Wine Enthusiast

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• ‘Shaken, Not Stirred’: Cocktail Influencers Through the Ages
• What Does ‘Salinity’ Mean in Wine
• Adventurous Beer Drinkers Help Natural Wine Grow in Denver
• Northern California Winemakers Shift Practices Amid Drought Emergency
• Everything You Need for Perfect Coffee at Home, According to the Pros
• It’s About Time to Drink Wine with Your Sourdough
• The Other Side of the Slope: Burgundy’s Other Grapes and Wines
• A Guide to Botanical Rum
• 10 of Our Favorite Sparkling Wines for Less than $25
• In Nigeria, Palm Wine Celebrates the Human Experience
• Wineries and Local Nurseries Aim to Shape Regional Terroir
• Depth, Rebellion and Obsession: Heavy Metal Meets Wine
• 10 All-American Rieslings for $26 or Less
• Wine Enthusiast Podcast: Germany’s Au Naturel Challenge

‘Shaken, Not Stirred’: Cocktail Influencers Through the Ages Posted: 04 May 2021 05:05 AM PDT Getty Jen Akin, general manager at Seattle's Rumba and Rumtender, created quite a stir last year when her cocktail, The Turnbuckle, made its Instagram debut. Popular accounts such as @subtletiki (7,000 followers) and @theweekendmixologist (58,700 followers) posted shots of it in their feeds, and shared the recipe originally published in Punch magazine. "After the article was posted [on Punch], it got a little bit of traction, but not a ton, until several large Instagram accounts found it," says Akin. "I know I have many guests that walk through my door because they saw us mentioned on social media, in an article, or they found one of our cocktails online." But cocktail culture has been influenced long before Instagram. Before the internet and social media, authors and their books often drove consumers to belly up to the bar to recapture a feeling from a beloved story or the mystique of a writer. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson / Alamy "Reading Hemingway, I wanted to know more about the Jack Rose, to drink a martini and feel those same feelings, to read the evening papers with my apéritif, experience the ritual of absinthe…putting myself in those scenes, if only for a moment," wrote Philip Greene in his book, To Have and Have Another. A descendent of the famed Peychaud bitters family, Greene is one of the founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. Hemingway isn't the only author who brought signature cocktails to readers' lips. There was also Hunter S. Thompson and his love for Singapore Slings, seen in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Raymond  Chandler's obsession with the gimlet appears in The Long Goodbye, and writer Dorothy Parker's love for Scotch makes its way into Just a Little One, which appeared in a 1928 edition of The New Yorker. Despite her love of whiskey, Parker is famous for the quote, "I like to have a martini, two at the very most. After three, I’m under the table. After four, I’m under my host." "We’re not sure if she really said it," writes Green. "It’s witty and it’s something she would have said." Whether she said it or not, Parker's influence on martinis was undeniable. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) / Alamy According to Greene, pre-Prohibition martinis were served sweeter and often made with Italian sweet vermouth. But "luminaries such as Dorothy Parker…began popularizing the idea that the drier the martini, the better. Indeed, we're told that Parker merely whispered the word 'vermouth' over the glass," says Greene. Parker's mystique as part of the Algonquin Round Table, a legendary lunchtime grouping of creative thinkers during the "Roaring '20s," as well as her writing and iconic wit, inspired fans to adopt her dry martini trend. And from the mid-1930s, a shift began where martinis began to be made with "…London style gin and French (dry) vermouth…" rather than the original Old Tom Gin and Italian (sweet) vermouth. According to Greene, "In the 1940s cocktail impresario David Embury espoused a seven-to-one ration of gin to vermouth…" which created an even drier version, a trend extended into the current century. Then there's Ian Fleming's "shaken, not stirred" martinis from the James Bond classic Diamonds are Forever. This book, according to cocktail historian, David Wondrich, initiated the love affair of martinis ordered in this manner. Modern drinkers still want to be transported by the stories behind their cocktails, though they tend to prefer the truth (or its veneer) to fiction. Some bartenders research origins of liquors and the history behind craft cocktails. "[Patrons] expect more information," says Wondrich. "I was born in 1961. We didn’t expect that the world had much information on cocktails. In the information age, people expect things. They expect not just a story, but the story with facts, with the original ingredients, and how it has changed over time." Today's consumers educate themselves, believes Wondrich, and they expect the person behind the bar has as well. "The idea of bartending as a craft is that you’ve got to know the history of bartending, you’ve got to know your ingredients—you’re an educated bartender," he says. "You know the backstory of all the recipes." His book, Imbibe, was published 13 years ago, but its influence is felt in cocktail bars today. "My book is quite geeky," says Wondrich. "It’s the original recipes printed verbatim, and then you have instructions on how to adapt them. There are no photos. But, people are reading it. Some of the top selling ones are also quite geeky, like Dave Arnold's Liquid Intelligence. It's all about the science of the cocktail, and there's The Cocktail Codex, which is sort of a theoretical mixology. "These are books that demand a certain amount of engagement," he says. "You have to work with them. But there's a curiosity among this generation." Other drinks professionals have noticed this shift in consumer behavior. James Bond books by Ian Fleming / Alamy "People are curious about the process and ingredients that go into craft cocktails," says Mara Frasca, bartender at 202 Social House in Roanoke, Virginia. "They especially love a good story behind the liquor or inspiration for the drink. "Over the past three years, people seem to be more interested in the story, rather than just the taste or how expensive [the drink] is. This trend has been great for the smaller, family-owned distilleries, for sure. It helps bartenders get them on the shelf." She enjoys the stories behind drinks when she's on the other side of the bar, too. "I like a bartender that can chat about all the aspects of the visit, from the history of the town [or] bar, to the liquors they use," says Frasca. A bartender that can tell the story behind the drinks, to "find the truth about something and make it as compelling as the folklore, makes everything taste better," says Greene.

What Does ‘Salinity’ Mean in Wine Posted: 04 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT Illustration by Alyssa Nassner Imagine a cold, snowy evening in January. By 4:45 p.m., the sun has set. You open a crisp Assyrtiko or Muscadet, alongside fresh paella. Suddenly, it's summer. Paula Rester Salinas, beverage director of Side Street Hospitality Group in Fredericksburg, Texas, describes this sort of pairing as magical, "because it transports you elsewhere." High-acid wines like Assyrtiko, Vermentino and Muscadet offer an impression of salinity, which suggests "the kind of piercing acidity that a spritz of lemon would have, and a hint of brine or salinity that a squeeze of lime and pinch of salt would give a dish," says Nils Bernstein, contributing food editor at Wine Enthusiast. "[Saline-forward wines] are such good pairing partners across the board because they almost season the food in a sense," he says. Salinity is a tasting descriptor and a frequent extension of the term "minerality." Both can refer to how our palate perceives the pH of the wine. "Minerality is where we are talking about chalk and stone and graphite," says Bernstein. "And salinity falls into that realm very easily, if you extend minerality to seashell, and extend seashell to salinity." Seashell is a mineral composed of calcium carbonate. In wine, like other minerals, it registers as an aroma, not a taste. "With seashell, it's about the smell of the beach: saltwater, wet sand, seaweed and everything that exists alongside seashells, which only have a smell when fresh," he says. This aroma helps saline-forward wines emphasize flavors with a bit more tang and brightness. Often, in wines with abundant saline characteristics, salivary glands might gently activate in the corners of the cheeks, similar to when a squeeze of fresh lemon hits the tongue. Salinity in a wine is often associated with the proximity of vineyards to sea, sand and salt air. Many such wines originate from grapes grown near or within coastal regions. But salinity doesn't necessarily rely upon exposure to sea breezes or reflect the presence of salt in the wine or soil. "The saline taste in wines has to do with how the grapes ripen, how they are fermented and the intricate play between acidity, pH, and yeast and lees," says Roman Roth, winemaker at Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack, New York. While some soils affect how grapes ripen, Roth believes that the most important element for evoking salinity is a balanced vineyard with good sun exposure on the fruit. According to Roth, if fruit is picked too green, there is only acidity. If they're picked too ripe, tropical, richer and fattier flavors develop, he says. When wine is made with ripe fruit and its mouthfeel is fresh and offers a softer finish, the wine shows salinity. Production processes can also play a role in salinity. For example, in a light, dry Manzanilla Sherry, flor, a yeast cap, forms during fermentation. The end result expresses salinity. In addition to Manzanilla Sherry, which must be from vineyards near the coastal city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Vermentino also expresses salinity alongside notes of citrus. It grows in Provence (known locally as Rolle), as well as in Liguria and Piedmont in northwest Italy and Sardinia. Picpoul (or Piquepoul) thrives in the Languedoc region of southern France, and a few from the Texas High Plains also offer crispness and nice acidity. Muscadet, a Loire Valley white made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape in Pays Nantais, is a perfect oyster pairing, refreshing and acid-forward. The most mineral-driven and saline-expressive Assyrtikos originate in Santorini, Greece. For another aroma of sea breeze and salt air, look for Albariño from Rías Baixas in northwest Spain. Roth says that a good wine should always have "a number of things competing for your attention. Is it acidity? Is it minerality? Is it tannins, or creamy yeast characters? Is it salinity? Nothing should stand out. They should all be in a harmonious balance, making the wine interesting and giving it finesse."

