Zenato 2008 Ripassa Classico, Veneto

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jul 20, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Zenato is a large scale operation near Lake Garda in northern Italy. Despite their size, the company has consistently put out excellent –if occasionally anodyne—wines in Valpolicella.

Vintage after vintage, the Zenato Amarone is an excellent, highly sought after, and rather expensive wine. A personal favorite, however, is the significantly lower priced Ripassa. For this wine style, grape skins from the Amarone are repurposed into a new batch of red wine.

Aged in French barrels, the Ripassa is mostly Corvina, with a small amount of both Sangiovese and Rodinella. It comes across as a deft balance of Belgian chocolate and espresso beans, with a velvety texture and a rich infusion of black berries, and just a touch of rustic charisma. Full bodied and decadent: a very sexy bottle of wine.

Belgian Beers

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jun 20, 2012 in Beer Reviews | 0 comments

Our Top Ten Belgian Beers for Summer

We love our Belgian beers, probably more than is healthy. The darker, the richer, the more complex, all the better. However, it’s a bit difficult to feed our addiction during the summer. Many brewing styles coming out of Belgium sport a level of alcohol and sugar that are  best  in the darker and cooler months, not at this time of year.

Fortunately, there are plenty of Belgian beers that are perfect for warmer weather. This includes a number of the unique brewing styles, including Wallonian Saisons and Flemish Sours. These are very different from the typical Trappist ales that most Belgian beer drinkers in the USA are familiar with: they offer up some really fantastic bright and fresh flavors that are perfect for summertime drinking.

Of course, we did add a few of the bigger brews at the end. Just make sure to drink them in a cool and dark spot!

Strubbe Pils

A farmhouse Pilsner with  a clear golden body, a crisp taste and slight hoppiness.

Palm Speciale Ale

A session beer that is exceptionally fresh, with aromas of toasty malt and  a bitter-orange palate

Blanche de Bruxelles

A Wheat beer accented with coriander and orange peel.

Bellegems Bruin

Has a wonderful rhubarb palate balanced with rich toasty malt.

Saison Dupont

The classic Saison farmhouse ale.

Petrus Aged Pale Ale

Offers up caramel and chocolate along with a deep lactic sourness.

Westmalle Dubbel

The landmark brew of the style, a dark, reddish-brown Trappist beer.

Valeir Divers

A classic Trippel that is earthy and floral, with a bit of sweet grass on the finish.

Caracole Nostradamus

A unique Strong Brown Ale with flavors of licorice, chocolate and port wine.

Thanks to the Philly Beer School!

Cabernet Sauvignon Smackdown

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jun 15, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

In an office cluttered with wine bottles, both full and empty, it’s hard not to think of myself as Mayor of Boozeville.  Every once in awhile, an editor will stroll in and talk shop. Someone else will poke in to pour themselves a glass or two. Other than those few moments, it’s just me and the wine for hours and hours.  It’s a lovely job writing wine reviews, but also a bit solitary: a drunken cage of corks, so to speak.

Today, there are more empty Cabernet bottles than anything else on my desk, and that is a very good thing.  A mentor of mine once told me that the best way to learn about wine was to pick a grape and dive in. That’s what I have done.

I have been drinking nothing but Cabernet Sauvignon from across the world: from Tuscany to Bordeaux to Napa Valley to South Africa. They all tasted dramatically different, yet each retained a “cab-ishness” quality. One of the most important things I remember from wine school was that each grape varietal has a unique fingerprint. For Cabernet Sauvignon, that fingerprint is an aroma of pencil shavings and green pepper. Sounds gross, but that’s the funny thing about great wine:  it unites crazy smells and flavor in surprisingly delicious ways.

The following are our current top picks. This list gets updated on a weekly and monthly schedule, so check back!

