Review: Luna Nueva Tequila, Complete Lineup
This Highlands tequila, 100% agave of course, is double distilled — intriguingly — first in a copper pot still, then in a stainless steel still. We sampled all three expressions on the market. As a side note: Mind the stoppers on these tall bottles — they have a dangerous tendency to come off with minimal…
Review: 2010 Melka CJ Cabernet Sauvignon
Melka was a new brand for me that I wasn’t familiar with. This Napa-based winery produces only a few thousand cases a year under two major sub-labels, Matisse and CJ. Today we look at the 2010 CJ, named for the initials of the two children of Philippe and Cherie Melka. It’s unclear whose eyeballs are…
Looking for the Green Fairy with an Absinthes.com Sampler Pack
Interested in absinthe but don’t know where to start? With bottle prices that can top $100 a pop, it’s tough to justify the price for a bottle if you aren’t exactly sure what you’re getting in to. Germany-based Absinthes.com attempts to correct that with its collection of miniatures — 50ml bottles of absinthe available for…
Review: Fair Vodka and Cafe and Goji Liqueurs
You have to appreciate a company that wants to do some good in the world, even while it’s getting people liquored up. Fair (technically “FAIR.” with a period) bills itself as the first Fair Trade-certified spirits manufacturer. Based in France, the company offers a vodka and two liqueurs. We tasted them all. Thoughts follow. Fair…
Review: AnestasiA Vodka (2012)
Much has been written about AnestasiA to date, so I won’t belabor obvious points. This weird and wacky spirit is far from the beaten path. I’m sure there are tons of club kids who’ll find this to their liking. I found it strange to the power of 100. AnestasiA is marketed as a “Sensational Spirit”…
Review: 2010 Four Vines Zinfandels
Think you know Four Vines Zinfandel? This isn’t that Four Vines. That Four Vines sold its name to Purple Wine Corp. The old Four Vines is now called Cypher. The new Four Vines, well, it’s making pretty good Zinfandel in the footsteps of the original owner of the name. Here’s how the new 2010 bottlings…
Review: Magic Hat 2012 Winter Brews
Magic Hat is back with more seasonal beers, these designed for winter partaking. Thoughts on the three, available as part of the brewery’s Winter Variety Pack, follow. Magic Hat Wooly ESB with Spruce – I was expecting a forest-fueled bomb but got, well, a fairly standard ESB, a mildly bitter brew with solid hops to…
Tasting Report: Aromatic and Dessert Wines from Quady, 2012 Releases
With the holidays nigh upon us, celebrations will be in full force. Don’t forget the sticky stuff for dessert. Quady, which has been making its wines in Madera, California since 1975, offers a huge slate of dessert, fortified, and aromatic wines. We tasted a panel of six of its most popular offerings. Thoughts follow. (All…
