Normally when you think of Australian Shiraz, you think of big, bold reds with intense flavors.
Shaw + Smith took a bit of a different approach with their Adelaide Hills Shiraz as the cooler climate in this region produced a much more delicate wine that was reminiscent more like a Pinot Noir and Grenache over its bolder Shiraz counterpart.
So if you are into something just a bit different for this grape (particularly lighter characteristics), this one is for you.
When it comes to white South Africa wines, our minds often go to the popular and expressive grape, Chenin Blanc.
But Momento took it one step further for this one with producing a unique blend using this popular grape alongside Verdelho (approximately 63% Chenin Blanc, 37% Verdelho). So while the Chenin Blanc character comes through primarily, the Verdelho adds a nice little twist in this one!
When it comes to French Sauvignon Blanc, most drinker's first thoughts go to the popular region of Sancerre.
But in the USA, we've often find that high quality Sancerres are hard to come by, and when we do find them, they're often north of $40 which is a hard pricepoint for us for this particular grape (if only because many regions do it well for far less).
Instead, when we can find it, we often pick up Pouilly-Fume bottles as they can be just as if not more intense than equivalently priced Sancerre bottles. Marc Deschamps Les Champs de Cri was no different. This one was a gem!
When I visited Sicily in 2019, I was able to stop at only one winery, Gambino Vini on the slopes of Mount Etna. While I regret not being able to try more wineries during my visit, I really fell in love with this producer and always have a few bottles on hand to enjoy at home.
One was their Feu d'O bottle made of a blend of Grillo and Carricante grapes.
We opted to pair this one with a mushroom-based pasta and quite enjoyed the pairing!
Whenever it comes to fine Champagne, you generally have many categories of bottles to choose from. These can include non-vintage, vintage, and more exclusive blends that feature the best of the best the producer has to offer.
Prestige-branded Champagne often is the top of the top for any given producer, and we knew we were in for a treat when we opened Champagne Dumenil's Cuvee Prestige Vieilles Vignes Brut.
But it wasn't until we sampled this astoundingly delicious bottle that we truly understood how special it was. This one is quite the gem!
When studying for my WSET Diploma D4 exam in sparkling wines, I had to buy a number of bottles well beyond my normal drinking habits.
While I do enjoy a good Cava, I often find myself trending to artisan producers over some of the larger companies. But for studying purposes, I knew I had to go for some name-brand bottles to increase my tasting experience, which is exactly how I ended up with a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Gran Seleccion.
In my studies for WSET Diploma, I knew I had to get my hands of a Blanc de Noirs style of wine to try.
This style of sparkling is white wine made from black grapes (hence the term “white of black”) and, in my shopping experience at least, is slightly harder to come by over the more popular (and highly prized) Blanc de Blanc style.
So not only was it a treat finding Celene's Amethyste Brut, it was also a treat to try a Cremant from Bordeaux made from Cabernet Franc and Merlot. But the real kicker was that this bottle was also on sale for about $12, which made it an absolute steal!
When we had a layover in Istanbul, with no connecting flight after returning stateside, we knew we had to do a little duty-free shopping.
Thankfully, Turkey has a lot of unique and indigenous grapes that we could pick up in duty-free, and Kavaklidere's Bogazkere was one such bottle. As this was a new-to-us grape, it certainly did not last very long in our cellar. We opened it up to enjoy with a steak and added it to our ever-growing grape list.
When attending a conference in eastern Washington, I was fortunate enough to be able to sample many wineries near Tri-Cities at events before, during, and after the convention.
One such winery was Fidelitas, whose high-end Cabs and Merlots (plus other varietals) are shining examples of the quality of what the region produces.
I, sadly, did not pick up any bottles during my visit to this winery, but after the conference had ended one of the hosts snuck me a couple of bottles leftover from one of the evening parties. Not being one to say no to excellent wine for free, and this is how I ended up with a Fidelitas Merlot 2018 in my suitcase for the trip home.
Naturally, I had to open it shortly after returning.
I have a love/hate relationship with Sauvignon Blanc (and blends) from France. On average I really enjoy the grape, but to get the intensity and complexity I generally prefer out of French wines it almost always feels like you have to start out at $40/bottle (if not more) to get to a quality point that other locales can provide for half the price.
This is not exclusive to Sauvignon Blanc. In all honesty, it is simply France knowing how to get the most for their wines abroad. But that being said, it seems especially true with all the Sauvignon Blancs we've tried.
The Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend from Chateau Picque Caillou from Pessac-Leognan was not much different. While this one was much more complex for its price point than we originally expected, we also weren't quite sure about the sell price in the USA.