Adventurous Beer Drinkers Help Natural Wine Grow in Denver Posted: 03 May 2021 04:30 AM PDT Getty Denver has long been lauded as one of the U.S.'s leading beer meccas, where craft breweries see Black Friday-like lines upon the release of experimental brews. Spirits, bolstered primarily by whiskey, sit second. Wine, on the other hand, has always been the third choice. But the natural wine fervor that has gripped the likes of New York City, San Francisco and the Midwest has made it to the Mile High City. Denver is one of the country's fastest growing urban sprawls, and many say that transplants have helped add to local cultural movements. Or that what happens in bigger cities impacts what people want in places like Denver. Noble Riot / Photo by Armando Martinez But when it comes to natural wine, much credit for this surge has been attributed to one surprising demographic: the adventurous beer drinkers. "We do still suffer from having a 'semi-younger' food and beverage scene," says Mary Allison Wright. With her husband, McLain Hedges, Wright was an early champion of natural wines in Colorado. The couple launched projects like the bottle shop The Proper Pour and RiNo Yacht Club, a cocktail bar with an all-natural wine list. "But overall, because we have such a vast culture of craft beer, there's this sense of open-mindedness that has allowed for natural wines to grow," she says. Denver's natural wine scene is especially grateful to sour beer enthusiasts. Many in the wine business say this group has been the easiest to convert. "Those who are really into sour beers in particular have started to take to natural wines," says Hedges. He maintains that the esoteric flavors often associated with a pétillant-naturel appeal to those who favor sour ales and saisons. "These are the guys who are really interested in pushing their palates and trying things that maybe they didn't initially understand." While the couple's venues have since closed, wine geeks once flocked to each to sip natural wines from producers like Vignoble du Rêveur, Martha Stoumen and Partida Creus. The uninitiated were often beguiled when they saw a category like "Orange" on RiNo Yacht Club's beverage menu. Wright and Hedges are working to open another bar in Denver where they hope to continue what they started. They're convinced that natural wines, and wine in general, won't be in the shadows for very long. The Colorado Natural Wine Week has been staged each April since 2014. Expert-led tastings, pairing dinners at top restaurants and parties focused on natural wines were organized all over the city. Troy Bowen, one the event's founders, previously worked as a sales representative for natural wine importer Jenny & François Selections. Even when natural wine didn't really have the fanbase it does today, he says, there was enough product and interest in Denver to make it work. People tasting at Colorado Natural Wine Week / Photo courtesy of Colorado Natural Wine Week "Wine week was like a safety net," he says. While the founding partners were able to cobble together decent events, the first few iterations were a very limited experience. "We're gonna teach the trade and the public, and then maybe we'll have a reason to continue to have these wines in this market." And maybe that's exactly what happened. Mr. B’s Wine & Spirits has built out its natty inventory impressively since it opened in 2009. Only about 5% of its stock featured low-intervention bottlings in the beginning. "There was virtually no natural wine distributed in Colorado when we first opened," says owner Jared Blauweiss. "But in our first few years, we were still able to put some great producers on our shelves, including Elisabetta Foradori, Radikon and López de Heredia." Blauweiss has worked to grow his selection, and Mr. B's has asserted itself as a major natural wine resource in Colorado and beyond. In September 2020, it opened a third location, this one in downtown Denver's Golden Triangle district, where 439 natural wine bottlings make up nearly 80% of the inventory. Aisles are stocked with sought-after bottles like the 2019 Let's Go Disco rosé from Anders Frederik Steen, and Oregon winemaker Nate Ready's skin-contact 2017 Hiyu Aura. Inside Noble Riot / Photo by Armando Martinez Blauweiss says that Mr. B's could have the largest natural wine selection between Chicago and the Pacific Ocean. "We've had people drive from out of state to shop here," he says. Denver may have been slow to catch on, but as people learned more about natural wine, the more they wanted it, says Blauweiss. The region's distribution network has met this uptick in interest. Benny & Zoid Selections, cofounded by musician Eric Bloom, has focused on getting the likes of Kmetija Štekar from Slovenia and Spain's Esencia Rural to Denver cellars for years. But newer players like John Trahan, who has helped bring more natural bottles to top Denver wine shops like Mondo Vino, have entered the fray. "Colorado is the kind place where people care about where their produce comes from or whether their coffee is organic and fair trade," says Trahan, who owns distribution company Yes Wines. "That mindset was maybe a little late when it came to their wine, but what's cool about it is that there's a lot of people here who are potentially entering that world through natural wine." Trahan's offerings include Lelarge-Pugeot, Fond Cyprès Premier Jus and Les Dolomies' sometimes difficult-to-find bottles from the Jura in France. In addition to stores like Foss Wine Company and Denver Wine Merchant, Trahan also supplies buzzy restaurants like Safta and Noble Riot, which Bowen opened to great acclaim in the River North (RiNo) Arts District in 2018. Bowen's eatery is the type of hangout where you squeeze into an oversize velvet booth pushed up against graffitied floor-to-ceiling windows. A bucket of fried chicken can be paired with a tasting flight of pét-nats from all over the world, or maybe even a natural Pinot from one of Colorado's up-and-coming viticultural areas. Such whimsical, unexpected food-and-wine programs might be old hat in Paris or Barcelona, but it's a new experience that's taking off in Denver. Photo courtesy of Colorado Natural Wine Week Head to James Beard-nominated chef Kelly Whitaker's Brutø, where you can wash down suadero tacos with a Bichi rosé. At Hop Alley, the spice of a Sichuan catfish stew is mellowed with Thierry Germain's dry, mineral Clos du Moulin Chenin Blanc. These may not be as quintessential a Denver pairing as a green-chili burrito and limited-edition, small batch IPA, but they could be on their way.

