Don’t listen to Sideways because all the cool kids are back on Merlot, ever since the inspiring 2007 vintage. Known for its stature in Bordeaux’s Right Bank, offerings from California and Washington still hold the ability to wow us all, thanks to their rich fruits, mocha spice, and medium-to-full body that pairs perfectly with filet mignon or similarly lean cuts of red meat.
Also spelled Mescal, Mezcal is a distilled drink made from the maguey plant, which is a type of Agave. This Mexican libation is mostly made in the region of Oaxaca, where there is a saying, "for everything bad, mezcal, and for everything good, too." It's an amusing saying, but perhaps symptomatic of a deeper-rooted problem. Mezcal is usually consumed neat, and it has a smoky flavor. It is quite similar to Tequila in many respects, though they are both made from different varieties of Agave. Mezcal is also produced to a much smaller scale. First the Maguey plants are harvested, and the hearts (or "piñas") are extracted. These are then cooked for three days near open fires, which gives the drink the smoky flavour. They are then crushed, mashed and fermented prior to a single distillation. Mezcal often features a small larva/worm in the bottle (the bottles will be labelled "con gusano" - "with worm"), which is most likely a marketing ploy invented in the mid 20th Century. Typically the bottle will be drunk, and the left over worm will be eaten. In Mexico the drink is enjoyed neat, though there are many cocktails to which it is suited.
A miniature is a small bottle of a spirit, liqueur or other alcoholic beverage. Their contents, typically 50ml, are intended to comprise an individual serving.Miniatures will help you create the right mood at your next special event. They can also be used as gifts, samples, or for promotional purposes. In the Northeastern United States they are known as "Nips", and referred to elsewhere as "airplane bottles”.
Natural wine is more of a concept than a well-defined category with agreed-upon characteristics. In its purest form, it is wine made from unadulterated fermented grape juice and nothing else.
The presence of sulfites doesn’t necessarily disqualify a bottle from the natural wine category, though. Small amounts of sulfites — around 10 to 35 parts per million — are in natural wine circles generally considered an acceptable amount of preservative to add in the bottling stage. Conventional wine, on the other hand, often uses much higher amounts of the stuff, which some natural wine supporters think “deadens” the flavor of the finished product. In the US, the maximum amount is 350 parts per million.
There’s a misconception that natural wine is one thing — that it’s ‘funky’ or ‘not clean,. That’s an injustice. Because natural wine can still honor your palate if you’ve been drinking wine from the grocery store, but the cool thing is that it’s chemical-free, and that’s awesome.
Arguably the King of Italian reds, Nebbiolo is known for its grippy tannins and pervasive acid that structure wines around dried florals and truffles. Nowhere else in the world has it found consistency outside of Piedmont (Northwest Italy) and in particular, the sites of Barolo and Barbaresco. Tantalizingly food friendly--especially after time in the decanter--it wows with its trademark brick shading, and some top examples are best enjoyed with patience, as in ten years of patience.
From the North Fork of Long Island to Finger Lakes, New York’s wine reputation continues to improve year after year. Reds like Cabernet Franc and Merlot have achieved a particular level of esteem at their peak, while the world of white continues to look towards minerality focused Riesling--both dry and sweet.
It’s not just rugby with the Kiwis, mind you. The south island, and Marlborough in particular, has changed the way that the world drinks Sauvignon Blanc forever, producing an herbacious, fruit driven style that wine lovers can’t get enough of. Just a bit further south, in Central Otago--the world’s most southern wine growing region--one can find some of the most balanced and generous Pinot Noir in the world. Seriously, it may cost a pretty penny at times, but there are few things more enjoyable off the beaten path.
The vast majority of Champagne is non-vintage, meaning that the wine in the bottles is a blend of wines from multiple years’ harvests. Why is this? Well, the Champagne region is notoriously fickle with its climate and weather, meaning that some vintages simply don’t produce the quality of grapes needed to make high-end, fine wine. Blending different years helps alleviate this issue, while also helping Champagne houses release a consistent product, thus, their “house style.”
For lovers of Pinot Noir, there may not be a single region outside of Burgundy that captures the imagination better than Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Oregon is known for subtle, yet presentable New World fruit, while also paying homage to the soils that give birth to these vines--meaning, terroir. But like there is more to Portland than roasted coffee beans and ironic mustaches, so too is the same about Oregon’s wine industry. Whites like Pinot Gris and Riesling have found a home here, while Chardonnay continues to experience a bit of a revival.
Simply put, organic wine applies to farming practices that exclude pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and other chemicals to be used in the vineyards. It’s important to note that organic wine does not guarantee that the wine will be sulfite free, or even that there will be no added sulfites. Organic wine is also different from Natural wine, which is a term that describes minimalist and non-interventional winemaking, as opposed to farming.
We also carry a wide selection of wines from other Italian regions, such as Valle D’Aosta, Liguria, Umbria, Lazio, Campania, Sardegna, Calabria, Molise, Abruzzo, Trentino-Alto Adige, Sardinia, and Lombardy
