Tasting the Wines of the Chilean Coast, Spring 2025 Releases
There’s a paradox to the wines on the Chilean coast: How can a region on such a warm line of latitude produce wines present as if they emanated from colder temperatures? According to South American wine expert Joaquin Hidalgo and, well, climatology, the answer lies within the Humboldt current. Its impact can be felt globally:…
Review: Penelope Bourbon Rio 2025
As Brazil’s Carnival fills the streets with vibrant colors, infectious rhythms, and boundless energy, Penelope Bourbon has found its own way to bottle that same festive spirit. Over the years, Penelope has captured the essence of celebration, finishing its 4-grain bourbon in unique casks from all corners of the globe. But none have quite embodied…
Review: Wines of Champagne Jeeper, 2025 Releases
Jeeper, in its current incarnation, is a fairly new Champagne house, and their products are just starting to become available across the U.S. According to the website, the brand’s unusual name does indeed come from the vehicle, a tribute by the original owner of the Champagne house to the Willys Jeep he acquired from the…
Review: Whiskey Jypsi Tribute Double Barreled Bourbon
Country music superstar Eric Church has long made his love of whiskey known, first with his partnership with Jack Daniel’s for a single barrel release, and later by launching Outsider Spirits and Whiskey Jypsi. Church, who has an undeniable palate for fine whiskey, teamed up with acclaimed whiskey maker Ari Sussman to bring Whiskey Jypsi…
Review: Sango African Agave Spirit – Blanco and Reposado
Don’t call it tequila: This new spirit is made from agave, but it comes from South Africa — specifically wild African Agave Americana grown in the Karoo desert and Agave Salmiana from South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. So that’s the basics. Here’s what else the distillery has to say: Sango is an African take on…
Review: Wines of Roederer Estate, 2025 Releases
In France, Roederer is best known as the producer of the iconic Cristal Champagne, but its U.S. operations in California’s Anderson Valley also merit serious attention. Today we’re checking out three wines from the operation — a vintage-dated bottling and two non-vintage wines, though, per Roederer, both are technically better described as “multi-vintage” blends. We’ll…
Review: Three Wines of the Cotes du Rhone, 2025 Releases
The wines of the Cotes du Rhone are always enchanting but not often are they this affordable. Today we dive into a trio of CdR releases, all of which hover around the $20 mark — and all of which are worth your time. 2023 Gabriel Meffre “Saint-Mapalis” Plan de Dieu Cotes du Rhone Villages –…
Review: Black Frost Blended Bourbon and Blended Rye Malt
Black Frost Distilling, a relatively new player in the whiskey world, was founded in 2022 in New Ulm, Minnesota. While it doesn’t yet have the decades of maturation behind it to craft truly aged whiskey, the distillery has quickly made a name for itself with some distinctive production techniques and a fresh approach to creating…