Northern California Winemakers Shift Practices Amid Drought Emergency Posted: 03 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT Nuns Canyon Vineyard / Photo courtesy of Hamel Family Wines On April 21, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a regional drought emergency for Sonoma and Mendocino counties. Following a winter with extremely low levels of rain, the area's main sources of irrigation water, Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma, are in short supply. Drought conditions are not new for local growers, unfortunately. Many continue to adjust their viticultural practices to adapt to the ever-changing climate. Following the 2020 Glass Fire, Elizabeth Tagney, viticulturist and winemaker at Cornell Vineyards, spent the last eight months revitalizing the mountain-top property in the Fountaingrove AVA in Sonoma Valley. Due to various levels of heat damage, 11 of the estate's 20 blocks are scheduled for a replant. Now, Tagney must find ways to make the vineyard more drought tolerant. New plantings will have more spacing between rows to facilitate wider cross-arms (up to 20 inches at the peak), which will help promote shading. She's carefully selecting drought-tolerant rootstocks (1103 Paulsen and 140R) that are more capable of establishing deeper root systems quicker, and decided to plant a new variety, Carmenère. Late-ripening with thick skins, the grape benefits from warm, sunny sites. "The considerations for all these decisions were exposure, soil type and soil depth," says Tagney. The site faces southwest, increasing sunlight and heat interception. Soils are entirely sandstone with minimal water-holding capacity; the depth, at only 12 inches, limits root growth. "These factors, compounded with our changing climate, led me to make certain choices to farm this site differently," she says. Lake Sonoma following a winter with extremely low levels of rain / Photo by Jak Wonderly John Hamel, managing director of winegrowing at his family's Hamel Family Wines, has dramatically changed his farming style in tandem with the climate. In 2017, he began to slowly transition his four estate vineyards, all located in the Sonoma Valley and Moon Mountain District AVAs, to dry farming, which he defines as "zero irrigation during the growing season." "I began questioning our irrigation practices after returning from a visit to France, where a prominent winegrower suggested that irrigation disconnects the plant from its terroir," Hamel says. "Our winery began trialing farming without irrigation and discovered a wonderful expression with the wines." To Hamel, dry-farmed grapes feel "stronger," and their tannins more complex. "We could see it both in the fruit and the resulting wine," he says. In order to dry farm successfully, Hamel explains, a vine's root needs to dig deep in order to sustain drought-like conditions. "There is a general assumption that old vines make better wine … the predominant reason is that the roots are deeper and have fully colonized the soil profile," he says. "Pushing a vine without irrigation, it must send its roots deep and be efficient with water use." As a result of deeper root establishment, Hamel suggests, dry-farmed vines are more capable of weathering climatic variation and more resilient to natural drought conditions. Transitioning to dry farming is not without its challenges. "First, it was figuring out the limits of how far we could push the vine without water in a manner that elevated the fruit quality," Hamel says. "We want this practice to enhance quality, not detract from it." Unfortunately, drought conditions are not new for Sonoma and Mendocino growers. / Photo by Jak Wonderly The second challenge, he says, is one that plagues many modern farmers today: a majority of the vineyards had been previously overirrigated, promoting "superficial rooting" and a "physiological infrastructure" that heavily relies on regular watering in order to stimulate the growth cycle. In addition to dry farming, Hamel is also shifting other viticultural methods in order to promote an earlier vine-growth cycle. By pruning earlier, he says, plants will begin budbreak as soon as environmental conditions allow, although this does increase the threat of spring frost bud damage, he warns. With even just a few days head start on the growing season, Hamel believes he'll be able to harvest earlier. This is important because dry-farming quality fruit is most difficult when heat spikes, usually in August and September. "These events are becoming more frequent and extreme," he says. While dry farming is not the answer for every grape grower, Hamel believes "there is a culture of overirrigation. Meaning, people are giving the plant water it doesn't necessarily need based on schedule." Data-based decisions are best, he says. "[Grape growers] should rely on soil moisture as well as plant-based water status measurements to make irrigation decisions. Too many irrigation decisions are made absent of any real data."

Everything You Need for Perfect Coffee at Home, According to the Pros Posted: 02 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT Getty A great-tasting cup of coffee calls for more than just high-quality beans. You're also going to need the right tools. Whether you're only getting started on your coffee-making journey or experienced enough to moonlight as a barista, making sense of all the coffee equipment on the market can be overwhelming. So, we asked a handful of experts to share their most prized home coffee-making appliances and accessories. Chemex When it comes to coffeemakers, the right kind depends on what you want to drink. But if we're talking about your standard brewed coffee, Tony Konecny, founder of weekly coffee subscription service Yes Plz, swears by the timelessness Chemex, which has been manufactured since 1941. "What's great about it is that it uses a heavier filter than most pour over methods which makes it more forgiving of irregular grind size or imperfect pouring technique," he says. "If you're starting with great beans and get your basic coffee-to-water ratio correct, it's hard to make a bad cup." Bonus: There might not be a more iconic or easily  recognizable silhouette in the coffee business than the Chemex's hourglass figure. "It's one of a few coffee-brewing gizmos you can leave sitting out on the kitchen counter that doesn't look like an appliance or a sex toy," Konecny jokes. "It's the first brew device I reach for if I have company I want to impress. It's very photogenic!" $50 Amazon Stagg Pour-Over Kettle Judy Tixi, service associate at Afficionado Coffee Roasters in New Jersey, points design enthusiasts to the Stagg Pour-Over Kettle from Fellow. Tixi loves the matte, sculptural elegance of the kettle, but she also appreciates how easy it is to use. "The design helps maintain a steady water flow, ensuring an excellent brew," she explains. "I find that it’s more consistent than other kettles on the market: You select your desired temperature and you’re on your way." In both form and function, it's an ideal companion to a Chemex. $79 Fellow Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot If you're looking for a kettle specifically for cold brew, Kaleena Teoh, cofounder of roastery and training center Coffee Project New York, uses the Hario Mizudashi Cold Brew Coffee Pot. It's a pretty foolproof tool: You put coffee grounds in a steeping basket and then fill up the jar with water "I prefer the smaller size one because the coffee can be fully submerged in water," says Teoh. "And it's small enough for it to be kept in the fridge while extracting." You may not even need to add ice. $17 Amazon Varia Multi Brewer The Varia Multi Brewer comes highly recommended by Amber Jacobsen, founder of small-batch Brooklyn roaster Partners Coffee, thanks to its ability to prepare a beverage six different ways, like French press, filtered coffee and even makes tea. "If you’re new to at-home brewing and trying to decide what kind of coffee maker to buy, this is an excellent, versatile option at a relatively reasonable price," says Jacobsen, who usually uses her Varia as either a French press or moka pot for an expresso-style drink. The Varia can be used to make cold brew. $130 Amazon Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale If you really want to start elevating your at-home coffee experiments, Jacobsen suggests investing in the Hario V60 Drip Coffee Scale. It's not cheap for something whose only purpose in life is to measure the weight of your coffee grounds, but, according to Jacobsen, it's a game-changer. "Similar to baking, coffee brewing can be unforgiving in taste when it comes to measurement error. Using a precise scale allows you to create and recreate the same delicious coffee over and over again," she says. $54 Amazon Aerolatte Milk Foamer When Cason Crane of Explorer Cold Brew is feeling fancy, he whips out his handheld Aerolatte Milk Foamer, which immediately adds a frothy topper to a cup of coffee. "My favorite use for it is to create delicious flavored ‘cold foams’ for my cold brew," he says. "It’s shockingly easy to make very gourmet coffees at home: I just add a dash of whatever flavor syrup I'm feeling that day to cold milk" $20 Amazon Third Wave Water Mineral Supplements "Water is probably one of the most overlooked components of brewing great coffee," says Steve Holt, who has worked at a variety of coffee companies including Colorado's Unravel Coffee. "If you want cafe-level quality at home, I recommend making your own water." Holt says you can use mineral supplements from Third Wave Water, which makes mineral-rich capsules that will make water sweeter, smoother and better suited for making coffee. $15 Amazon

