It is always interesting when trying a grape from Santorini, if only because the high winds and the volcanic soil of the island seems to do wonders in helping the wines retain higher acidity despite the hot climate.
Aidani is one white grape produced on the island that is somewhat hard to come by, and while Artemis Karamolegos' Aidani comes in at a sufficient price point that may give us a moment to pause for buying another bottle, it is an interesting one all the same.
When we visited Douro Valley wineries on our trip around Portugal, we knew we had to taste, and subsequently purchase, many vintage Ports.
Our goal for these wines are to age them to their absolute best, which likely means holding on to many until they're 30, 40, or 50+ years old.
But a few years after we got back, we decided to open a bottle to help a friend taking the WSET Diploma D5 exam (fortified wines). As we had two bottles of Quinta Nova's 2000 Vintage Port, we thought it'd be a good opportunity to see how this one was faring at 23 years old.
It was still incredibly youthful!
Our quest to try every grape varietal in the world has us on the lookout for Italy's hundreds if not thousands of varietals.
Naturally, when we found a bottle of Masseria Li Veli Verdeca from Puglia, we knew we had to give it a try.
With a lovely spread of fruit flavors and a decent intensity, this was certainly an interesting bottle!
Whenever we drink Champagne, we often go for the more common blanc de blanc or blanc de noir bottles over rose and other styles. But when we found Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial NV at a duty free store at an approachable price point, we knew we had to give it a try.
If you are looking for a sparkling wine with some intense red fruits and, admittedly, more mellow lees character, this one may need to be on your radar!
Whenever we travel, especially to regions that are not known for wine production, we often pick up a bottle or two of sparkling wine at duty free to enjoy somewhere beautiful.
Whenever our duty free shopping happens in Europe, odds are good we are picking up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne to enjoy if only because it is at a vastly lower price point than we are able to find at home.
For a bottle that you are paying for the name recognition as much as you are what is inside, a lower price point is always welcomed!
After visiting Portugal, we were fully convinced that the best bottles of still wine generally have a hard time making their way out of the country on the export market. The bottles that we do get abroad are, well, simply not a showcase of the potential of the country.
Thankfully, this is changing, and some companies are able to get gems that show off the best of Portugal.
Morgado do Quintao's Branco is one such bottle, and this one, made with Crato Branco (also known as Alva and Roupeiro), is quite the delicious find.
Whenever we visit Finger Lakes wineries, we always make a trip over to Keuka Lake despite arranging our trips to often be Seneca Lake heavy.
One obligatory stop for us is the aptly named Keuka Lake Vineyards for its gorgeous views and even better wine.
After letting their Riesling Evergreen Lek age in our cellar for a few years, we popped it open to discover a rather delicious wine with notable petrol and tropical character!
When we went on our wine tour of Piedmont, we knew we were going to be drinking a lot of Barolo. But at the same time, we were also excited to try lesser produced grapes in the region as well.
Arneis was one such grape, and we came to fall in love with this gem for its beautiful complexity, texture, and approachability.
Cordero di Montezemolo's Arneis is one bottle we got the chance to bring home with us, and we opened it shortly thereafter.
When studying for WSET Diploma, I leaned heavily on rose wine to fully understand how this wine style is made. One method, rose de saignee, was always rather interesting to me as a portion of red grape juice is bled off the skins during soaking. The bled off portion is made into rose wine, and the remaining wine continues maceration on the skins to extract more color and become a red wine.
Compared to other rose winemaking styles (blending and direct press, for example), rose de saignee is often darker style as a result. The intensity of the color is a dead giveaway in most cases, and one region in particular, Tavel in the Southern Rhone (one of our favorite regions), is historically known as a top producer of rose de saignee wine.
So when I stumbled upon a bottle of Chateau de Trinquevedel Tavel in the store, I knew I had to grab it to give a rose de saignee wine a try.
We're never ones to say no to an easy drinking Gamay, and when we can find this grape in a blend we almost always have to give it a try.
Domaine Curtet's Autrement Rouge gave us just that with a mix of Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Mondeuse Noir giving all of the hallmarks of a classic Beaujolais but originating from Savoie!
