The cooler days are now here, and you’ll need to have some red on hand. Chateau Pegau’s Cuvée Maclura Côtes du Rhône ($22) brings out blackberry and black pepper notes in this blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, and 10% Cinsault. So good with comté cheese: nutty and creamy but sharp at the same time. They say …
Was in Venice recently and learned about Select—described as something between bitter Campari and sweet orangey Aperol, but to me was extremely close to Campari. The slight differences: Select was created in 1920 in Venice (not Milan, where Campari is from), has 17.5% alcohol (not Campari’s 24.5%), and is a proprietary blend of 30 botanicals like juniper and rhubarb which …
Most people think of party wines and spritzes when they think of Prosecco. But Prosecco took on a different hue on a recent trip to explore Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG wines, which make up about 20% of all Prosecco production and have stricter production rules. It’s a mouthful to say, but rather than lots of Italian …
I was expecting the hyper-colorful doors, bountiful flowers pouring over balconies, and rustic beaches. But I was not expecting the incredible cocktail scene in Cartagena! In general, Cartagena had an impressive design aesthetic, with bold interiors and amazing attention to detail in shops, hotels, and restaurants. Given that, it made sense that would travel into …
I recently went to Sicily, not to follow the White Lotus life but to explore the wines of Etna, whose official DOC was formed in 1968. All the vineyards are situated in a half-ring at the foot of the volcano, whose eruptions have completely shaped the land and infused the soils, grapes, and wines with a bold, ashy …
In other sport GOAT news, David Beckham gave Lionel Messi a Methuselah (equal to 8 bottles) of 2008 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino for his 37th birthday. Voted the World’s Best Winery of 2023, Catena makes some truly incredible wines. Made from the best vines on the estate, the Zapata grapes are hand-picked and the production is low. According …
Have as much fun learning about wine as you do when you’re drinking it! We share what wines you should drink for each month’s biggest events, whether it’s for the Super Bowl or the super moon, the premiere of Stranger Things or the finale of Succession, Tuesday night values or Saturday night splurges. So sign …
The grapefriend wine totes have arrived!!! They’re totes amazing (get it?), and not just because they hold wine. I lug a lot of wine around. A lot. To friends, to dinners, to events, away for the weekend. I was tired of trying to find bubble wrap or random pieces of cardboard (liquor store style) to stuff in …
It makes sense that Marie is my new hero, since she gave birth to Megan, the Official Mad Men Grapefriend. She may have just usurped the title though. First, we get both mom and daughter having Jadot Beaujolais Blanc at dinner. About 99% of Beaujolais is red and made from Gamay grapes, but the Blanc … Continue reading
I’ve never watched the Kentucky Derby in my life, but who am I to not acknowledge an event that has a special cocktail! Also, people wear hats. So it’s good all around. The cocktail of choice at the racetrack is the mint julep. Being a classic southern cocktail, it’s no surprise that the amazing Seersucker … Continue reading
Moët Ice Impérial is the official Champagne of the Miami Heat playoffs. Now that we have the news out of the way, we can get to the good part – namely, the hilarious SB Nation post about it. They show this kind of cheesy pic of the goblets: And they go, “Damn son, those goblets are so … Continue reading
Well spring finally sprang – and so did a lot of corks. It was a crazy month so let’s get right to it! LOVE when people tag me in Mouton pics because I’m obsessed with seeing all the artist-created labels! Looove that Marie-Laure discovered Kerner – such a great crisp white from Alto Adige. Lillet … Continue reading
Based on the bubble-filled promo pics, we’d expect nothing less. At last night’s Gatsby premeire, people drank a lot of bubbly. Champagne? Oh no, they got some Ferrari Metodo Classico. I actually put this in my Cosmo bubbly story (check it here) and thought I told you guys about it but I never did. It’s … Continue reading
grape: Carmenere – usually super inky and thick, but this one’s lightened up with 30% Merlot producer: Inama country: Italy region: Colli Berici DOC zone, east of the Soave area year: 2009 yum factors: This has that cocoa and a touch of black pepper that Carmenere usually has, but it’s so much lighter and softer with the dark plum from the … Continue reading
So prior to the MLK assassination plotline, we were at the advertising awards thingy and Megan was packin’. She sipped her Champagne (which, as a reminder, does not count in the wine count), but after that there was very little drinking – of grapes or even cocktails. Even Don wasn’t drinking in the office, though then … Continue reading
Rihanna posted these pics on Instagram late Friday night. She may be wily about not showing the label, but I can 90% tell it’s Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. Singers’ backstage riders BAFFLE me. She’s a platinum artist and all she has is a $22 wine. True, maybe this wasn’t on her rider and was just … Continue reading
For the second year in a row (which is only as long as I’ve been keeping track, could be more), Estancia was poured at the WHCD. The Washington Hilton tweeted out this pic: It looks like Chardonnay and maybe Cab, although the green foil on the red is throwing me because their Cab has a … Continue reading
In addition to all of the amazing biodynamic wines I tried for Green Week, here are just plain old organic ones to try. Organic basically means the grapes were grown without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides, and that they also didn’t use any preservatives in the winemaking process. I didn’t do a massive, all-encompassing sampling so there are a ton … Continue reading