It’s About Time to Drink Wine with Your Sourdough Posted: 01 May 2021 04:00 AM PDT Photo Courtesy Offset Believe it or not, sourdough bread did exist before it became one of the biggest quarantine trends of 2020. In fact, there are ancient texts that wax poetic about sourdough starters, the mix of flour and water that develops live cultures and, as the name implies, serves as the bread’s starting point. Within each starter, a swarm of yeast and bacteria creates acids that give sourdough its characteristic flavor. The complex taste is difficult to achieve with commercial yeast or chemical leaveners, and pairing it with the right wine can help you appreciate it even more. Sour Acetic acid, the primary component of vinegar, is what puts the sour in sourdough. Amplify this note with a wine that has a similarly prominent high-acid component like Chablis. Made from 100% Chardonnay, it’s laser sharp, but it also has a mineral note that would work well with the woodiness of just-baked bread. Tangy Lactic acid is also present in sourdough. Creamier or more yogurt-like than acetic acid, it’s something that expert bakers sometimes choose to highlight in their loaves. With notes of stone fruit and mandarin orange, Viognier blends with this quality like a savory version of peaches and cream, or a Creamsicle. Yeasty Bread will almost always retain a hint of the yeast’s pleasant piquancy. Wine aged on the lees, the spent yeast cells left from fermentation, imparts similar characteristics. A traditional-method sparkling wine that spends 36 months on the lees, Northern Italy‘s Trento Riserva has high acidity and bready, nutty flavors that would complement that yeastiness. Toasty While sourdough is delicious straight from the oven, torn into pieces and slathered in butter, its flavors magnify when it’s sliced and toasted. Malbec‘s black-and-blue fruit flavors are accompanied by toasty notes of tobacco and cacao that offer a surprisingly sympathetic pairing with toasted sourdough.

The Other Side of the Slope: Burgundy’s Other Grapes and Wines Posted: 30 Apr 2021 05:00 AM PDT Aligote vine / Photo Courtesy Domaine Ponsot Burgundy is known for two noble grape varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The vast majority of the plantings there are those two varieties, which often command insanely high prices. But there's more to Burgundy than meets the eye, with a variety of styles produced and grapes other than Chardonnay and Pinot can also create stellar wines, but with incredible value.    Aligoté    One of Burgundy's "other" white grapes, Aligoté sits in the shadow of its famous relative, Chardonnay, but it is by no means second rate. It's grown on about 5,000 acres, most notably in the Côte Chalonnaise and the appellation of Bouzeron. Its acidity and frost resistance make it seem like it should be more popular worldwide, though it's found some success growing in Bulgaria and Romania as well.   Hardy Aligoté is a cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc. Flavors run the gamut from floral to herbal.   Domaine Ponsot produces the only premier cru Aligoté in Burgundy. Sourced from the Monts Luisants Premier Cru in Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte de Nuits, it was planted in the early 1900s and still produces grapes from its vines today.    Paul Wasserman, head of U.S. West Coast and Mountain State sales for Becky Wasserman & Co., likes Aligoté because its "energy and brightness gets you off the couch and dancing. It’s the Energizer Bunny of Burgundy."   Notable Producers: Domaine de Villaine, Domaine Ponsot, Dominique Lafon, Jérôme Galeyrand, Sylvain Pataille  Cesar grape vine at Domaine Clotilde Davenne / Photo Courtesy Domaine Clotilde Davenne César   A cross between Pinot Noir and Argant, a Spanish variety, César is mostly grown in northwest Burgundy in the village of Irancy. Its origins date back at least 2,000 years.    Rarely used as a single variety, it's sometimes blended with Pinot Noir to add color because of its deep purple hue. Thick-skinned César is also incredibly tannic, so when it's produced as a varietal wine, it's done by carbonic maceration, a whole bunch fermentation in an anaerobic environment that makes the grapes ferment inside themselves to create light, fruit-forward wine.   Notable Producer: Clotilde Davenne   Harvested Gamay grapes in Beaujolais, France / Photo by Alamy Gamay    Beaujolais Nouveau, a red wine made from Gamay and released on the third Thursday in November immediately after harvest, is how many drinkers first experience Gamay. The grape is actually of Burgundian origin, from the Côte d'Or, and dates back to around 900 A.D. and the Cluny Abbey. In the late 1300s, the Duke of Burgundy ordered all Gamay vines to be removed for fear that it would overshadow the much nobler Pinot Noir.   The Maconnais and Beaujolais didn't get the memo, however, and continued to grow it. Now, the most famous versions of Gamay hail from those southerly regions.   Gamay is a fairly thin-skinned grape like Pinot Noir, and it's often compared to Pinot Noir in flavor and texture. And like Pinot Noir, it can develop complexity over time.    Paul Grieco, sommelier and owner of New York City's Terroir wine bar, is particularly fond of Burgundian Gamay. Julien Guillot's Vignes du Mayne Cuvée 910 "is a piece of Burgundy I get out of bed in the morning for," he says.  Notable Producer: Julien Guillot   Vineyard of Saint Bris Le Vineux near Auxerre / Photo by Hemis/Alamy Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris  Wines from the Appellation d'Origine Protegée (AOP) Saint-Bris, located around the village of Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, are made from Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris grapes. This is the only region in Burgundy where Sauvignon Blanc is allowed to grow. The village is much closer to the Loire Valley in proximity than it is to the heart of Burgundy, and is only nine miles away from Chablis, in the Côtes d'Auxerre region of Burgundy.    Grapes are grown on limestone, much like the rest of Burgundy, and contribute a distinctive minerality to the appellation's wines.    Notable Producers: Clotilde Davenne, Guilhem & Jean-Hugues Goisot   Bottling Chain, Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne / Photo by Jean-Louis Bernuy Crémant de Bourgogne    An appellation as well as the name for the sparkling wines produced there, Crémant de Bourgogne is Burgundy's answer to Champagne. Like Champagne, it is made in the laborious traditional method, methode traditionelle, and the dominant grapes are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, although a bit of Aligoté, Gamay or Pinot Blanc may sometimes be added for good measure. Also like Champagne, various styles abound for any palate predilection: sparkling rosé, Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay, Aligoté or Pinot Blanc; or Blanc de Noirs made with Gamay and Pinot Noir.   Notable Producers: Bailly Lapierre, Louis Boillot, Veuve Ambal   Racking barrels at Domaine Michel Lafarge / Photo Courtesy Clothilde Lafarge Passetoutgrains    Passetoutgrains is made by blending and co–fermenting Gamay and Pinot Noir into one well-priced, quaffable wine. Passetoutgrains is also an appellation in Burgundy, decreed in 1937. The area covers nearly the entirety of Burgundy, but Passetoutgrains production is mostly concentrated in the South, near the Mâcon and Beaujolais.    French law dictates that Passetoutgrains must contain at least 30% Pinot Noir and 15% Gamay. Both red and rosé styles are made, and the rosé is made by the saignée method, whereby the red grape skins encounter the clear juice to produce a pink-hued wine.    These days, there aren't many coplanted vineyards, as they're typically mapped out by single varieties or in blocks instead. But in one 2.2 acre plot owned by revered Burgundian producer Domaine Michel Lafarge, Gamay and Pinot Noir are indeed grown together and produced using traditional Passetoutgrains methods.    Notable Producers: Domaine Michel Lafarge, Maison Louis Latour