• Merryvale 2008 "Starmont" Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley
  The top bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon reviewed at Epikur Magazine. From Tuscany to Bordeaux to Napa Valley and South Africa: This list includes the best of the best bottles of Cab Sauv currently available, and the ones with the best quality to price ratio.
• Erasmo 2006 Viña La Reserva de Caliboro, Maule Valley, Chile
  The top bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon reviewed at Epikur Magazine. From Tuscany to Bordeaux to Napa Valley and South Africa: This list includes the best of the best bottles of Cab Sauv currently available, and the ones with the best quality to price ratio.
• Cabernet Sauvignon Smackdown
  

  The top bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon reviewed at Epikur Magazine. From Tuscany to Bordeaux to Napa Valley and South Africa: This list includes the best of the best bottles of Cab Sauv currently available, and the ones with the best quality to price ratio.

• CrossBarn 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
  

  The “CrossBarn” is remarkably similar to the “Paul Hobbs,” but at half the price. It is lush and dense with richly soft tannins, it stains the glass with a deep crimson. Full bodied, it offers up rich flavors of blackberry and burnt oak that are deeply embedded into a savory impression of fresh bay laurel and roses.

• Andrew Will Winery 2007 Two Blondes Vineyard
  

  Figs and cassis meld with coffee and campfire notes, along with a strong impression of Herbes de Provence. The midpalate brings in fresher red fruits, and serious oak-influenced flavors of chocolate and allspice. The finish rolls on and on, bringing more pleasure than anyone could expect from a glass of wine.

Drunken Fairey

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jun 12, 2012 in News | 0 comments

Street Artist Shepard Fairey Designs Labels for Drew Barrymore, Jose Cuervo

If you  are of a certain age and a certain temperament, you will know Shepard Fairy as the outlaw artist behind the “Andre the Giant” posters that popped up across the country in the late nineties. He, along with Banksy out of the UK, was apart of the street art movement that captured the imagination of punk rockers and university professors the world over.

If you are a bit younger, you will known him as the guy who designed the Obama “Hope” campaign poster.

Like all of us former punk rockers, Mr. Fairey is in his forties now. So what does a former anarco-artist to do? Along with hanging out with the Prez, he is doing pretty much what all of us do: working for the man. He has hit the news recently for teaming up with the actress  and sometimes wine mogul Drew Barrymore to design the label of her new Pinot Grigio.

This is an example of design being so much better than the wine itself. This is not the first time he has designed a wine label. His first was for Kenwood Winery.  A less succesful outing, but still with some of his flair.

It doesn’t end there, though. He also designed a label for 1800 Tequila, part of the Jose Cuervo empire.

And also a wine bag. Bottoms up, Mr Fairey!

Top Wines for Summer

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jun 8, 2012 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Our current top picks for summer sipping. Light and refreshing is the key. It’s always great to keep things fresh and just a bit exotic, too. The following of wines is updated on a weekly basis, so make sure to check back for the newest selections for summertime sipping.

• Riesling Review: Argyle 2007 Riesling, Willamette
  

  A Riesling review from Epikur Magazine. The Argyle Riesling is a fun bottle of wine with just enough juicy white fruit to balance out the racy elements. A bit of ozone and salinity come into play in the midpalate. The floral and mineral components are mostly in the long and pleasant. finish. .A very nice bottle of wine, especially for the summertime.

• Viognier Review: Angoves 2009 Nine Vines from Australia
  

  A Viognier review from Epikur Magazine. Hands down, this is the bargain sipper of the moment. Angoves is one of the oldest wineries in Australia, dating back to 1892, and is still family owned. The “Nine Vines” label is their value line.

• Gloria Ferrer 2002 Royal Cuvee
  Our current top picks for summer sipping. Light and refreshing is the key. It's always great to keep things fresh and just a bit exotic, too. The following of wines is updated on a weekly basis, so make sure to check back for the newest selections for summertime sipping.
• Dry Creek Vineyards 2008 "Foggy Oaks" Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
  Our current top picks for summer sipping. Light and refreshing is the key. It's always great to keep things fresh and just a bit exotic, too. The following of wines is updated on a weekly basis, so make sure to check back for the newest selections for summertime sipping.