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 …
Went to a great little Washington state wine tasting this week. Way lesser known than California and even Oregon, but great values and worth seeking out if you get recommendations. Here were my standouts! Delille Cellars – Chaleur Estate Blanc grape: 62% Sauvignon Blanc and 38% Semillon AVA: Yakima Valley yum factor: peach, perfumed, with a … Continue reading
Blech, it was one of those vile cold and rainy January nights in NYC. But a very yucky night was made way better with some Veuve Clicquot and curling lessons at the Standard ice rink! Normally you’d just be psyched with magnums and trays of Veuve flutes being served to you every five minutes, but … Continue reading
Awards seasons is in full swing, and that means lots of champagne being popped. First we saw everyone chugging the Moet at the Golden Globes, and at tonight’s SAG Awards get ready for tons of Taittinger! This is the 13th year they’re sponsoring the SAG Awards and to open the red carpet, Peter Facinelli (nominated for “Nurse … Continue reading
Remember that hilarious Hitler/Carmegeddon parody two years ago? Well now someone made one for the New York wine served at the Inaugration, so I love it even more. Happy Friday, grapefriends! Continue reading
I haven’t read any of the 50 Shades of Grey books and don’t have plans to. The following is about the only thing about it that’s seemed worthy of anyone’s time! Apparently the South African wine Vin de Constance is on the menu at a masked ball that Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele go to in … Continue reading
Guy Fieri recently bought a five-acre vineyard of Pinot Noir grapes in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley. Last year was the first vintage but right now he’s just selling grapes to La Crema and Williams Selyem who both have contracts with his vineyard. Ultimately, though, he wants to make his own wine of course. “Our son’s … Continue reading
Today lots of political peeps are sitting down to lunch with the Prez for his second Inauguration. The White House understandably makes a big deal out of the menu – and the wines served with it. This year, New York’s senior senator Chuck Schumer is the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and … Continue reading
Since no one would question drinking rosé with football or Chinese food, I’ll leave the debate to this: who are you rooting for??? Rosé is particularly good with spicy food. This Boedecker is just ok, but so are these playoffs. Go Giants… Continue reading
This week on Revenge they had a charity wine auction – you knew because there was a big banner that said “Charity Wine Auction” at the event. It was to raise money for foster kids or something, whatever, not important. So the final wine they auctioned off started at 10k, and after a bidding war … Continue reading
grape: Cabernet producer: Jacob’s Creek country: Australia region: Coonawarra, which is known for its deep red “Terra Rosa” soil that gives its wines a lot of intensity and concentration year: 2009 yum factors: Had this at a 9-wine Jacob’s Creek dinner last night at the Bouley Test Kitchen and this was my favorite by far. I usually don’t taste black olive … Continue reading
