Review: Wines of McGah Family Cellars, 2013 Releases
Did you know: The founders of the Oakland Raiders now have a wine label? McGah Family Cellars is the winemaking arm of the McGahs, which owned the Raiders from the founding in 1960 to 2005. Now they make wine using fruit from their own 65-acre Rutherford vineyard in addition to selling it to other wineries.…
National Vodka Day Recipes
October 4th is National Vodka Day, a celebration of one of the world’s biggest selling spirits. Why October 4th? According to the official website: While October 4th seems well documented as National Vodka Day, we have not found the origins of why, but it works for us. No harm celebrating responsibly on other days as…
Blind Review: Purity Vodka vs. Grey Goose (2013)
Sweden’s Purity Vodka thinks it has something special going on, and it’s itching to prove it. Recently the company sent out “tasting kits” — well, two mini bottles — so media could compare its vodka with that titan of the industry, Grey Goose. Taste the two blind and see which you prefer. Purity promises it…
Review: J.W. Dant Bourbon
First, for your consideration, a bit of history: Joseph Washington Dant was a well-known Kentucky distiller who in 1836 gained a reputation for making his whisky using a log still. For those not versed in the distillation arts, that’s essentially a hollowed out tree trunk with copper piping running through the center. The logs would…
Review: 2012 Campo Viejo Rioja Garnacha
Campo Viejo is well known for its Rioja wines, which are typically made from Tempranillo grapes. Now the Spanish winery is launching its first ever Garnacha (aka Grenache), the second largest varietal in Spain. With a continued focus on affordability, here’s how Campo Viejo’s latest pans out. Mild to a fault, the wine eventually reveals…
Review: Wines of Stickybeak, 2013 Releases
Stickybeak has an odd little boutique approach to winemaking, producing almost random wines (its first was a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend) from both Sonoma and Italy, all under the same label — and for $20 and under. Thoughts on the two most recent releases from this odd duck with an even odder name follow. 2012 Stickybeak…
Review: Sakes from Kasumi Tsuru Kimoto, SakeMoto, Murai, and Yoshinogawa
Oregon-based SakeOne is America’s largest producer of sake, and it’s one of its biggest importers of Japanese sakes, too. Recently the company added two new imported sakes to its lineup. We tasted them both (plus two previously available expressions), and have some opinions to share. Here are thoughts on the four new products, which should…
Review: Hermitage Brewing Company India Pale Ale Single Hop Series – Calypso
Our third review in San Jose, California-based Hermitage Brewing Company’s Single Hop Series of IPAs brings us to the Calypso hop, “a dual purpose hop that was originally bred from the Nugget hop varietal.” The nose is extremely fruity — big apples and some light citrus notes. On the body, waves of warm caramel sauce…
