Wine Review: Hazelfern Cellars Pinot Noir 2017

The land that has been Hazelfern Cellars since 2014 was once Hazel Fern Farms, circa 1895. Bryan and Laura Laing come from winemaking families who taught them everything they know about winemaking and they've been making wine together since 2006. But they decided to buy vineyard land when a young cousin passed away and made them realize that life is short, so they went...

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The Ultimate Guide to Chocolate and Wine Pairing

Guest post by Nicholas Rubright of Jordan Winery When it comes to wine and chocolate, there are several similarities. For example, both are used in Valentine’s Day advertisements, and both are made up of antioxidants making them heart-healthy when consumed in moderation. But do wine and chocolate pair well together? Of course they do! The rules to wine...

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Wine Review: Hazelfern Cellars Chardonnay 2017

The land that has been Hazelfern Cellars since 2014 was once Hazel Fern Farms, circa 1895. Bryan and Laura Laing come from winemaking families who taught them everything they know about winemaking and they've been making wine together since 2006. But they decided to buy vineyard land when a young cousin passed away and made them realize that life is short, so they went...

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Wine Quickie: Wente Sandstone Merlot 2015

I had the pleasure to have lunch with Karl Wente in Hyannis back in 2012, and enjoyed a really fascinating conversation about sustainability. He feels doing just a few things things that disqualify you from being fully organic is worth it because it frees you from releasing carbon emissions with diesel tractors. He's a very cool and intelligent guy and it was a good time....

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Cocktail Recipe: Tío Pepe Fino Sherry Dirty Martini

Tío Pepe Fino Sherry is 100% Palomino that sees 4 to 5 years in American oak casks after going through the traditional Solera system. It's a pretty darn good Sherry on its own for the $20 it'll cost you, with that lovely flor yeastiness and nuttiness, but today we're making a cocktail out of this bad boy. Instead of using Vermouth to make a martini, we're using Tío Pepe. WHAT...

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Wine Review: Ashkar Shafaya 2014

This is the last of three wines that I'm reviewing from western Galilee, Israel, in this quick review run for . We started off with the 2016 Julia Samara blend, then did the 2016 Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, and now we're finishing up with the 2014 Askar Shafaya. From Ahkar's website: Ashkar Winery is a boutique winery located on a pastoral...

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Wine Quickie: Casa Santos Lima Portugal Red Blend 2017

So I brought this wine home to see if we should carry it at work. It's a red blend of unnamed native Portuguese grapes and it'll run you about $8. There's lots of jammy plums and black cherries all over the nose and palate, along with fine black table pepper, vanilla, and olives. It's medium bodied with a nicely rich mouthfeel, soft tannins, and a bright acidity. It's...

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Best of Spring 2019!

It's officially summer so here are the Top 5 wines that I reviewed this spring! I reviewed A LOT of wines in the spring, but I was still surprised to see that I handed out EXACTLY five 5/5's. That’s pretty high. And three of them were from one producer! Altaneve dominates the list! #5. AIX Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé 2018 Region: Provence, France Review Release:...

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Wine Review: Julia Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This is the second of three wines that I'm reviewing from western Galilee, Israel, in this quick review run for Terra Sancta. We started off with the 2016 Julia Samara blend, now we're on to the 2016 Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, and then we'll finish with the 2014 Askar Shafaya. The Julia winery was founded in 2012 by the Arraf family in a western...

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Video Unboxing: Forbidden Geek DC Comics Mystery Box #2

How many more times can I say “I love me some”? ...

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TippsySake.com Saké Box #2

First off, I need to thank TippsySake.com for inspiring me take this adventure into the world of Saké. It has been a boatload of fun and the category in my alcohol education that has felt the least like work. A lot of my reading/learning time and adult beverage excitement these days is owed to you. Tippsy is basically a wine club for Saké. You can shop around...

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Beer Quickie: Night Shift "Santilli" American India Pale Ale

Night Shift is out of Everett, Massachusetts, and one of my favorite local breweries. The Santilli is an American style IPA, their flagship beer, and it won the Bronze Medal in the 2016 World Beer Cup for its category. Visually the beer is gold with a little bit of haziness and nose/palate descriptors of pineapple, lime, orange peel, and pine. I'm not a big fan of IPAs...

