Tasting Report: Riesling World Tour 2010
Riesling remains underrated and largely under-consumed in the U.S., and recently two dozen German Riesling producers and importers descended on San Francisco to offer tastes of (primarily) their 2008 and 2009 vintages. One of the reasons why German Riesling is so ignored here is likely due to its complicated categorization system, which puts wines into…
Review: Coruba Mango and Coconut Flavored Rum
Coruba is Jamaican rum (imported to New Zealand and sold from there). These two new bottlings are flavored rums that have been considerably doctored not just with flavoring agents but lightened down to just 42 proof. Coruba Mango Rum is an intensely sweet experience, and mango is really only hinted at in the finish. It’s…
Tasting Report: Wines of Chile, 2009 Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is planted up and down the country of Chile, and in this recent tasting event I had the chance to experience eight wines from five major winemaking areas. Prices for Chilean Sauvignon Blanc are affordable across the board — $11 to $23 — and these wines’ characters are varied and quite different from…
Review: WineOff Stain Remover
When one drinks a lot of wine, one spills a lot of wine. Result: Many an article of clothing, napkin, and tablecloth stained purple. While wine stain removal products are legion, WineOff, which I put to the test recently, is exceptional at the job. Just spray the stain and it goes to work. There is…
Tasting Report: 2009 California Cabernet Barrel Samples
The first previews of California’s 2009 cabernet sauvignon vintage were held last week, and in the battle of man vs. wine, man won. Below you’ll find notes and early ratings on 71 wines, mostly barrel samples from the upcoming ’09 vintage. Overall, I found these wines to be restrained, with a similar consistency, herbal, rich…
“Glass Tasting” with Maximilian Riedel
As an 11th generation descendant of the Riedel crystal empire, it’s safe to say that Maximilian has glass in his blood. Today, Riedel is synonymous with quality glassware, its empire unmatched by its competition in either size or stature. Recently I had the opportunity to attend a seminar hosted by Max, who had the goal…
Tasting Report: Celebrate South Africa 2010
South Africa. What’s better than the accent? The wine. Well, sometimes. At a recent tasting of South African wines I wound my way through plenty of sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, and pinotage (something of a national grape in these parts), but found the best wines to be something else entirely, namely exotic blends of various…
Review: St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (2010)
The elderflower trend may be coming to an end as haute bartenders move on to yumberry, acai, and other oddities, but I remain an undeterred St. Germain fanatic. There are simply few cocktails in the world that this golden French spirit can’t either improve or twist into something new and exciting. In fact, you owe…
