Italy is one of those countries we go back to again and again in our quest to try new grapes, and the red grape, Susumaniello, from Puglia was high on our list.
Masseria Li Veli's Susumaniello was an interesting and complex red on the aromas that, admittedly, was a bit less complex on the palate than we would prefer. That said, if you are a fan of Cabernet, this one will be right up your alley!
During our dry January, we decided to try some non-alcoholic wines to see what they were like.
We quickly realized that sparkling NA wine was among our favorite, as the characteristics of the bubbles and, often, added sugar to offset the lack of alcohol, works nicely for the style. To put it bluntly, sparkling wine is sometimes sweet, so added sugar works.
Noughty makes an interesting sparkling Chardonnay that, while well made, reminded us a bit more like a sparkling cider than it did a sparkling wine.
As part of our quest to try dealcoholized wine during our dry-ish January, we stumbled upon Noughty nonalcoholic Syrah at a local bottle shop that came highly recommended.
Although this wine was not ideal for our tastes, we were given a trick to add bitters into this one to add more barrel-like notes that are often lost in NA wine, and we have to admit that it helped this bottle significantly.
Hondarrabi Beltza is a rare red grape from northern Spain that we do not see all too often. So when we had the chance to pick up a bottle from Doniene Gorrondona, we knew we had to give it a try.
As it turns out, this red wine was quite intense and reminded us a lot of a Cabernet Franc!
Some wines are such classics that their association with a region goes hand-in-hand. Burgundy for Pinot Noir. Mendoza for Malbec. Marlborough for Sauvignon Blanc.
The Sauvignon Blancs that come out of New Zealand are some of the most popular in the world, and one producer that we see all over showcasing this grape is none other than Kim Crawford.
Naturally, we wanted to see what this one was about and picked up a bottle to enjoy. Varietal typicity? This one checks all the boxes.
We have to admit we have a bit of a personal bias against Pinot Grigio.
The wine made from this grape, stylistically speaking at least, is just a bit too simple for our liking. Throw on that the Pinot Gris counterpart here is often just a bit more interesting, mainly because of where it is grown (Alsace, for example), means we generally just don't buy many bottles labeled Pinot Grigio outside of a few instances.
But, as always, we love trying name-brand bottles to see what they're all about, and we did just that with Cavit Pinot Grigio from Valdadige, Italy.
Although this one hit us with what we expected for a flavor profile (and dare we say, pretty spot on at that), this grape and style is still just not for us.
La Crema is one of those brands we see seemingly everywhere. From wine shop to wine shop, bar menu to bar menu, La Crema is one of those brands it is hard to get away from in the USA.
So, naturally, it sparked our interest, and we wanted to find out if their California Pinot Noir was worth our attention.
For its price, well, this certainly was an interesting one!
Famille Bougrier's Rose d'Anjou was an interesting one to us as the primary grapes in the bottle were a blend of Gamay and Grolleau- two grapes we are not accustomed to see in rose wine compared to widely grown counterparts.
Although the flavors in this bottle were somewhat simple all around, we are interested in trying more roses with this kind of makeup!
19 Crimes is a large wine brand from Australia known for producing large volumes of wine and unique collaborations.
The name 19 Crimes comes from the list of crimes that would get you exiled from Britain and sent to Australia, and most of the core line features one of the crimes on its label.
We picked up a bottle of 19 Crimes Cabernet Sauvignon to see what it was all about and found it to be an easy-drinking wine, albeit a bit too heavy on the oak notes for our personal taste.
I have to admit, I did not know that Long Island grew grapes until taking WSET Diploma, and ever since I have been fascinated by one particular spot- the North Fork of Long Island.
The reason for this is because the north fork is said to be protected a bit from Atlantic influences by the Hamptons, and, as such, becomes a prized spot for grape growing.
So when we got our hands on a Pinot Blanc from Lieb Cellars as part of our Picked by Wine.com subscription, we were quite excited to try it!
