Review: Wines of A to Z, 2021 Releases
A to Z Wineworks is one of the best-known producers of Oregon wines, and today we’re looking at three of their flagship releases, all dropping in 2021. 2020 A to Z Pinot Gris Oregon – Pinot gris doesn’t get fresher and more effusive than in this wine, a floral and fruity number that starts with…
Review: Barrell Seagrass
You’ve got to hand it to the folks at Barrell Craft Spirits; they come up with some interesting names for their special releases. Then again, most of their products get released into the world as just a batch number, so when they do get a chance to flex some creative muscle, it should be memorable.…
Review: Wines of Portugal’s Alentejo, 2021 Releases
We’ve ventured into Portugal’s southern Alentejo region a few times before and remarked how it’s a solid area that produces a great range of wine styles — over 250 indigenous grape varieties can be found here — invariably at affordable prices. Representatives for the region recently sent us a quartet of wines representing the state…
Review: Tamworth Garden White Mountain Gin and Apiary Gin
New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling produces some unusual products, including Graverobber Unholy Maple Syrup Flavored Rye and The Deerslayer Venison flavored whiskey. They also make gin and, true to spirit, their gins include uncommon ingredients and have their own distinctive character. Today we are sampling two gins, both of which draw botanicals from Tamworth Distilling’s own…
Review: 2019 Bernier Chardonnay
Bernier’s Loire Valley-sourced chardonnay continues to break with tradition by putting the varietal on the label instead of the region. In fact, chardonnay is a relatively rare but not unheard-of grape for this region, and Bernier proves that maybe more should be being done with it here. Fresh and unoaked, this wine offers a heavy…
Review: Basil Hayden Toast
So, while “toast” refers to bread, Basil Hayden’s Toast refers to… rice? This whiskey is composed of a wholly new mashbill for Basil Hayden, one which is built heavily around brown rice. To be sure, Basil Hayden Toast — the first permanent addition to the BH lineup since 2017 — is more clearly a reference…
Visiting Sonoma’s Belden Barns
Looking for a wine country experience that’s well off the beaten path? If you don’t mind getting your feet dirty — you’ll need to open and close the gate when you come and go — Belden Barns is well worth your time, not just for the wine but for a stroll through the vineyards that…
Review: Pursuit United Blended Straight Bourbon
In the spirits industry, it’s increasingly common to see releases “by” or “from” big-name celebrities and influencers. As it turns out, Emmy Awards do not always equate with fantastic pours from sourced product. But what if the influencers are endemic to the spirits space? What if their claim to fame is the content they produce…
