Book Review: The Sommelier Prep Course
Need to bone up on the wines of Greece and Hungary? Can’t keep straight the various styles of Madeira? Desire a greater understanding of the production of various ciders? You need The Sommelier Prep Course: An Introduction to the Wines, Beers, and Spirits of the World. As the name might imply, wine is the focus…
Review: Old Crow Reserve Bourbon
I get that the words “Old Crow” and “Reserve” don’t immediately make sense together. Though it was the first ever sour mash whiskey, dates back to the 1830s, and counts U.S. Grant among its famous drinkers, it’s still a budget brand, sold by the handle for $10 or less, a simply bourbon that gets the…
Review: 2007 Kimmel Merlot Mendocino
A bit of an alcohol bomb at 14.5 percent abv, Kimmel’s Mendocino wine is pretty brassy for a humble Merlot. As you sample it, it speaks of juxtapositions and paradoxes: A buzzy rush of booze is balanced by fresh raspberry and blueberry notes. Cedar wood is offset by a distinct note of cloves and a…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Hop in the Dark Cascadian Dark Ale
Do you like bitter beer? You’ll love Deschutes’ Hop in the Dark! With 75 IBUs, Hop in the Dark, part of the semi-experimental Bond Street Series from Deschutes, isn’t actually obscenely bitter — nor is it even Deschutes’ most bitter beer — but the near-black color indicated by the name perhaps fools the mind into…
Review: The Glenrothes Alba Reserve
This new whisky from The Glenrothes has the distinction of being the distillery’s first kosher whisky. Now in limited release in a half-dozen states in the U.S. (sorry, Tennessee!), this Speyside single malt carries no age statement but is named after the type of oak (scientific name: Quercus Alba — American oak, ex-bourbon barrels) in…
Review: Wines of Arnaldo Caprai, 2010 Releases
Arnaldo Caprai makes a variety of wines, grappa, and (very good) olive oil in the Umbria region of Italy. We recently tried three wines from the company’s portfolio. Comments follow. 2008 Arnaldo Caprai Anima Umbra Blanco Grechetto IGT – This affordable wine is made from the Grechetto grape (with 15% Trebbiano Spoletino), which is mostly…
Review: Hennessy Black Cognac
First let’s cover the color: Hennessy Black, a spinoff of standard Hennessy cognac designed as a cocktail ingredient, is not black. It’s a dark gold color, much like any cognac you’re likely to encounter. A blend of up to 45 eaux-de-vie, Hennessy Black is aged five years and dropped into a wholly opaque bottle designed…
Top Picks from Pinot Days 2010
Tasting through a smaller selection of wines at the trade portion of this year’s Pinot Days event in San Francisco, the printed matter on what Pinot Noir wines was being offered was scarce (OK, there was none), but the wines were plentiful. Here’s a selection of what I considered to be the best wines being…
