Ah, it was the early 80′s and Riunite had the most awesome commercials on TV. I was but a wee little tot, but I imagined how awesome it must be to have Ruinite (on Ice, so Nice!) with a hamburger while skiing. Someday, dear readers, someday.
Cordier is known as a modern winemaker in a region –Burgundy– that more often than not values tradition. One of his signatures is a lavish use of new oak, which shows up on the nose of this Chardonnay. Lean and layered, this is a lovely wine and a very good value. Crushed stones, quince, and oak flavors are followed by enticing notes of fresh tree fruit. Lovely.
A high styled wine that is intended as a luxury bottling. It upholds it’s mission, just not at the high price the winery intended (we can thank Pennsylvania’s LCB for that). This is a wine that embodies Walt Whitman’s line,“every moment of light and dark is a miracle.” It is high toned like a shiny tongue warrior in a final drag race against the Higgs particle.
If that’s a bit too meta for you, then consider this: a beautiful Chardonnay without even a hint of butter. Instead, layers of minerality, lemongrass, mango, and quince in a dense but vibrant package. Lovely and well worth twice the money.
How would you market wine to twenty-something guys? The same way you sell them everything! Sports, action, loud music, and sex! With the millenials such a huge market, this may turn from parody to real life in a heartbeat. Get ready to tear your eyes out with a corkscrew, bro. From the folks at CollegeHumor.
Piedrosso is one of my secret weapons. It’s an unknown wine from an obscure wine region in a largely ignored province in Italy. It’s also a delightful wine that all but the most rotten of souls will find elevating.
On the nose, aromas of burning rosemary bushes mingling with black fruit. Light bodied and unoaked, flavors of black olive and smoked meat are held in a fresh and light framework. Anise and wild flowers followup on the finish. Very nice.
“We will sell no time before it’s time” The Orson Welles commercial for Paul Masson Mountain Winery is a classic. Mr. Welles was sampling a bit of the product, apparently. These outtakes of the video are interesting, to say the least.
Dark as an empty movie theater, this porter sports a nose of Raisinets and buttered popcorn. On the palate, it turns into fresh figs with walnuts and dried blueberries. The finish turns up the dark malts with espresso, dark chocolate and licorice. The hops give a hint of rich earth to the whole affair. A rich and smooth brew that feels effortless on the palate. Superb.
Back in the day when I sold wines for a living, I was a huge fan of Gordon Brothers. They released their first wines in the early eighties to critical acclaim. The winery hit hard times in the early part of this century and quality fell off noticeably.
With this wine, it’s clear they have righted the ship. Sourced from their estate vineyard, this is an excellent example of why Columbia Valley reds should be on everyone’s radar. The nose is redolent of cigar box, crème de cassis, and figs. The palate is rich and rewarding with bitter chocolate and licorice on the attach and easing into rosemary and bing cherry.
One of the best kept secrets in the wine industry is the new crop of of modern Portuguese red wines. This is a great example, and should be sought out by all our students and readers (yes, I mean all 20K of you). Scents of graphite, wood, and licorice turn spicy after a few minutes in the glass. Full bodied, the wine holds layers of dark fruits and rich smokey notes that remind me of a bloody rare steak grilled over wood charcoal. This is an opulent bottle that will make most of you fall in love with Portugal.
Borat heads to Jackson, Mississippi to learn about wine. Nothing possibly could go wrong. Could it? Chug, chug, chug. Then suddenly, it gets dark really quick: Incest, slavery, and Zinfandel in a single wine tasting. Good time, good times.
Anyone who doesn’t like chardonnay on principle should feel compelled to drink this wine. A study in elegance and sex appeal, this Shea is an excellent example of how incredible Oregon Chardonnay can be. Toasted almond and Asian pear on the nose, with a mineral and saffron accent. A touch of mulled cider on the palate which deftly segues to apricot and lavender The finish continues with a wonderful blending of white fruits, carving out a rich creamy finish from the austere acidity.
Okay, so this is NSFW for salty language. Also, this is NOT the type of wine tasting that happens at the Wine School. Dark and funny, this is the third episode from “Sexual Intercourse: American Style.”
Just as dark and scented as a freshly pulled espresso. A full bodied stout with rich milk chocolate on the palate . Strands of smoky molasses and saltwater taffy develop on the mid-palate The finish turns veers to charcoal and coffee beans and ends with a nice clean bit of malted barley.
Last St. Paddy’s Day, I implored you to forgo Guinness and other mass-produced Irish imports for local brews that pack more freshness and flavor. One year on, my opinion hasn’t changed, and our local beer scene continues to improve and evolve. My first choice, in fact, on everyone’s favorite drinking holiday would surely be Victory’s Donnybrook Stout.
Donnybrook, however, like many other Irish-style stouts, is one of those creamy, distinctive beers that is only available on nitro tap (meaning that nitrogen is used instead of carbon dioxide in the carbonation process). Because nitrogen is largely insoluble in liquid, beers made in this method tend to have a deceptively thick mouthfeel and offer that distinctive cascade up the glass after being poured.
Guinness, of course, as well as several other internationally-known nitrogenated beers, has long made its signature stout available in a can with a widget at the bottom that approximates the effect of the nitro tap. For those of us who want to enjoy these wonderful beers at home, these macro-brewer widget cans have been our only option.
Until Left Hand Brewing Company’s Milk Stout Nitro, that is. These guys, see, have somehow figured out how to bottle nitrogenated beer. With no widget. Once opening the bottle, you just turn it completely upside down (over a glass!) and let it vigorously and completely pour out. If done correctly, a classic nitro cascade with be only moments away… as will the taste of a freaking delicious stout. This baby is fresh, and smooth, and chocolatey. Bottom line, this is gulping beer.
I must, of course, point out that Left Hand is not a local brewery (it’s in Denver, CO). It is, however, an American brewery, much closer to Philly than Dublin, and heck, they’re even calling this beer “America’s Stout”. Bold words? Not behind this deliciousness.
Epikur is a magazine about food and drink, with a focus on our hometown of Philadelphia.
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