Never a huge fan of Pinot Grigio, I’ve found Graffigna’s new release quite compelling as the varietal goes. Here’s a crisp and brisk wine, very citrusy (especially lemon, maybe some lime), with a bracing acidity. There’s Pinot Grigio’s telltale “meat” flavor in the finish, but, and it feels weird to type this, it works well with the citrus. The name may mislead you a bit. Graffigna isn’t from Italy but from another hemisphere altogether: Argentina. Who’d a thunk?

Most Pinot Grigio is thin and harsh, cheaply made in enormous quantities and exported for an American audience that probably now appreciates anything but Chardonnay. Check out this PG from south of the border if you can find it. While I can’t speak to how many cases Graffigna makes in a year, I can say that this is a light white wine that’s something different than you might be used to in what has become a pretty boring varietal. And the price is certainly right.

Oh… for what it’s worth, the company sent along this white Sangria recipe using this wine. I think it’s great on its own, but it could indeed make for a fine Sangria. If you try it let me know how it goes!

Sangria Blanca

1 bottle of Graffigna Pinot Grigio
1/4 cup triple sec
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
2 oranges cubed
2 apples cubed
6 cinnamon sticks
crushed ice
mint leaves
1 can sparkling water

Pour the bottle of Graffigna Pinot Grigio and triple sec into a ceramic pitcher. Stir in the sugar and juice. Add fruit and cinnamon sticks and stir again. Chill over night.

Add the soda, ice cubes and fresh mint leaves the next day 15 minutes prior to serving.

A- / $13 / graffignawines.com

First, terminology for the newbs: Blended malt Scotch lies between single malt and blended varieties. Single malt is made from malted barley from a single distillery. Blended Scotch is made from malt whiskey plus grain whiskey and can come from just about anywhere. (Blended Scotch is blended with the intent of making it consistent from year to year and, generally, more affordable.) Blended malt Scotch is comparably rare and lies between these two: It’s created by mixing single malt Scotches, with no addition of the cheaper grain alcohol to the blend, but the goal is to be as consistent as blended Scotch but having a more upscale taste. (To confuse matters further, blended malt is sometimes also called “pure malt” Scotch. Single malt purists prefer the original term of “vatted malt.”) In theory you can make your own blended malt at home by mixing up your favorite single malts just to see what happens.

Venerable blender Cutty Sark recently put out a blended malt bottling at 80 proof. This one, made of some 20 or so whiskys, isn’t bad at all. There’s smoke up front, then honey and vanilla. Some bits of citrus, then heat and plenty of it. The finish is a little thin as the taste wisps away. The flavors in the blend are all well and good, but there’s something about them that doesn’t quite work together. To use a terrible metaphor, it’s a bit like a layer cake, rather than a custard.

Cutty’s blended malt is perfectly drinkable (I know: I’ve been drinking it after dinner for three nights straight), but the nuance of many single malts that makes them so completely memorable seems curiously blended away. The decent price, however, makes this a somewhat compelling bottle for a Scotch. (It will, at least, when it makes it into wide release in the U.S.)

B / $30 / cutty-sark.co.uk

Hangover remedies are legion (and of questionable utility), but the prepackaged variety has become considerably more popular in recent years. My own pre-sleep regimen of two Tylenol and a big glass of water seems to work pretty well, but is there a more “natural” way to do the job?

Hangover Buster is an Alka-Seltzer like tablet that you dissolve in water and drink after (or while) tying one on but before you call it a night. Drink it before bedtime and you’ll have no headache and no nausea come morning. What’s in the tablet? Lots of vitamins, bicarbonate, and a collection of miscellaneous additions including ginseng, caffeine, and white willow bark extract.

The flavor is lemon-lime but it’s really quite bittersweet. Combined with the effervescence I had trouble choking down a whole glass of this before bedtime. The caffeine also gave me pause. I don’t even drink bourbon and Coke after nine any more for fear it’ll keep me up. Having a shot right before bedtime didn’t seem too wise.

Fortunately, Hangover Buster didn’t keep me up any longer than normal, but it did seem to help in the morning after a longish night working the bottles. I find the taste too harsh, though, and I haven’t returned to the stuff, but that’s subjective: My wife doesn’t mind the taste at all and says the fizzy stuff works great for her. Would a vitamin pill, a Tums, and a ginger ale work just as well? (And cost less than $2 a dose?) Well, that’s an experiment for another day.

See also: Cheerz IntelliShot

B / $6 for a box of three tablets / hangoverbuster.com

The good folks at Gallo Family Vineyards (see prior review here) were kind enough to send along a four-pack of mini-bottles of Twin Valley Chardonnay, a non-vintage white that’s as close to a “picnic wine” as you’re likely to find.