A Guide to Botanical Rum Posted: 30 Apr 2021 04:30 AM PDT Boukman Rhum / Photo by Katie June Burton / Cocktail byTy Williams at Sisters in Brooklyn Occupying the space between spiced rum and botanical-laden gin, "botanical rum" is a relative newcomer, though its popularity is on the rise. What is botanical rum? Basically, it's rum that's flavored with botanicals like fresh or dried herbs, spices and edible flowers. Usually, the base is white rum. And, like most types of rum, there are no geographical restrictions, so it can be made pretty much anywhere. If this definition sounds a bit fuzzy, that's because it doesn't have an official category. The few available in the U.S. are classified as "flavored rums" or "specialty spirits" under distilled spirits regulatory guidelines. Brewdog Distilling Co.’s Botanical Rum / Photo courtesy Five Hundred Cuts How is it different from spiced rum? The short answer: It has little to no vanilla, and little to no sweetener. Spiced rum, also usually categorized as a "flavored rum," typically starts with an aged spirit base and is flavored predominantly with baking spices, notably vanilla, but also allspice, clove or cinnamon. It's often sweetened as well. Botanical rum tends to be lighter and drier, some say "greener," in flavor. Instead of baking spices, flavorings tend to be more herbaceous or floral, though spices and barks are often part of the mix, too. Tiki TNT bar in Washington D.C. / Photo by Rey Lopez How is it different from gin? Botanical rum also shares some similarities with gin, and many producers encourage drinking mixing it with tonic, G&T style. But it differs in two key ways. First, botanical rums usually exclude juniper, a required flavoring for gin. Second, the base of a botanical rum needs to be rum, which means that it must be distilled from a sugarcane product. Most gins start with a neutral spirit, most often distilled from grain. However, there are gins distilled from sugarcane, and there's no rule that botanical rum can't include juniper. So overlap is certainly possible. Photo courtesy of Thrasher’s Rum Where did botanical rums come from? This type of rum seems to have multiple origins and inspirations. Haiti's Boukman Botanical Rhum, launched in 2016, is technically a style of clairin, specifically clairin trempé (translated as "botanical rhum"). It starts with a base of rhum agricole, distilled from sugarcane juice instead of molasses. That's infused with a mix of 11 botanicals that include native woods and barks, bitter orange peel and bitter almond. "We're more of a street-style drink, infused with barks and botanicals," says Boukman cofounder Adrian Keogh. He sought to bring a version of clairin trempé to a global audience. Across South and Central America, he says, there's a longstanding tradition of infused rums. In 2019, Washington, D.C. bartender Todd Thrasher created Thrasher's Green Spiced Rum in an effort to build a rum suitable to pair with tonic. The blackstrap molasses-based spirit is distilled at his Potomac Distilling Company, and it's flavored with botanicals like lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon balm, mint, lime peel and green cardamom. Callisto Botaincal Rum / Photo courtesy of Callisto While inspired by herbs grown in his backyard, he now grows them in a rooftop garden atop the distillery. At his Tiki TNT bar, the spirit is served in mojitos and tropical drinks. In California's Bay Area, Callisto launched in 2020 with a "California dry"-style botanical rum. Giles Templeman, the company's cofounder and CEO, grew up in Bermuda (home to Gosling's) and had an affinity for rum. He was drawn by the fact that the rum category has few restrictions. "With that in mind, we said, 'We can flavor rum with anything,'" says Templeman. "We said, what would be super cool would be to flavor our rum with locally sourced California botanicals." Callisto starts with a blend of Trinidad and Nicaragua rums, transferred to Petaluma, where it's infused with botanicals like rosemary, lavender, burdock root and cherry bark. Botanical rums have also picked up speed across the Atlantic. Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum, from the U.K. brewery Brewdog, is fermented with red wine yeast and flavored with tonka bean, lavender and clove. In Holland, Amsterdam's Spirited Union makes five fruit-forward varieties that include a blush-hued Pink Grapefruit and Rose bottling. Even Cuban icon Havana Club has released a Verde rum infused with orange peel and mint. It's currently available only in Germany. "Botanical rum is an open space to innovate," says Templeman. "There's a ton of bases and botanicals to work with." For now, it's still a relatively niche product. It may never become mainstream like spiced rum. However, Templeman says, "there's an open ocean for the category to grow." Boukman Rhum botanicals / Photo by Edine Celestin What does botanical rum taste like? Most are relatively light and emphasize herbaceous, floral or fruity flavors. Botanical rums tend to be unsweetened. The few that use sweeteners generally use a minimal amount. Each tastes a little different, which depends on the base rum and the botanicals used. Here are three available in the U.S. to try: Boukman Rhum (Haiti; $48): Golden hue and intense, root-like aroma. The flavor is reminiscent of spiced rum. It shows cinnamon and grilled banana, sprinkled with brown sugar. It finishes with mellow funk. Callisto California Dry Botanical Rum (USA; $33): This clear spirit has a light floral aroma similar to some gins, but the full-bodied texture reminds that it's rum. Expect herbaceous sage and lemongrass. The finish offers piquant peppercorn sizzle. Thrasher's Green Spiced Rum (USA; $27): "Green" refers to the garden herbs used to flavor this brisk, malty rum. The rum has the faintest straw tinge. Look for slight coconut sweetness on the palate and whispers of dill and mint.

10 of Our Favorite Sparkling Wines for Less than $25 Posted: 30 Apr 2021 04:00 AM PDT Getty Whether you’re toasting a major milestone or simply the end of the week, drinking bubbles always feels celebratory. Here are 10 sparkling wines from Italy to California, all for less than $25. Paltrinieri 2019 Radice (Lambrusco di Sorbara); $20, 95 points. Made by carrying out the second fermentation in the bottle, this radiant, lightly sparkling wine opens with heady aromas of citrus, violet and a yeasty whiff of bread dough. Bone-dry and delicious, the energized palate delivers tart sour cherry, juicy pomegranate, pink grapefruit and white pepper alongside crisp acidity and a savory hint of saline. One bottle probably won’t be enough. Lyra Wine. Editors' Choice. —Kerin O'Keefe Saracco 2019 Moscato d’Asti; $17, 95 points. From the producer that put Moscato d’Asti on the map, this exhilarating, fragrant wine offers heady aromas of citrus blossom, yellow stone fruit, lemon and botanical herb. Reflecting the nose, the savory, vibrant palate doles out juicy apricot and yellow peach while notes of sage and rosemary add depth. Crisp acidity balances the sweetness and gives it a pristine, tangy finish while a foaming mousse lends finesse. WinesU. Editors' Choice. —K.O. Scotto Family Cellars NV Brut (California); $15, 92 points. This richly textured wine has gorgeous aromas of toast and fig that lead into flavors of just-ripe Pippin apple and Bosc pear on the palate. Partially barrel fermented, it has an enticing mouthfeel that’s luxurious and complex. Editors' Choice. —Jim Gordon Scharffenberger NV Brut Excellence Sparkling (Anderson Valley); $20, 91 points. A well-rounded, supple texture surrounds attractive toast and nut flavors in this suave and mouthfilling wine. Notes of biscuit, peach and toasted bread give it a nice sense of maturity and complexity. —J.G. Beach Juice 2019 Bubbles Sparkling Rosé (California); $6/375ml, 90 points. Packaged in seaside-perfect cans, this sparkling rosé is quite tasty, starting with aromas of melon, strawberry, chalk and rose blossoms. The palate is clean and refreshing, with joyous flavors of raspberry and orange peel. Best Buy. —Matt Kettmann Dopff & Irion NV Blanc de Blancs Brut Pinot Auxerrois (Crémant d’Alsace); $19, 90 points. Notions of creamy lemon yeast burst with every bubble that rises to this wine’s surface. The body adds a subtle, textural yeasty backdrop while bubbles continue to froth, transporting more freshness against a mellow background. Slender, bright, vivid and smooth, it makes a beautiful aperitif. Dreyfus, Ashby & Co. —Anne Krebiehl MW Lucien Albrecht NV Rosé Brut (Crémant d’Alsace); $24, 90 points. In this wine, a subtle palate of rye crumb, red apple and lemon follows a subued nose. A lovely balance of flavors shows on the slender palate, with the freshness and juiciness of ripe apple. Fine bubbles create resonance on the dry finish. Foley Family Wines. —A.K. Vignerons de Mancey NV Brut Réserve (Crémant de Bourgogne); $22, 90 points. Ripe red and yellow apple create a fruity nose on this wine. The palate has ripe apple mellowness and creamy roundness, as well as a crisp nature. Bubbles are lively and this dry wine presents a harmonious whole. Authentic Wine Selections. —A.K. We Recommend: ZENOLOGY SOMM Champagne Glass (Set of 2) Champagne Preservation Recorker (Chrome) Domaine la Croix des Vainqueurs NV Le Bouchet Brut (Vouvray); $19, 89 points. Two years aging after the disgorgement has just begun the maturing process of this peach- and apple-flavored wine. It is zesty, the creamy mousse and acidity giving a final lift. Drink now. Misa Imports. —Roger Voss Domaine Ste. Michelle NV Brut Rosé Méthode Champenoise Sparkling (Columbia Valley); $13, 89 points. Very appealing aromas of baked bread, poached pear and citrus are followed by crisp apple flavors. It’s thoroughly enchanting and a bargain to boot. Best Buy. —Sean P. Sullivan

