Review: 2010 Ghost Pines Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Ghost Pines is a label produced by Louis Martini, which is itself a subsidiary of the Gallo empire. These two new releases are single-varietal wines, blended from grapes harvested from both Sonoma and Napa counties. Thoughts follow. 2010 Ghost Pines Merlot – Made from 29% Napa County and 71% Sonoma County grapes. An easy-drinking Merlot,…
Review: Schramm Organic Gin
Yes Virginia, they make gin in Canada. This unique gin comes from Pemberton Distillery in British Columbia, where a smattering of products are produced. None seems more highly lauded than Schramm Organic Gin, an organic dry gin made from distilled potato base and infused with a mere eight (organic) botanicals: juniper, coriander, orange peel, rosemary,…
Review: New Proseccos from Bellenda and Carpene Malvolti, 2013 Releases
How about some bubbles? Here are two delightful new Proseccos to try out. 2011 Bellenda Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene – Slightly musty on the nose, this Prosecco makes up for that with a tart and fruity body that packs in plenty of flavor. Notes of peaches and light strawberry notes mingle with the simpler apple…
Review: White Wines of Stony Hill, 2013 Releases
Stony Hill Vineyard is located in Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain AVA, where it specializes in white wines, particularly its award-winning Chardonnay. We sampled three of its latest releases for the 2013 drinking season. Thoughts follow. 2010 Stony Hill Chardonnay Napa Valley – Lemon, honeysuckle, and intriguing woody notes on the nose lead to a complex…
Wine & Beer Gadget Roundup
Lately we’ve received a whole bunch of “stocking stuffer” sized gadgets suitable for wine and beer fanatics. Rather than review them individually, we’re rounding them up here in a mega-gizmo post. Thoughts follow. Hermetus Bottle Opener & Resealer – Sometimes you don’t want to drink that entire half-liter of beer, but if you’ve pried off…
Review: The Pink Pigeon Original Rum
Rum is a spirit imbued with exoticism. It comes from places in tour guides like Barbados. Panama. Martinique. Pink Pigeon puts all of that to shame. It is born in Mauritius, which I guarantee you will never find on a map. It’s here: A speck of an island over 1000 miles off the southeast coast…
Review: House Spirits Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey
House Spirits, the makers of Aviation Gin, has expanded into the whiskey world, and they aren’t messing around. Westward is a very small-batch 100% single malt whiskey made from locally sourced (Pacific Northwest) barley. Westward Oregon Straight Malt is fermented with Scottish and American ale yeasts, then double pot distilled. The spirit is aged in…
Review: Shock Top Campfire Wheat Experimental Beer
There’s no picture to this review because this beer is not for sale. You can try it — available on tap only — in extremely limited quantities at beer festivals around the country this year. Want to find this stuff? Try the San Francisco International Beer Festival on April 27, or the American Beer Classic…
