Best Value
Some deals are just too good to pass up. Our Best Value category digests that rarest of breeds: Top-rated products at prices that are incredibly appealing. We include products across the board in this section.
Top Best Value Posts:
Top 10 Bourbons Under $20
Wines of Lula Cellars, 2018 Releases
Jim Beam Distiller’s Cut
Loca Linda is a new brand of Argentine wines that come to us from semi-professional nomad/wine guru Brian Smith. The focus with these wines is on two unassuming bottles that each hold a full liter (“uno liter”) of wine — yet contain just 30 grams of additional glass vs. the typical 750ml bottle. The wines…
Chile is a strange country. End to end it is 2700 miles long, much of it mountainous. Pretty much from top to bottom wine is made in this country… and yet when we think of “Chilean wine,” a certain character comes to mind — namely cheap Cabernet. Of course, this is folly. The wine made…
Chenin Blanc is far from what anyone would consider a Big Wine in the U.S. right now, but that hasn’t kept the Clarksburg Wine Company from releasing not one, not two, but three takes on the grape, a standby of the Loire Valley in France. Based in the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, near Sacramento,…
Blue Ice continues to expand its line of vodkas, and for once a company is pushing not into an endless panoply of flavors. For its third unflavored vodka, Blue Ice G, the company is taking the affordable route with a vodka made from a blend of mixed grains. And what a surprise it is: This…
Recently released: Two new Gruners from our friends at Laurenz V. Thoughts follow. 2011 Laurenz V. Singing Gruner Veltliner – Bigger body than I was expecting, but underneath that, lots of traditional/typical Gruner character: Big apples, pineapple, touches of melon, and plenty of acidity to leave your mouth clean and fresh after each sip. A-…
First, a note on Montepulciano, which is both a region (where Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is mode) and a grape. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made from (mostly) Sangiovese. Second, a bit of geography. Abruzzo is a region in central Italy, east of Rome. Le Marche is right next door, directly north of Abruzzo. The…
George Dickel, from Tullahoma, Tenn., comes in some surprisingly diverse varieties, three of which we’re reviewing below. For all, the basic approach and recipe are the same. The whiskey is chill-filtered before charcoal “mellowing,” and that charcoal is made by Dickel itself from locally-sourced maple wood. Aging occurs in single-story warehouses (those must be huge),…
Summer is in full swing, and that means sangria season is here. We’ve looked at Senor Sangria’s original red sangria in the past, now the company’s back with a white sangria. Also on tap: Red sangria from Eppa with a health-conscious spin. Here’s how these offerings from Senor Sangria (made in Washingtonville, New York) and…
Part of the Buffalo Trace empire, Eagle Rare is a 10 year old bourbon with plenty to recommend. This is the single barrel version of the whiskey, which is no longer regularly produced (as of 2019). Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old (2012) Review A classically structured bourbon, it is sweet without being…
June 21: You’re soaking in it. National Sauvignon Blanc Day is here, along with its own Twitter hashtag: #SauvBlanc. But Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t have to mean California. Our friends at Pasternak Wine Imports sent us six Sauv Blancs from all over the world to show us — and you — just how wildly versatile and…