In Nigeria, Palm Wine Celebrates the Human Experience Posted: 29 Apr 2021 04:00 AM PDT A man taps wine from a palm tree / Photo by Adeyinka Yusuf, Alamy In 1952, Nigerian author Amos Tutuola published The Palm-Wine Drinkard, a book based on Yoruba folktales. Now a canonical piece of African literature, the book has been translated into 12 languages. Its initial reception internationally may have disclosed more about Western reviewers than the work itself. The book's first critic, Dylan Thomas, in his 1952 review in The Observer, described it as “simply and carefully" written in “young English.” In 1953, The New York Times Book Review described Tutuola as “a true primitive” whose world had “no connection at all with the European rational and Christian traditions." The New Yorker's 1953 review stated that Tutuola was "being taken a great deal too seriously" and instructed U.S. writers not to imitate him, as “it would be fatal for a writer with a richer literary inheritance." Such criticism aside, the book is about someone who sets out to retrieve his palm wine tapper from the land of the dead. It condenses several cultural folktales that use palm wine to explore themes of brotherhood, communal love and familial identity. It demonstrates how thick the palm wine bond is in Nigeria. To make palm wine, tappers climb insanely tall palm trees, balancing support ropes on their waist. Once at the tree's crown, they insert a tube which slowly brings the sap out into a keg or calabash that's secured tightly against the tree. After about half a day, the palm wine tapper returns to collect the sap. The sap begins to ferment as soon as it leaves the tree, catalyzed by yeasts. The more time that passes, the more fermented it becomes and the higher its alcohol content. A groom raises a glass of palm wine / Alamy "For Nigerian cultures, the palm wine is a tool of social cohesion," says Justus Aboyeji, a Ph.D of history and international studies at the University of Ilorin. The drink is served during casual visits and gatherings, and it has more formal usages in coronations and festivals. It's mostly served at room temperature in gourds, poured directly from the calabashes. Depending on preference and how long the palm wine has been tapped, its alcohol by volume (abv) ranges from 2% to 15%. In the Igbo tradition, spousal relationships are not considered solid until the suitor brings palm wine to the father of whomever they're pursuing. Elders bless the palm wine, which is then enjoyed by the couple. The wine is tapped from all palm tree varieties: the oil palm, raffia palm and date palm. Wine made from oil and raffia palms is typically most popular. The Yoruba consider wine tapped from raffia palms emu ogidi (meaning "real wine"), while those made from the sap of other types of palms is emu oguro ("adulterated wine"). Among Igbos, wine made from oil palms is more esteemed. In other Nigerian cultures like the Ijaw and Urhobo, palm wine is distilled up to 40% abv to make a gin-like liquor called ogogoro. "Why would you drink palm wine alone?" —Segun Lawal, owner, Vibe Palm wine has survived urbanization in Nigeria, retaining both its social and cultural values. Local palm wine joints in rural areas have evolved into open bars and evening resorts fenced with bamboo. The gourd and calabash used previously to store and sip the wine have been exchanged for the keg and red cup, and tree shades have been replaced by resort canopies. But the palm wine tapper has not changed. "Certain households are called ile elemu, literally translated as 'the house of palm wine tapper,'” says Justus. Each morning, tappers set out from these houses with gourds tied to the tail of their vintage bicycles. They climb palm trees and cut into their bark in clean, measured strokes. Later, they eulogize the gods of the palm tree for that day's bounty. Palm wine also retains its social value. "Why would you drink palm wine alone?" asks Segun Lawal, owner of a palm wine spot called Vibe. For Salako Francis, who says he first got drunk on palm wine when he was four years old, the drink endures because it provides brotherhood and friendship, plus a "link to pre-existing culture." An average palm tree yields less than a liter of sap per day. Due to deforestation, the amount of wine gathered by most tappers has diminished greatly in the last decade. Some tappers and sellers now water down their palm wine or alter it with artificial sugars and yeast. "You can't get the palm wine in its purest form [unless] you go to rural places, where even there's the risk of dilution," says Salako. In the quest for authenticity and exclusivity, some of the wealthiest Nigerians do what the titular Palm-Wine Drinkard did in Tutuola’s novel: employ a tapper whose daily palm wine yields are sold only to them. A popular Yoruba eulogy speaks to the ways palm wine's importance exceeds its financial value: "The tapper taps in gladness / The mistress of tuppence, yet the chased millionaire into the forest / You are that which the horse drank / Drank till it forgot its horns."

