Introducing Spritz, an Italian style cocktail in a can. New from the Greenbar Distillery, these surprisingly flavorful cocktails come in three sparkling flavors: orange, hibiscus, and ginger. The ingredients are 100% organic and gluten-free. Packed in recyclable materials, these cans are perfect for a picnic, the beach, a barbecue or even your own backyard. Try…
Introducing Spritz, an Italian style cocktail in a can. New from the Greenbar Distillery, these surprisingly flavorful cocktails come in three sparkling flavors: orange, hibiscus, and ginger. The ingredients are 100% organic and gluten-free. Packed in recyclable materials, these cans are perfect for a picnic, the beach, a barbecue or even your own backyard. Try…
Basic wine making consists of 5 main steps: harvesting, crushing and pressing, fermentation, clarification, aging and bottling. Arguably, one of the major factors when it comes to flavor is the time at which the grapes are harvested. If picked early, the wine can be bitter or sour due to the lack of sugar content. If…
Photo Credit: Kent Hanson Meet the Wine Hooligans: lead by Dennis Carroll, four West Coast wine makers team up to create five, very unique brands. New to L'eft Bank are the brands Portlandia, Cycles Gladiator and Broadside, featuring grapes from Oregon state and the Paso Robles region of California. Featuring glasses on the label, the…
By Richard J. Serrano. When I first started selling wine in 2000, I loved studying AVAs, and I used to get excited when new ones were created. I would conduct AVA side-by-side tastings all the time, trying to find that sense of place. Oh, I was a silly little boy in 2000. Experience breeds cynicism,…
Above the clouds in the Andes Mountains Aranjuez Winery With vineyards at elevations over 6,500 feet above sea level, grapes take in the intense Bolivian sun during the day and rest during the cool nights. These ideal conditions, combined with water from the clean Andes Mountain rivers, result in unique, balanced and delicious flavor profiles.…
By Richard J. Serrano, Director of California, Austria, and Distillates For those of us in the biz, getting asked about food pairings happens all the time. While we’re supposed to be authorities, it’s not that easy, as what you read doesn’t always pan out when you actually put certain pairings to the test. In fact, I’d…
(It doesn't have to be so complicated) Let’s break our German wine labels down into two categories; the first we will call QbA (Qualitätswein) and the second one we’ll call QmP (Qualitätswein mit Prädikat). QbA QbAs must be produced only from allowed grape varieties grown in one of the 13 wine-growing regions of Germany. This…
By Richard J. Serrano, Director of California, Austria, and Distillates Sometimes selling Riesling makes me want to cry. The other day I poured a 2007 Setzer Riesling from Austria for some non-industry friends. Most said that they didn't like it because it was sweet. Technically, the wine was dry. BONE DRY. No residual sugar whatsoever.…
Cathy Corison believes in the Bench. The Bench in question is the Rutherford Bench, that famous patch of Napa Valley land west of HWY 29 up to the Mayacamas mountain range, starting from the northern tip of Yountville, heading north through Oakville, then Rutherford, before ending at St. Helena. When Andre Tchelistcheff innocently referred to…
