A Visit to Sonoma’s Belden Barns
Winery visits are fun and all, but they tend to follow a predictable routine. Walk around the vines. See the barrels in the cellar. Eat some cheese. Taste some wine. Lots of talking but often in the service of a familiar story. Belden Barns is something else. I’ve been following Belden Barns since first encountering…
Review: 2015 Ferme de Romilly Cidre Brut and Demi-Sec
November 18 is National Cider Day — and that means recognizing that not every cider has to come in a brightly colored can or in a bottle featuring an animal or a pun on the label. Ferme de Romilly (“Romilly Farm”) is real cider — “cidre” — from Normandy, France, one of the world’s most…
Review: Equality Vodka
I know more about the politics of Equality vodka — which gives a portion of its proceeds to more than 30 non-profit organizations that support the LGBT community — than I do about the vodka itself. Equality for all (that is the name of the product, of course) and giving back is nice and all, but…
Review: Wines of William Chris, 2018 Releases
I never would have thought I’d say this (and I’m originally from Texas!), but I really enjoyed these Texas wines. How? Because the guys at William Chris obviously know what the hell — nay, the tarnation — that they’re doing. Today we look at four wines from this Hye-based operation, all from the 2018 passel…
Review: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Tasters’ Selections – High Angel’s Share Barrels and Hickory Smoked
It’s only taken 143 years for Jack Daniel’s — one of the U.S.’s oldest distilleries — to get into the experimental whiskey game. And at last, here we are, with the first two entries into the so-called Tennessee Tasters’ Selection line, all limited edition bottlings that will be sold only at JD’s distillery and “select…
Review: 2016 Oremus Tokaji Dry Mandolis Furmint
Furmint is the grape that Tokaji, the famous Hungarian sweet wine, is made from, but lately dry wines made from furmint have been making their way to the U.S. In 1993, famed Spanish producer Vega Sicilia acquired a vineyard known as Oremus — which dates back over 400 years — and is now making oak-aged…
Review: A. Smith Bowman Virginia Rum
Buffalo Trace’s Virginia-based outpost, A. Smith Bowman, makes a ton of whiskey, but they also make rum — at least, experimentally. Here’s a new entry into Bowman’s Experiment Series collection called, simply, Virginia Rum. Some details: A. Smith Bowman Distillery is announcing the second release in its Experimental Series, which includes distilled spirits from a…
Review: Little Pie Company Ruffino Salted Caramel Prosecco Pie
Ladies and gentlemen, the holidays are upon us, and that means the desserts are going to be flying. How do you integrate upscale drinking into your after-dinner game? Sure, you can tipple on a glass of hooch and dip your cookies into it… or you can bake the booze right in! The folks at Italy’s…