Like “summer wine,” the “picnic wine” term comes loaded with baggage. It implies an easy-drinking, unchallenging wine that will go with ham sandwiches, fried chicken, potato salad, or whatever else you’ve got in the pic-a-nick basket. Twin Valley doesn’t really disappoint on this front. It’s a very simple and easy to drink wine, made even simpler by the pint-sized presentation and lack of a cork. The flavor is reminiscent of grape, apple, and some peach/apricot notes, but it honestly doesn’t taste much different than any very young, lightly oaked Chardonnay you’ve ever had. If you want nuance, try elsewhere.

If you’ve got a big picnic ahead, the wine’s also available in standard 750ml bottles (you can find it for 5 bucks) and 1.5 liter big ‘uns (you can find it for 6), too. But there’s just something satisfying about dumping the entire contents of a bottle of wine into a glass and downing it in one sitting. Take it from me: That’s hard to do with a regular bottle.

B- / $6 for four 187ml bottles / ejgtwinvalley.com

Italian sparkling wine gets little love, and is often hard to find in the U.S., so it was a real treat to get to try a dozen or so Proseccos at a recent event in San Francisco, offering that rare chance to taste numerous producers and varieties side by side.

First, a little primer: Prosecco comes from the Veneto region of Italy (predominantly the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene sub-region named for the two towns it lies between; all the wines at the event were from this sub-region), right outside of Venice, to the northwest. Hundreds of producers work about 50,000 acres of land separated into 15 communes. About 12,000 acres of land are planted with vines.

Prosecco is made primarily from the Prosecco grape, but up to 15 percent of the wine may, by law, be something else: Verdiso, Perera, and Bianchetta varietals. Since the grape structure is about the same from bottle to bottle, the real difference can be found in the level of sugar remaining in the bottle. Alas, this can be as confusing as pronouncing Valdobbiadene. As with Champagne, descriptors are used to explain the sugar level in the bottle. With Prosecco, two main types exist: Brut and Extra Dry. Brut is limited to 15 grams of sugar per liter and is generally considered the driest (least sweet) type. But Extra Dry can have anywhere from 12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter, so while it’s paradoxically considered less dry than Brut, in reality it can have even less sugar. Confused? Don’t worry: With Prosecco you’ll often find that Brut and Extra Dry are pretty meaningless since either one can end up being drier, and that bottles taste pretty similar within a brand.

In fact, there was a surprising consistency in the Proseccos I tried, even across brands and types; with most wines showing that light fizziness that I really enjoy in Prosecco (Champagne can often feel like drinking CO2 foam), with light fruit flavors that taste really refreshing. I dare say I didn’t have a bad glass of wine at all yesterday, and that’s good news if you want to try a Prosecco but find there’s only one brand on the shelf at the store.

Favorites were found, of course. At the top of the list I have to put Bisol’s “Cartizze” bottling, named for the Cartizze hill where the grapes are grown and one of the few specific-place-labeled Proseccos you’ll find. It’s blended from multiple lots of Prosecco, giving it an intriguing complexity and subtle sweetness that would go well with dessert or on its own. (The company’s PR rep called it “breakfast wine,” quoting a line from Decanter’s Steven Spurrier that though Prosecco is good all day, at least one glass should be consumed before noon.) Bisol’s less-expensive “Crede” bottle was also very good, and quite a bit richer.

In general I found myself favoring Brut bottles over Extra Dry, with both Col Vetoraz and Le Contesse offering Bruts that packed strong apple flavor. Neither could be described as overly complex, but both were just the thing for drinking on the porch as the sun goes down, just before a big fat Barolo ruins your palate.

As a side note, one of the draws of this event was the promise of interesting and unusual food pairings, courtesy of Greens Restaurant, where the event was held. Alas, in an hour I saw appetizers only twice, as they were snarfed up immediately by hungry restaurateurs camped out by the kitchen. Bummer.

Prosecco Tasting Report

NV Bisol Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut “Crede” - A-
NV Bisol Prosecco Valdobbiadene Spumanteante Superiore di Cartizze Dry - A
NV Borgoluce Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut - B
NV Cantina Colli del Soligo Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut - B
NV Cantina Colli del Soligo Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Extra Dry - B-
NV Col Vetoraz Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut - A-
2007 Col Vetoraz Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Extra Dry Millesimato - B+
NV Col Vetoraz Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Dry Millesimato - B
NV Col Vetoraz Prosecco Valdobbiadene Spumante Superiore di Cartizze Dry - B
NV Le Contesse Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut - A-
NV Le Contesse Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Extra Dry - B+
NV Terre di San Venanzio Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Brut - B
NV Terre di San Venanzio Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Extra Dry - B
2007 Zardetto Prosecco di Conegliano Valdobbiadene Spumante Dry - B+

The red bottle screams gimmick, but the rum inside is legit: Rubi Rey, I’m happy to report, is one of the best white rums on the market, and a good deal, to boot.

Finished in white oak and marketed as a “single barrel” rum, Rubi Rey offers a very clean sugary rum flavor and a light burn (despite being bottled at 86 proof). The taste is reminiscent of really good cachaça, with that spicy, burnt sugar character in the nose and a heavy creaminess on the palate. The delicate essence of wood in the finish is just right for a white rum. I hesitate to say it, but you could actually drink this rum straight, or with a little water and maybe some sugar, something I’d never dreamed possible with a standard white rum. Naturally it shines in cocktails, too.