Wineries and Local Nurseries Aim to Shape Regional Terroir Posted: 29 Apr 2021 03:32 AM PDT Bundles of dormant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines ready to be planted / Photo courtesy Jessica Dunnam, viticulturist, Results Partners Wine is a global commodity, but does it make for a better product when everything is locally sourced? The history of wine-grape cultivation dates to at least 6,000 B.C., and it's deeply intertwined with the development of civilizations, empires and global trade. Grapes are planted on every continent except Antarctica, and producers craft bottlings from grape varieties indigenous to regions across the planet. But increasingly, winemakers try to source ingredients from closer to home in a bid, they say, to create more authentic and delicious wines. Their reasons are many, and range from concerns over the spread of pests and disease, to logistics and a desire to develop their region's terroir. Harvest being crushed at Wölffer Estate, Long Island, New York / Photo courtesy Wölffer Estate Viruses Local nurseries, some experts argue, can prevent established and new viruses from infecting entire vineyards. "Diseases don't understand boundaries and state lines," says Marc Fuchs, a professor at the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. "We learned that lesson with Covid. Quarantines help, but viruses and diseases can slip through. Some manifest themselves in different ways, depending on weather conditions." Fuchs notes how crown gall, a disease that causes tumor-like growths on grapevines, can transmit between plants in the vineyard. It can ultimately lead to vine death, he adds, and "is a much more serious problem in cool climates, like the Finger Lakes. It can arrive from warmer climates with no symptoms, and then develop during cold snaps." Nurseries go out of their way to keep their plant material clean and free of viruses. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has quarantine and lab-testing protocols in place. Similar measures are imposed by states like California, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Washington. In California, 22 nurseries are enrolled in the state certification program that confirm that vines are free of significant grape pathogens. Other states, like Michigan, have launched virus and pest analysis programs. But for many, these measures aren't enough of a guarantee. "We do see viruses coming in from out of state," says Leigh Bartholomew, the director of viticulture at Results Partners, which works with wineries in the Willamette Valley, Southern Oregon and Washington's Columbia Valley. "It's impossible to be virus free, even if they're certified. It's like antibacterial soap, there will always be something there. Still, we do work with nurseries from out of state if they have rootstock or [varietal grapes] we want, and we institute a strict quarantine program where they are grown far away from other vineyards at first until we are reasonably sure they're virus-free. It's not a perfect, closed system, though." Potted Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines / Photo courtesy Jessica Dunnam, viticulturist, Results Partners Logistics and suitability For others, the decision to use local nurseries is about logistics and meeting the specific needs of their terroir. The perils of sourcing from afar can be illustrated by a vines-in-pots snafu over at Red Newt Cellars in New York's Finger Lakes. "We purchased thousands of vines that were certified virus-free from California, and they showed up in individual pots," says Red Newt's winemaker, Kelby James Russell. "I couldn't believe it. We had to call in extra workers, dig holes and plant them right away to prevent early budding. "We missed the ordering window at our local nurseries, which is why we sourced from them, but there's no way that would have happened if it had been a nursery we had a personal relationship with. They would have caught the error we made ordering online and called us to discuss." A personal relationship with suppliers can smooth many wrinkles, but climate also comes into play when East Coast wineries source from California. "We found that vines from California are too long for us in the Finger Lakes, because here, we have to bury vines to insulate them from the cold in the winter," says Scott Osborn, owner of Fox Run Vineyards. "When we ordered from California, we had to get special equipment to drill down deeper into the soil to properly bury vines. We also found that occasionally we'd get vines that already had buds on them when they arrived. If we plant vines with buds and then get a frost, that's a big problem." Vineyard workers operating a Wagner laser planter at Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes region of New York / Photo courtesy Fox Run Vineyards Russell also notes that rootstock and vines propagated out of state just don't have the "winter hardiness" he seeks. "We had a Riesling clone from Washington that wasn't available in New York, but it didn't perform as expected, and the vines were killed by the terrible winter in 2015," he says. "We've replaced it with the same clone that a local nursery started growing, and it's thriving." There's also some mystery to the exact manner in which terroir works. Russell and others see sourcing local as a way to work within their region's unique climate, but also to create a product that offers a higher level of purity and transparency. For Richie Pisacano, the vineyard manager at Wölffer Estate in Long Island, the goal is to think globally, but source locally. "Today, with so many new clones and the presence of vineyard-debilitating viruses, the process of plant sourcing has become in some ways more difficult," says Pisacano. "I look for clones that I believe will suit our micro-terroir best. They may originate from anywhere in the world, but I prefer them to be propagated as nearby as possible." Grape stomp at Wölffer Estate / Photo courtesy Wölffer Estate Shaping the future Winemakers also see an opportunity to shape the future of their regions through unofficial, but highly effective, partnerships with local nurseries on experimental plantings. "There's a real synergy here between growers and nurseries," says Russell. "We're always running into each other and spitballing ideas, brainstorming. I'll get excited about Gamay Noir, and they'll work on finding a clone that will work here and propagating it in their nursery. "Right now, we have a new half-acre of Scheurebe in the ground from Double A Vineyards. That came from a speculative listing and conversation. Our first commercial vintage will be in 2022, maybe 150 cases, but we think it may have a future here, and not just for us." New plantings of Riesling and an experimental Gamay trial at Red Newt’s Lahoma Vineyard / Photo by Kelby James Russell Bartholomew is also eager to expand Oregon's repertoire. She's currently in the middle of a multiyear trial. "There are really only three rootstocks widely used in Oregon," she says. "And that's not enough. We are partnering with Oregon State University [OSU], and working with 18 rootstocks on one Riesling clone. Several other winegrowers are in on it, too. They give us the vines, OSU helped with the planting and layout of the block, and we're gathering samples to test crop load, ripening variables and other parameters." Ultimately the growers hope to learn how different rootstocks could help them craft better wines by creating vines more resistant to climate change. In the end, to exert absolute control over terroir is an impossibility. Winemakers can only strive to nudge things in a desired direction. Locally propagated clones and rootstock is just one way for producers to utilize an ever-growing network of nurseries across the country and bring out wine's true character.

Depth, Rebellion and Obsession: Heavy Metal Meets Wine Posted: 28 Apr 2021 05:00 AM PDT Illustration by Barbara Spurll At face value, heavy metal and the wine industry seem like an odd couple. On one side you have spikes, patches, denim and leather, and on the other slick and stylish suits (perhaps a monocle). But if you look past the surface, these two categories are far more similar than one might think. Heavy metal has always been my first love. My party animal uncles blasting a steady stream of KISS and other hard rock probably bears most of the blame—er, credit. High school garage bands aside, what does one do when one's passion for all things fast and heavy is isolated in the middle-of-nowhere town of Walla Walla, Washington? I turned to writing and freelanced for publications like Alternative Press and Thrasher in the early 2000s, which helped me hit the road with some big names on tour. This eventually allowed me to land a job at Century Media Records, a label founded in the late 80s that established the careers of many iconic names in metal such as Napalm Death and Behemoth. But after years of touring around the world, doing everything from tour managing to merch sales, I was feeling burnt out and bled dry. So, I hit the "reset button" and headed home. In the eight years I had been gone, the number of wineries in Walla Walla had jumped from 13 to 113 and the region's reputation for exceptional wines was skyrocketing. I decided to dip my toe in the water of this new-to-me realm, first working in online marketing before switching to winery management. Are we talking about a Pinot from the Santa Rita Hills or Sweden's prog-metal maestros Opeth? It didn’t take long to recognize something oddly familiar in the wine world. Those cheesy aesthetic differences quickly faded and, in their place, surprising parallels appeared in just about every category. Each had their share of rockstar personas and adoring fans, of course, but that was just the beginning. There were also the wine and music distributors that could be the saving grace for a winery or band as easily as they could be the bane of either group's existence. Often, a winery with a lot of buzz would get snatched up by a larger corporate entity, which catapulted them to the global stage. Similarly, if a lot of hype surrounded a band, they were often signed onto a large record label, which meant an easier road to touring, marketing and other opportunities for growth. In the press, a stellar review or low score in wine could be the difference between selling out of product or sitting on pallets of it. Similarly, in metal, a great review or front-cover exposure could be the difference between your album being featured proudly on an endcap or collecting dust in the bargain bin. Even terminology and descriptors seemed mirrored between metal and wine: "There are many layers of complexity and details in its deep richness that are revealed over time." Are we talking about a Pinot from the Santa Rita Hills or Sweden's prog-metal maestros Opeth? What I also saw as an endearing trait of each was the continuous quest for knowledge and the granular details of the craft both groups appreciated. Wine drinkers didn't just want to know what they were enjoying, but they'd ask questions such as: "Where was it from?" "Who made it?" "What vintage?" "Was it aged in concrete or barrels, if the latter, how much was new oak?" With metalheads, it was a similar trail of breadcrumbs: "Where is this band from?" "Who produced this record?" "Digital or analog?" "What bands are listed in the 'Thank You' credits?" The enthusiastic zeal shared by adherents in either camp is contagious, and I think many fans are initially hooked by the passion and excitement displayed by those already fully onboard with either wine or metal. However, wine and metal each possess their fair share of insufferable blowhards. You've got your pedantic wine guru espousing the merits of a certain wine with the caveat, "But they're nowhere near the 2009 or 2010 vintages of Bordeaux." This is almost the direct counter part of a metalhead saying thrash metal peaked in the late '80s, or declaring, "Yea, sure, all Iron Maiden is great, but nothing is of the caliber of their first six records." To help combat that, I started a zine, Blood Of Gods, to celebrate wine and metal in equal measure, as well as to poke holes in the elitism and discrimination each are still trying to shake. Generally speaking, metal has used its music and message to challenge the establishment and authority, carving out a niche for intense volume and emotions often missing from the mainstream. In recent years, there has been a growing number of winemakers who are also loudly railing against the outmoded social confines of their industry to make it more inclusive. Heavy metal and wine? An unlikely dynamic duo for pushing against the status quo, but when combined can break down barriers and gatekeeping. This means more fun, a brighter future for each, and the best brutal tunes to mind-blowing libation quotient you’ll ever party to.

