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 may not feel like it, but it’s official today: SPRING. IS. HERE. I ordered a Sancerre a few weeks ago with some oysters, and my friend was like, “I can’t believe you’re ordering a white in the winter.” Please. I pop white and rosé based on mood and food all year round. I think … Continue reading
I’d never had abalone before last week, but now I want to have it all the time. That’s probably not gonna happen since apparently it’s kind of rare and sort of expensive from what I heard from the people drooling over the pictures I was posting. So at least I had it at the Ocean … Continue reading
Love stories like this – the random grapes, the entrepreneurship via social media, the awesome attitude in video slate cards. This winemaker Regan Medor is a dude who likes weird grapes. I have literally never even heard of Teroldego, but it’s a red grape from Alto Adige (which I’m mildly obsessed with) and that’s what … Continue reading
Spent a great couple of days in Paso Robles last week. It’s mostly known for Cabs and Rhone varietals (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Viognier, etc), but really you can find a lot of diverse grapes being grown and in all different styles. The region gets overhsadowed by Napa and Sonoma, but it’s the next largest wine-producing … Continue reading
If you’re a grapefriend, St. Patrick’s Day is like being Jewish on Christmas. Until now. Grab a Firestone Walker beer, many of which are made in bourbon and sherry barrels. They. Are. Awesome. Here are the old spirits being pushed out of the barrel by the beer (beer is kind of territorial I guess). I tasted … Continue reading
SO good. Great aperitif before dinner, and really easy since you don’t have to mix anything. Just put the Amaro in a glass with a few ice cubes and an orange slice. Tastes like bitter blood orange (amaro means bitter in Italian). It’s a grape distillate that’s aged aged for 5 years in oak barrels. … Continue reading
Mouton Rothschild is probably the most famous wine that gets artists to do their labels, but Ornellaia has done their “Vendemmia d’Artista” series for the past five years and it’s awesome. They get an artist to produce a special label that reflects the character of the vintage. Every year they auction off a salmanazar (that’s equivalent to 12 … Continue reading
It was 50 glorious degrees in NYC today and just a day of gorgeosity! Not busting out my bikini or anything, but definitely busting out the rosé. This lean J. Albin was lovely – Willamette never disappoints. Continue reading
Dukes of Melrose is my new fave show. Just premiered on Bravo this week and is about the guys who run the amazing vintage store Decades in LA. I used to have a major Decades problem. I was in LA every month or so for work and would never leave the city without a trip … Continue reading
If you’re not following grapefriend on Twitter, you may have missed these great grapey gems this week! Katie Couric tweeted to ask what people thought about “wine play dates” http://ktie.tv/15vd1n6. Lately there’s been all this chatter about moms who need wine blah, blah, blah. Why are moms different? Grapefriends are grapefriends, mom dad, or whatever. Wine play dates … Continue reading