At just $20 a bottle, Rubi Rey is also an amazing bargain. Sorry, folks, but the Drinkhacker top shelf of white rum just got a new resident. Who will try to dethrone Ms. Rubi?

A / $20 / rubirum.com

A little primer for gin novices: Though there are numerous types of gin, but the vast majority sold is called London Dry Gin. Bluecoat is an American Dry Gin. The difference (putting aside their national origin) between London and American gin (not that there’s a lot of gin made here) is generally one of flavor. The further you get from Londontown, the less juniper you’re likely to find in your gin.

Bluecoat, distilled in Philadelphia and packaged in a striking blue bottle, has the immediate aroma of juniper, and won’t disappoint anyone looking for a good-old gin and tonic to start the evening. But gin aficionados will dig Bluecoat’s more interesting flavor profile, one which you don’t get out of traditional gins.

It’s immediately apparent when you take the first sip: There’s a strong and surprising mint character, something I’ve never really found in a gin. You also get a moderately strong flavor of lemon, and still that upfront — but not overpowering — juniper taste. Distilled five times in a custom copper pot and bottled at a whopping 94 proof, Bluecoat is quite clean and not nearly as fiery as its alcohol content might indicate. Overall, it’s a very good gin.

Bluecoat doesn’t publicly announce all of its ingredients, but the aromatic botanicals, including juniper, orange, lemon, and a secret third citrus peel, are all organic. The base spirit, I’m guessing, isn’t organic (as the gin itself isn’t marketed as such), but it’s clear that Bluecoat has taken a lot of pains to put only the best quality ingredients it can find into that bright blue bottle.

A- / $30 / bluecoatgin.com

In case you hadn’t noticed (and I’ve yet to see these widely on sale in liquor stores), Kahlua is now broadening its line away from just the standby coffee liqueur and into other flavors. The latest is the 40-proof Kahlua Mocha, a chocolate-coffee blend launching this month that is built from “100% Arabica coffee, natural vanilla and real dark chocolate.”

It’s kind of a no-brainer. Who doesn’t like chocolate and coffee together?

In the glass, however, the chocolate flavor is definitely muted. I tried it in a mocha-fied Black Russian and the chocolate flavor wasn’t readily apparent. If I hadn’t known it was there and wasn’t paying attention, I might not have even noticed. While overall the drink was just fine and very enjoyable, you could easily get the same effect by adding a 1/4 oz. of chocolate liqueur to your Black Russian, or a couple of drops of chocolate syrup, in a pinch.

I did enjoy Kahlua Mocha better than Kahlua Hazelnut (C+ / $15), which struck me as having a chemical taste instead of a nutty one. (The Hazelnut was better with additional mixers instead of just vodka.) I’ve yet to try the other new flavor, Kahlua French Vanilla and Kahlua Especial, which is kind of the “reserve” version of regular Kahlua but which sounds like a winner.

Bottom line: If you like regular Kahlua, you’ll probably feel exactly the same way about Kahlua Mocha.

B / $15 / kahlua.com

If you haven’t seen Cabana’s advertisements in the glossies, you haven’t been looking hard enough. You really can’t miss them, what with the woman’s lower torso and the tagline “Authentically Brazilian.” (As a side note, this has caused some tongues to wag, as the spirit is brought to us by an American liquor magnate.)

Politics aside, let’s look at the spirit on its own merits. As cachaça goes, Cabana is very clean, much more like rum than many other cachaças and lacking any harshness, typical of the spirit. In fact, it may be the most neutral cachaça I’ve ever tried, which has both good and bad elements to it. It’s not flavorless mind you: A light lemon flavor and nose are pretty evident, but otherwise Cabana comes across a lot like a good white rum.

It’s not really a spirit for drinking straight, but it shines in caipirinhas and other lemon-and-sugar-type cocktails. (I tossed some Damiana and 7-Up into a caipirinha made with Cabana and it was an exceptional little drink.)

Say what you will about the marketing, but Cabana’s a keeper.

B+ / $33 / cabanacachaca.com (warning: some nudity)

Sake continues its slow but inexorable push into American cocktails and bottles, this time with Gekkeikan’s Zipang Sparkling Sake beverage.

Like saké2me, Zipang is a single-serve bottle (though larger, at 250ml). Unlike saké2me though, Zipang isn’t flavored, it’s literally just sake given a light carbonation.

If you like sake, you’ll really enjoy Zipang. Served nice and cold, it’s a crisp and lightly sweet drink with the flavor of decent enough sake. With a very heavy cantaloupe flavor, it would pair well with a first course or a salad. Heavier meals, of course, overpower the drink entirely.

At just 7 percent alcohol, drink all you want.

B+ / $6 per 250ml bottle / gekkeikan-sake.com