10 All-American Rieslings for $26 or Less Posted: 28 Apr 2021 04:30 AM PDT Getty From the East Coast to the West Coast, American Riesling is the perfect companion to any picnic. Riesling's high acidity matched with various levels of sweetness—from bone-dry to luscious—sets the stage for infinite food pairings. The citrus and green fruit tones of zesty dry Rieslings complement grilled chicken salads with fresh garden greens and light, salty bites like deviled eggs. The touch of sweetness in off-dry and medium-dry Rieslings brings out notes of citrus, floral and peach, making it the prefect refreshment for spicy dishes. Intense medium-sweet and sweet versions are the perfect match for tasty desserts, from grilled peaches to Key lime pie. These ten Rieslings hail from Oregon to New York, and can take you from appetizer to dessert. Trefethen 2019 Estate Grown Dry Riesling (Oak Knoll District); $26, 94 points. Entirely steel-tank fermented, this white is crisp and clearly focused in layers of fennel, apple, lemon and apricot. Fresh and complex, it stands well on its own yet should be a beautiful companion to many meals. —Virginie Boone  Montinore 2019 Almost Dry Riesling (Willamette Valley); $18, 93 points. Sourced from old vines with an average age of 37 years, this outstanding wine will show best if it's not over-chilled. Fermented entirely in stainless steel with a German yeast strain, it's smooth and supple, with rounded flavors of apples, citrus, pears and kumquats. The lengthy finish adds a streak of breakfast tea. Editor's Choice. —Paul Gregutt Fess Parker 2019 Rodney's Vineyard Riesling (Santa Barbara County); $25, 92 points. Chiseled granite and crushed gravel aromas make for a very stony entry to the brilliant nose of this bottling, which also offers tight apple-peel scents. The palate sizzles with acidity and grips with mineral-driven tension, allowing struck stone, lemon-pith and lime-peel flavors to compete for deserved attention. Drink now through 2039. Cellar Selection. —Matt Kettmann Chateau Ste. Michelle 2019 Riesling (Columbia Valley); $9, 91 points. The aromas intoxicate, with notes of white peach, lime, jasmine and flower. Off-dry leaning sweeter stone fruit and Nestea Lemon Iced Tea flavors follow, with a strong sense of acidity threading through it. The balance and intensity are exquisite. It's everything one could want from this variety. Best Buy. —Sean Sullivan Poet's Leap 2018 Riesling (Columbia Valley); $20, 91 points. Vibrant aromas of pear, flowers, Meyer lemon and herb are followed by off-dry drinking, medium-bodied Nestea iced tea flavors. Vibrant acidity backs it up, heightening the interest. It's delicious, but give it some time to open up. Editors' Choice. —S.S. Weis 2019 Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes); $18, 91 points. Bright aromas of lemon and lime peels meld with white flowers and pear rind in this zesty dry Riesling. There's good weight to the medium-bodied palate, with persistent juicy orchard fruit flavors propped up by driven acidity. A gentle stoniness creeps in on the midpalate to ground it all, ending with a slightly pithy mouthwatering finish. —Alexander Peartree Willamette Valley Vineyards 2019 Riesling (Willamette Valley); $14, 91 points. The back label indicates this is medium sweet, but it is so perfectly balanced between sugar and acid that it seems just barely off dry and could well accompany a spicy Thai noodle dish or other peppery entrée. Honeysuckle, juicy apple and a touch of white peach all come through in a round and smooth wine with instant appeal. The finish remains bright and tangy. Best Buy. —P.G. Anthony Road 2019 Dry Riesling (Finger Lakes); $18, 90 points. Intense aromas of lime peels, fresh thyme and kerosene carry to the medium-bodied palate. A slightly candied citrus peel flavor chimes in, but a pithy texture and a savory note of crushed salt lend ample balance. It ends dry, savory and lifted, delivering a zesty Riesling that will play well at the dinner table. —A.P. We Recommend: Zalto Denk'Art White Wine Glass Riedel Sommeliers Montrachet/White Burgundy Wine Glass (1) Lakewood 2019 Riesling (Finger Lakes); $15, 90 points. This is a well-balanced semidry Riesling that offers juicy tones of apple and yellow peach, lifted by lots of lemony zing. There's a richness to the fruit but also nice lift that gives this a crisp, refreshing finish. Best Buy. —A.P. Pacific Rim 2019 Sweet Riesling (Columbia Valley); $11, 89 points. Bright aromas of tangerine peel, flower, dried rose petal and citrus are followed by sweet, full feeling citrus flavors and plenty of acidity. There's a lovely sense of balance to it all. Dried rose petal notes linger on the finish. Best Buy. —S.S.

Wine Enthusiast Podcast: Germany’s Au Naturel Challenge Posted: 28 Apr 2021 04:00 AM PDT Illustration by Ellen Surrey It's hard to deny that that "natural wines" are increasingly bantered about these days. From the cool kids who have been into the scene since it began to the newcomers eager to understand and appreciate the minimal intervention mindset, everyone seems to be intrigued by this category of wine and style of winemaking. This interest, of course, extends to winemakers and producers as well. But in cool-climate regions like Germany, with highly challenging weather and disease issues, making wines "au naturel" can be a risky proposition. And yet, many of the country's winemakers are increasingly turning to such vine growing and wine production techniques. For some, converting to organic or biodynamic winemaking is a must-do labor of love. It's hard to ignore the passion expressed not only for their own sites and bottlings, but also for the wines of the country as a whole, for the authenticity that they can represent and respect for the land that yields them. Contributing Editor Anna Lee Iijima speaks with two producers from the Pfalz wine region in western Germany who champion such change: Bettina Bürklin-von Gurazdi of Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, and Hans and Valentin Rebholz from the Rebholz Estate. They offer candid conversation and valuable insight as to why and how this natural change is happening, and why it is vital to the long-term success and sustainability of German wine. To learn more about natural wine, and what exactly it even is, check out this beginner's guide to natural wine. You can also learn more about Georgia's claim to be the spiritual home of natural wine, or how a recent French certification that sought to begin to regulate the category. You can also check out these top natural wine retailers from our America's 50 Best Wine Retailers list of 2020. For more about German wines, don't miss this article about the six regions bringing out the best in German wine, including the Pfalz, or this quick guide to German Riesling.

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