Review: Natural Merchants Organic Lorenz “Symphony” Wines, 2010 Vintage
Natural Merchants Selections imports over 100 wines from all over Europe, all of which are organic. We tried the importer’s Symphony wines from Germany, a white and a red. Thoughts follow. 2010 Lorenz Symphony Riesling is a blend of 85% Riesling and 15% Rivaner, all organic, from Germany’s Rheinhessen. A bit on the lightly sweet…
Tasting Report: Wines of Argentina’s Santa Julia, 2011 Releases
The Zuccardi family considers itself a small wine operation. And perhaps by Argentina’s standards it is. Founded in 1963, the winery produces millions of bottles of wine annually (most for domestic consumption), employs 700 people year-round, and runs a vast tourism operation out of its facilities, where visitors can take hot-air balloons, ride horses, and…
Two Crazy Drinking-Oriented Stocking Stuffers
We can’t really “review” these things, but both are cheap enough to make great stocking stuffers for the younger drinker (by which we mean the college kids) in the family. Grown-ups need not apply. The ShaKoozie combines a beer koozie with the shower. Velcro lets you attach the koozie directly to the shower wall, so…
Review: 2009 Sonoma Coast Vineyards SCV Pinot Noir Freestone Hills Sonoma Coast
This Sonoma Coast Pinot comes from three vineyards on the coast. The results are just plain fancy: This wine exudes pepper on the nose, then kicks into a palate that offers tons of rich cherry character, more pepper, cinnamon, and a touch of mint. Big body, lots of intensity. Finish is savory, not at all…
Review: The Bruery Black Tuesday
Drawing allusions to the Stock Market Crash of 1929, The Bruery experienced its own “Black Tuesday,” which eventually led to the naming of this massive imperial stout. While brewing, one of the assistant brewers left a mash paddle in the tank, causing scalding water and grain to slowly flood the brewery and burn those trying…
Review: Icelandic Glacial Spring Water
We’ve resisted reviewing bottled water on this blog, but finally we’re caving in. Water from Iceland doesn’t sound entirely eco-conscious, but Icelandic says it is a carbon neutral product — in fact, it says it this the first CarbonNeutral (a private certification) bottled water in the world. Sourced from Iceland’s Ölfus Spring System, this protected…
Tasting Report: Simply Italian U.S. Tour 2011
This recent wine event featured a collection of all-over-the-map Italian wines, from well-known brands like Antinori and Donnafugata to obscurities (and lots of cheap stuff) seeking an importer on our shores. No guarantee that you’ll find any of these for sale, including, tragically, the perfectly-formed 2007 Tenuta Carretta Cannubi Barolo, perhaps the best Italian wine…
Review: Hawaiian Vodka and Hawaiian Coconut Vodka
Hawaii is a land of rum and super-sweet frozen concoctions, but lately it seems that more vodka has been coming off the island than anything else. Hawaiian Vodka is distilled from sugar cane and filtered through lava rocks. Hawaiian Vodka – The nose offers distinct candy character, with a moderately alcoholic undertone. This follows through…