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Wine Review: Julia Samara 2016

This is the first of three wines that I'll be reviewing from western Galilee, Israel, in this quick review run for Terra Sancta. We're starting off with the 2016 Julia Samara blend, then moving on to the 2016 Julia Cabernet Sauvignon, and finishing with the 2014 Askar Shafaya.  The Julia winery was founded in 2012 by the Arraf family in a western...

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Cocktail Quickie: Round Barn Crantini and Red Sangria cans

Round Barn is a winery, distillery, and brewery in Southern Michigan. After looking at their products, that whiskey and Kolsch of theirs look pretty damn delicious! But right here I have their two most popular items: their canned Crantini and Red Sangria. And guess what? They're awesome! The Red Sangria is tart and extra cripsy and refreshing. It's a Sangria made with...

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Wine Review: Chateau Lamothe Castéra Cuvée "Margaux" Bordeaux 2016

Chateau Lamothe Castera, located in the village of Roquebrune in the Entre-Deux-Mers area region of Bestides, 50 miles from Bordeaux, has been producing wine since the 15th century. Nowadays, Claire and Renaud Jean run this 190 acres winery in the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur AOP. The Vineyards, composed of 30 year old vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are sustainably...

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Wine Bloggers Off-Topic #2: Favorite Superheroes

It's the second Wine Bloggers Off-Topic, and this time it's about everybody's favorite superhero! Not as many people were able to participate this month as last month, but I did recruit a comic blogger just for this one entry. Jim Werner runs the Weird Science DC Comics podcast and website, which I also write reviews for here and there. Let's get nerdy!...

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Wine Review: Domaine de Châteaumar Cuvée Vincent Sélection Côtes-du-Rhone 2017

Châteaumar had been around since the 11th century and has been passed down for generations within the family, now with Jen-Feix and Frederic Souret managing he vineyards today. Their estate is located in the heart of Côtes-du-Rhone, just outside or Orange, where they have 25 acres on stony clay-limestone soil. They also own 12 acres in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. While this...

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Saké Quickie: Momokawa Murai Family Nigori Genshu

Dude! Duuuuuude! This stuff is PHENOMENAL! Nigori means "cloudy" so it's less aggressively filtered as most Saké, leaving residual rice particles to give it a milky white color. Genshu means "undiluted" so it's not watered down to decrease alcohol percentage, thus it has an ABV of 19.8%. Masshigura rice was milled to 75% to make this Saké and man oh man, is this...

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Recipe: Sweet Tea and Lemon Pepper Pork Chops

This has been a favorite of Casa Casco for a few years now, and it's super easy to make! INGREDIENTS: Salt Pepper Lemon Pepper Thyme, preferably lemon thyme Sweet Tea Pork Chops Cholula Hot Sauce (optional) PREPARATION: 1) Use a fork to poke holes in the pork to let the sweet tea really get into the meat 2) Season with salt and pepper 3) Marinate in sweet tea for a...

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Wine Review: Domaine des Gerbeaux Mâcon-Villages 2018

Owned and run by Béatrice and Jean-Michel Drouin since 1979, Domaine des Gerbeaux is located in the village of Solutré-Pouilly. Their families both come from a long line of winemakers and they own a total of fifteen acres of vineyards over different regions in the Mâconnais; from St. Véran, to Pouilly, to Solutré. All of their wines are biodynamic but aren't...

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Wine Quickie: LOVE by Léoube Rosé 2018 and The Bridesmaid's Guide to Rosé

If you like Provence rosé you should enjoy this one because it's everything you want out of the category. Made from 50% Grenache and 50% Cinsault, it's light and crisp and refreshing with strawberries, white peaches, and citrus with a bright and lively acidity that begs for snacks. Excellent for summertime day drinking on the patio. Well, the wedding season is coming...

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Wine Review: Louis Latour Les Pierres Dorées Pinot Noir 2017

What can you say about Louis Latour other than they make some damn good wine? You really can't go wrong with their juice on any of their tier levels from introductory to high end. And they've been around for over 220 years! Since 1797 they've been based in Burgundy, France, but they recently decided to expand their operations further down south to... Beaujolais?!? YUP!...

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June Wine Pick: AIX Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence Rosé 2018

Here we go! It's finally June! I don't have a long read article planned for this month because I'll be doing a ton of learnin' about Saké. But here's what I have penciled in right now: Wine Bloggers Off-Topic returns for a second installment (email me at joeycasco80@gmail.com if you want to participate) and Tippsy Saké returns to the blog with a very special Facebook promo....

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