For many service industry professionals, particularly those working in Italian themed establishments, Piedmont served as their first love when it comes to wine. Nebbiolo is King in Piedmont, where DOCG like Barolo and Barbaresco continue to stun newcomers on a daily basis. Whites like Cortese, Arneis, and Moscato hit the spot as well, with Dolcetto and Barbera proving that native locals from the Piedmont may drink the best table wine in the world.
Isn’t there something to be said for the nice, consistent guy who always opens the door for you, and calls his mother on a weekly basis? That’s Pinot Grigio, reliable and consistent, even if it isn’t always McDreamy or McSteamy.
There may not be a more versatile yet heart breaking varietal than Pinot Noir. At its height, Pinot rolls out a red carpet of ripe fruits, brightly in-season florals, and earthy expressions of terroir. Due to its flimsy nature on the vine, however, only the best winemakers can consistently harness Pinot’s finesse, structure, and elegance.
The earliest written records of Vodka production in Poland date from the 1400s, though some Polish historians claim that it was being produced around the southern city of Krakow at least a century earlier. Originally known as okowita (from the Latin aqua vita —water of life), it was used for a variety of purposes besides beverages. A 1534 medical text defined an aftershave lotion as being "Vodka for washing the chin after shaving." Herbal-infused Vodkas were particularly popular as liniments for the aches and pains of life.In 1546 King Jan Olbracht of Poland granted the right to distill and sell spirits to every adult citizen. The Polish aristocracy, taking a cue from their Russian peers, soon lobbied to have this privilege revoked and replaced by a royal decree that reserved the right to make Vodka exclusively to them.Commercial Vodka distilleries were well established by the 18th century. By the mid-19th century a thriving export trade had developed, with Polish Vodkas, particularly those infused with small quantities of fruit spirit, being shipped throughout northern Europe and even into Russia.With the fall of Communism in the late 1980s, the Vodka distilleries soon returned to private ownership. Nowadays high-quality Polish Vodkas are exported throughout the world.
We'll say it bluntly - Portugese wines should be appearing at your dinner table. If you have a favorite go-to wine, whether it's Malbec, Barbera, or Chardonnay, chances are that Portugal has a fresh alternative that might cost even less.Port and Vinho Verde may be familiar to you, but have you ever heard of Castelão or Fernão Pires? These are just two of the many grapes that are native to Portugal, and not grown much anywhere else.
Provence is growing in popularity including its flagship subregions like Bandol and Cassis. Hands down, one of the most underrated wine regions in France (check out the other most underrated region: Languedoc-Roussillon) which is famous for it’s rose wine. In fact, 88% of the region’s production is Rosé!
A few whiskeys stand out as limited, hard-to-find items that make excellent gifts and function as special-occasion spirits. Each year in the fall, Buffalo Trace releases the Antique Collection that includes a few bourbons like George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, and Eagle Rare 10. The Pappy Van Winkle 20-year-old amazes many with its balance of flavors (think caramel, vanilla, cocoa, with candied dried fruits, all balancing well with the extended wood aging) despite its older age—and every now and then the company will release a limited edition of the 23-year old. Hirsch 16 has a fascinating sweet, grainy aroma that leads into coconut and toffee flavors with a lingering finish of spice and toasted bread. The distillery in Pennsylvania is now defunct—some bottles remain on store shelves, but once they're gone, they're gone.
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Mention Riesling to the average drinker and their eyes will either light up in excitement, or wilt in fear of the impending sweetness. Don’t be fooled, though, as Riesling is vinified in both sweet and dry styles, depending on where in the world it hails from. No other white varietal shows off its sense of “place” better.
These Champagne wines show off their beautiful color - ranging anywhere from baby salmon to a more strawberry red - due to one of two techniques. With the first technique, winemakers allow their pressed grape juice to sit with their dismembered skins, allowing the skins to impart a hue of red into the wine. The second technique is one where the winemaker actually blends in red wine from Pinot Noir or Pinot Munier to add texture, ageability, and color to the wine.
Rum is such an evocative spirit. It transforms, transcends and instantly transports the drinker to the sun-washed shores of the West Indies; white sands, palm trees and blue seas. It always has a sense of joviality, in part thanks to its Caribbean origins, and also because of the unabashed decadence surrounding a libation made from sugar.Recently, rum has surged in popularity. Its regard as a fine cocktail mixer is good and widespread and a number of the world’s most popular drinks are rum-based - the Daiquiri and the Mojito being two prime examples. It is only recently, though, that our beloved rum has really been enjoyed en masse as a standalone beverage of true merit, and this new direction is excellent, for rum is as much a connoisseur’s libation as any other dark spirit. Like all dark spirits, a stemmed tulip glass is best for optimum palate entry and for focusing the aroma.
