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Pinot grigio -- pinot gris in French -- is, of course, a white wine produced in several regions using the pino grigio (or gris) variety of grape. La Fiera comes from the Veneto region of Italy, where it's bottled by Casa Vinicola Botter. Though that name sounds more like a German or Alsatian vintner's, the company website tells us the Botter family has been bottling wine in Italy for three generations. They strive to use environmentally friendly techniques and innovative ideas.
How does it look? This pinot grigio is a light green somewhere between mint and straw, with a light
Beaulieu Vineyard Coastal Estates 2010 Pinot Noir
by Dennis Mayer January 1st, 2013 | Budget-Friendly Wine Review
California is such a big place that it's bound to produce a wide variety of wines -- some good, some not so much. We talked before about how certain wines use the state's geography to make their product sound better than it is. The infamous "Two-Buck Chuck," Charles Shaw, was an example -- its grapes are grown elsewhere in the state and then brought into Sonoma Valley, so that the label can list that well-known winemaking region on its label (even though the grapes aren't grown there.) It's a practice akin to a person
Some Thoughts on Vermouth
by Dennis Mayer December 27th, 2012 | Bar Essentials
When young bartenders start to train, they know vermouth as the two dusty bottles that live on the end of a rack or a shelf. One's for martinis, and one's for Manhattans, and if you're in a bar that doesn't serve much of either, that vermouth will have a very long lifespan.
That's a shame, because, as we've written before, vermouth's got much more to offer than its obligatory supporting role in the martini (or Manhattan.) Vermouth takes its name from the German word for wormwood, which was historically a part
That's a shame, because, as we've written before, vermouth's got much more to offer than its obligatory supporting role in the martini (or Manhattan.) Vermouth takes its name from the German word for wormwood, which was historically a part
The Most Versatile Wine Glasses
by Dennis Mayer December 20th, 2012 | Ask the Bartender
Our daughter just graduated from college and got her first apartment. For Christmas, we would like to give her a set of wineglasses. She drinks both reds and whites, but we can afford to purchase only one set as a gift. Is there a certain shape or style of wine glass that could be used for both?
Generally speaking, any generic "wine glass" can be used for either red or white wine. For that matter, any glass can be used for wine. I've enjoyed more than one glass of wine from a coffee mug. But if you're looking
Generally speaking, any generic "wine glass" can be used for either red or white wine. For that matter, any glass can be used for wine. I've enjoyed more than one glass of wine from a coffee mug. But if you're looking
Clayhouse 2010 Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles
by Dennis Mayer November 27th, 2012 | Budget-Friendly Wine Review
With a classic varietal like a sauvignon blanc, the best test to discern a good wine from a bad one is whether the wine's characteristics are subtle and complex, or loud and one-note. We expect chardonnay to have a firm oakey flavor, but is that just the root note of a complex chord of flavor, or does it taste like chewing on a tree branch? Sauvignon blanc should have green, grassy notes, but a good one will have other notes as well. A bad one will taste like hay mixed with Splenda.
We'll judge today's bottle, a 2010 Clayhouse Sauvignon
We'll judge today's bottle, a 2010 Clayhouse Sauvignon