Tag: wine
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Wine Guy: Flavorful red and white wines from the Iberian Peninsula
Spain has one of the world’s most expansive wine cultures with notable vineyard areas and distinctive native grapes reflecting enormous varietal diversity. Except that the native tempranillo alone accounts for over 40% of Spain’s red wine production. The two major growing regions are Rioja located in north central Spain and Ribera del Duero, a little…
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Wine Guy: If you’re looking for value, focus on wines from the Southern Hemisphere
Often overlooked, Southern Hemisphere wines are worth consumer attention, especially from those of you looking for value … and isn’t that everyone! There are some mass-production brands, but my recent tastings focused on quality wines at still reasonable prices. Although Australian wine has been struggling in the U.S. market lately (compared with the days when…
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Wine Guy: When it comes to chardonnay, know your preferences
Even with a vastly increasing diversity of grape varieties available to consumers, chardonnay remains California’s most-planted white variety and the bestselling white wine in the U.S. Big, super-ripe, heavily oaked chardonnays were popular in the 1990s, but these “butter bombs” fell out of favor with many winemakers and consumers over the past 20 years as…
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Wine Guy: A wide world of grape varieties to delight your palate
As with other areas of life, it’s easy to fall into a rut drinking limited types of wines. But it’s important to remember: a diversity of grapes and their flavor profiles can be enriching. My recent tasting of “alternative” white wines (that is, no chardonnay or sauvignon blanc) proves it. You should find these wines…
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Wine Guy: Sparkling wine not just for special occasions
Sparkling wine is the obvious choice for special occasions but it also can be enjoyed any time. Here, I have several options for you. But first a really, really special Champagne: the 2018 Champagne Christophe Baron “Les Closeaux” ($240, magnum). With 100% organically grown pinot meunier from a (100-year-old) single vineyard, it is a rare…
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Wine Guy: Denver sommelier offers suggestions pairing lighter Italian reds with summer foods
Italian wine, arguably more than any other, is made to be drunk with food. Generally, with slightly higher acidity, less noticeable oak, and more of a sense of the earth where the grapes originated, Italian wines just taste better with food. Here I focus on light-bodied reds (eight native grapes) for warm weather drinking. They…
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Wine Guy: Denver sommelier offers suggestions pairing lighter Italian reds with summer foods
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Italian wine, arguably more than any other, is made to be drunk with food. Generally, with slightly higher acidity, less noticeable oak, and more of a sense of the earth where the grapes originated, Italian…
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Wine Guy: White varieties shine in central and southern Italy
Dotted with notable native white varieties, central and southern Italy offer a cornucopia of crisp, refreshing, distinctive white wines. They also offer adventurous drinking and are deal for warm weather. Here is a good start. Sardinia and Tuscany. Vermentino is a rare variety, grown mostly in Sardinia, Liguria and the western coast of Tuscany, where…
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Pikes Pick: Hidden meadery celebrates drink of mythic lore
At a nondescript strip mall in Colorado Springs (908 N. Circle Drive), Drekar Meadery’s stated aim is to “transport you back to a time of legendary feasts and epic tales.” Sip the stuff of Norse lore: honey wine with flavorful twists. — Seth Boster, The Gazette
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Wine Guy: Perusing a wide world of wines
Given the nature of the wine industry in Colorado, I mostly only have opportunities to review wines from the West Coast, Europe and South America. But consider wine was first made in New Mexico in 1629, Texas in 1659, and Armenia over 6,000 years ago, while in California in 1767. Try these wines for a…