Had no idea Angostura made rum in addition to their omnipresent bitters. Made in Trinidad, the 5-year-old Rum is a blend of light gold rums, aged for a minimum of 5 years in used bourbon oak barrels. It was great in this Queen’s Park Swizzle cocktail, which was created over 100 years ago at the … Continue reading
Author Archives: grapefriend
champagne fridays in may
Yep, still happening. Grab these great Champagnes to celebrate getting through another pandemic week! Laurent Perrier Brut La Cuvée: This is probably my favorite Champagne in this price range (and frankly even compared to other price ranges). Has such great apple fruit balanced with a hint of lime, and the bubbles are perfect. $45 Leclerc Briant: LOVE … Continue reading
sip your apple
I did a winter binge pairing post a while ago, where I included pairings for Ted Lasso, Tehran, and Losing Alice. Since then I’ve gone even deeper into Apple TV and just went on We Have Notes, the definitive podcast for the pop culture obsessed, to debate our favorite series (and tell the hilarious story of when we went … Continue reading
may values & splurges
We’re still spending more time at home, so still need our weekday affordable and our splurge wines to celebrate the bigger moments (even if that’s just now Saturday). values Achaval Ferrer Malbec: Muscular black plum and black pepper but with soft tannins as far as malbecs go. Great with homemade empanadas! $19.99 Ferzo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: Can’t … Continue reading
4 awwwwesome bourbons for whiskey day
Today is International Whisk(e)y Day, one of those made-up holidays that celebrate a certain type of alcohol. I’m all for it, of course. You can learn about all the different types of whiskey (or whisky — learn why in the post) here, but since Mardi Gras wasn’t allowed to happen this year because of Covid I’m … Continue reading
spring for these refreshing whites!
Oh yes, my grapefriends, it’s finally here! Today is officially spring, so let’s get some lively, fresh wines in your glass to celebrate. Viña Bujanda Viura 2019: This may be one of the most enjoyable Spanish whites I’ve ever had. Super lovely white florals and honeydew with a smooth finish, I was completely shocked it … Continue reading
meursault madness
Ah, it’s that time again. You get to watch games all day long, and this March 18 and 19 you won’t even have to try to hide it at work since we’re all still WFH. So you might not pop a bottle at the very first game, which starts pretty early in the day. But … Continue reading
champagne fridays: march
This is still happening because we need to still remember to celebrate the small things – like getting through another pandemic week! This month I concentrated on ones made by women, because the number of female chef de caves are also still tragically low, but the ones in place are incredible and rising: Perrier-Jouët: The 8th cellarmaster — … Continue reading
4 fantastic wines for women’s day
I researched stats of how many female winemakers there were and didn’t unearth anything specific. The number has historically been very low but by all counts is now rising. Anecdotally, people say that female winemakers tend to produce more elegant and perhaps even more balanced wines. On March 6-8, see what you think with these: Las Moradas de San … Continue reading
perfect pairing: chips and wine
Made with real cheese, Wine Chips are really cheesy. It’s almost like eating a slice of cheese on a potato chip – so basically, better than eating cheese! They’re specifically created to pair with wine, so great fun for happy hour. Here’s what they recommend to go with each variety: Asiago: They say this pairs well … Continue reading