Photo: Blake Wisz via Unsplash
Let's talk Vermouth!
If you're thinking, "Booooring!", well stop that right now because Vermouth has gotten a She's All That-style makeover and is ready to go to the dance with YOU. Or just sit on your front porch and talk for hours. Whatever. Because that's just the kind of drink Vermouth is--easy going, versatile, and there for you.
Most of us know Vermouth as a wallflower. It plays a crucial supporting role in classic cocktails like the Martini and the Manhattan, but beyond that, it's not the most popular bottle on the shelf. In fact, it's not always clear where you would locate Vermouth in your local liquor store. Is it a liqueur? A mixer? A wine?
Let's straighten that part out right away. Vermouth is a wine! A fortified wine, to be exact. Fortified wines are neutral grape spirits that have been aromatized with flavorful herbs and botanicals. Are you familiar with Sherry or Port? Those are fortified wines, too! The practice of fortifying originated hundreds of years ago as a way...
Photo: Nick Scheerbart via Unsplash
Hello from my house!
Isn't that where we all are during this COVID-19 pandemic? Inside of our houses?
One of the only true pleasures of these long days of self-isolation is that nature walks and moments outside are PLENTIFUL. Some of us can even see our friends and family by carefully meeting up with them in socially distant-safe spaces. Like the woods! Or a sprawling state park. A couple of lawn chairs in a big green space is the only way to party these days.
And guess what! There's a canned wine for that situation. The intrepid and ever-inspiring Broc Cellars has made their Love Wines walkable.
[above photos by Vinnie Biskupic]
Winemaker Chris Brockway champions minimal intervention winemaking techniques and ethical farming practices, and his Love Wines are crafted to express this mission while also being super affordable. Gotta love a wine that makes your heart AND your wallet feel good, right? And now that Brockway's Love Red and Love White blends are available in cans, the...
Photo: boxerbrand.com
What gets winegrower Fred Peterson out of bed in the morning? “For me, the motivation is that every day is so different in the wine business,” he says. And it’s true. Fred Peterson and his son, winemaker Jamie, never set out to make the same wine twice at Peterson Winery in Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma County.
Fred and Jamie thrive on the fact that each day, each year, is a new adventure in the vineyard. They consider it their job to harness whatever is naturally occuring at any given time and put in a bottle for you to enjoy.
This gentle way of winemaking is what the Petersons call Zero Manipulation. This philosophy emphasizes traditional winemaking practices in order to maximize each wine’s naturally occurring flavors and textures. As their website states, “Fred and Jamie celebrate vintage differences and don’t tweak or homogenize the wine to obtain consistency of flavors, a common practice in mass-market wineries.”
Fred says that this delicate balance all starts in the vineyard,...
