Review: Wines of Edna Valley Vineyard, 2014 Releases
Located on the outskirts of San Luis Obispo, California, Edna Valley Vineyard (not “Vineyards”) is a budget producer of California’s most popular varietals. With its 2014 releases now hitting the market — 2012 vintage reds, 2013 vintage whites — here’s a look at three of the winery’s Central Coast-designated bottlings. All drink at levels considerably above…
Review: 7 Beers from North Coast Brewing Co.
Fort Bragg, California-based North Coast Brewing Co. isn’t your typical Cali brewer. Its focus on fruitier, malt-heavy, European-style ales is a far cry from the traditional west coast style IPAs that dominate its region. It’s particuarly ironic since North Coast is actually situated directly on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. You don’t get much…
Review: The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Years Old
The latest release from Balvenie is this 15 year old expression which has spent its entire life in former sherry casks. It is also a rare single cask release (Balvenie is the only distillery that has an ongoing single cask release of a single age as a part of its range), so you’ll find variation from…
Review: Guinness Blonde American Lager
Bar the doors and shutter the windows. Hell’s freezing over and it’s starting with the world of beer, of all places. What happened? Guinness, the mother of all black-as-night stouts, is releasing a standard, pale, American lager. Made in Latrobe, Pennsylvania(!), Guinness uses American Mosaic, Willamette, and Mount Hood hops plus its Dublin-born Guinness yeast to create…
Review: Tap Rye Port Finished Canadian Rye Whisky
Astute readers might recall Tap 357 Maple Rye Whisky — made with maple syrup, natch — which we reviewed a few years ago. Now Tap is back, ditching the 357 for its second product, a Canadian rye that’s been intriguingly finished in Port wine barrels. Limited production information is available. This is a blend of pot-distilled Canadian…
Review: Vizcaya VXOP Cask No. 21 Cuban Formula Rum
Don’t get too excited: Vizcaya’s “Cuban Formula” rum is actually made in the Dominican Republic. Don’t let that disappoint you, though; this is a masterfully produced rum that’s brimming with flavor and sophistication. There’s not a lot of production information about this rum to share. For starters, the “21” on the label is a bit…
Review: NV Bolla Prosecco and Sparkling Rose
Bolla makes wines in a wide range of qualities, but these sparklers decidedly tip the lowest end of the price scale. Thoughts follow. NV Bolla Prosecco Treviso DOC – 100% Glera grapes. Harmless, with a moderate level of carbonation and fruit right from the start. The body offers big apple and pear notes, touches of grapefruit, and…
Review: 2 More Wines from the International Wine of the Month Club, 2014
The good folks at the International Wine of the Month Club didn’t think our D- rating on one of their recent offerings was representative of the club’s offerings, so we invited them to submit another pair of samples for consideration. (For what it’s worth, I was also told that if you really don’t like one…
