauvignon Blanc is a second-class citizen, an innocuous white wine to fill out the cellar and generate some cash flow.” On the contrary, Frog’s Leap’s Sauvignon Blanc is worthy of the spotlight. Find This Wine Near YouThe article Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Napa Valley, Calif. appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/good-wine-reviews/frogs-leap-sauvignon-blanc-2018-napa-valley-calif/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/frogs-leap-sauvignon-blanc-2018-napa-valley-calif On this episode of Sip Trip, Jeff Porter and friends travel to the Langhe region of Italy to discover the country’s most celebrated wines, those of Barolo and Barbaresco. These Italian wines, more than any other, are sought out by wine geeks across the globe, and in this episode Jeff finds out why that is. Looking for more Sip Trip? Check out the series here. The article Sip Trip: The Langhe appeared first on VinePair. Via https://vinepair.com/articles/sip-trip-the-langhe/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/sip-trip-the-langhe RagusaRagusa is the most southern province of Sicily and the whole of Italy, situated in the Val di Noto. It’s a city of great tradition, dating back to Greek times, unfortunately completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and completely rebuilt in a beautiful baroque style right after it. The city is now divided in Ragusa Superiore, newly built after the earthquake, and Ragusa Ibla, build on the site of Ragusa before the earthquake, and the most attractive part of the city. Of course, there is not only Ragusa to visit. The towns of Scicli and Modica are beautiful, with much of the architecture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. They were important towns during the historic “Reign of Two Sicilies.” Like Ragusa, many of the buidlings are in the Late Baroque style. These are the highlights, but most towns of the Val di Noto are worth visiting. These three cities can be included in a south of Sicily tour, together with the province of Syracuse, and including Syracuse itself, Noto, where the famous Caffe’ Sicilia is located and you can try one of the best cannoli of whole Sicily, and three natural reserves on the east coast, where natural wonders meat the sea: Del Plemmirio, Cavagrande del Cassibile and Oasi Faunistica di Vendicari. Cerasuolo di VittoriaOf course it is also a place of great wine culture, and in this case Cerasuolo di Vittoria (where Cerasuolo is a type of red color, while Vittoria is a city west of Ragusa) is the king of the surroundings and together with Etna wines they compose the top tier of nowadays Sicilian wines. Here the wine production is ancient, dating back to the 6-7th century B.C. when the greeks populated the area. The Cerasuolo di Vittoria is made with Nero d’Avola for 50-70% and Frappato for 30-50%, both of them typical sicilian red grapes. The wine produced within an even more restricted area can have the Classico addition. The birth date of the Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the same as the birth date of the city, when the founder of the city Vittoria Colonna Henriquez-Cabrera gifted a hectare of land to the farmers if they seed another hectare with vines. In 1974 it obtained the DOC status, and in 2005 the DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita, the highest level of classification in Italian wine). COS and Arianna OcchipintiTwo wineries are representing the Cerasuolo and the territory they are stand on at their best: COS and Arianna Occhipinti. COS is the acronym of the surnames of the three founders: Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti e Cirino Strano. In 1980 these three young guys rented from the father of Giambattista Cilia 3,5 ha of vines grown in alberello style and the old family winery. The first vintage produced 1470 bottles, and since then they made a great job in improving year after year. In 2000 they were already using amphorae for the aging of wines, and they kept the line until this day. Their best Cerasuolo di Vittoria is the “Delle Fontane” which in the vintage 2012 gave a great result. It was aged 18 months in big wood barrels and other 18 months in cement tanks, red ruby color, at the nose fruity notes of cherry, blackberry and currant, scents of roses and spicy touch, while on the palate is fresh, elegant and Mediterranean, with adorable tannins. Arianna Occhipinti story is much more recent, in 2004 Arianna, niece of the Giusto Occhipinti owner of COS, bought 1 hectare on the Strada Provinciale 68 (County Road 68), the name of the county road that goes from Catania to the coast (SP68 is also the name of her entry-level wines). This is an important detail for Arianna cause she is since 2015 president of the Road of the Wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria and she really believes in the future of this wine and its territory. She studied Enology in Milan but came back to acquire that 1 hectare for the love of her land. The winery now owns 22 hectares, mostly Nero d’Avola and Frappato, but also Albanello and Zibibbo, two local white varieties. The top-level is the Cerasuolo di Vittoria ‘Grotte Alte’, aged at least 32 months in 25-hectoliters Slavonian oak barrels. In the 2014 vintage, it has an intense ruby red color with garnet shades, at the nose is fine and fragrant, with details of sea spray, sour cherries and oriental spices while on the palate it is intense and elegant, soft and round with a persistent and salty aromatic finish. For more on Sicilian wines, you can attend a wine class! https://www.vinology.com/class/wines-of-sicily/ The post Wines of Southern Sicily appeared first on Wine School of Philadelphia. Via https://www.vinology.com/sicily-wine/ Via https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/wines-of-southern-sicily7174948 |
John BoothHi I am John Booth,36 years old from California,CA,USA,working in Whole Seller market,we supply different types of Beverages to the market.Here I am sharing some special tips about it. Archives
August 2021
Categories |