Concha y Toro is the largest winery in Chile. The depth and variety of their portfolio spans many styles, price-points, and varietals. They employ several winemakers; each focuses on a different tier of wines. I recently had lunch with Marcelo Papa at Haven’t Kitchen. He’s the Concha y Toro winemaker responsible, among others, for the Marqués de Casa Concha line. These offerings are single vineyard, site-specific wines. Over lunch we tasted a number of the selections in this range, each paired with a food that showcased a different global influence. The goal was to highlight the ability of their wines to pair with cuisine of various styles from all over the world. If wine pairing is performance, this was a tour de force showing. The foods prepared by Concha y Toro executive chef Ruth Van Waerebeek worked fabulously with Marcelo’s wines. Prior to sitting down to lunch we tasted a few newly launched wines outside the Marques line. Here are the six wines from this afternoon that really struck a chord with me. Head over to The Daily Meal to read the rest.
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Warm weather means the time to drink rosé has arrived, and not a moment too soon for me. There are a number of general things that appeal to me about good, dry rosé. First, since you’re serving them chilled, they tend to be refreshing. Rosé is also often delicious all by itself, but the good ones also tend to be quite food friendly. I just tasted through more than two dozen examples of rosé; these are my favorites from that group.
Real Compañía 2012 Rosado — This Spanish rosé is a blend of garnacha (60 percent) and tempranillo (40 percent). All of the fruit was sourced in the La Mancha area located in Central Spain. Eight hours of skin contact occurred before the juice was bled off. Temperature-controlled fermentation followed. This wine has a suggested retail price of $9.99. Strawberry aromas are abundant on the nose and supported by wisps of fresh cream. The palate is filled with juicy red fruit flavors such as watermelon and cherry. The... Head on over to The Daily Meal to read the whole story...
Whisky comes in all shapes and sizes. Single malt Scotch, which is a particular discipline of whisky from Scotland, also has tons of variables. The first and most obvious is how long it was aged. Next you can start to look at what type of barrel it was aged in and ask if it was aged in more than one type. More and more Scotches are being “finished” in a second type of oak. Often these are barrels that once held sherry, Port, or some other sort of wine or spirit. Many though are aged in a single barrel type. The Glenlivet, which has a history dating to 1824, is one of the most widely available single malts across the U.S. Their portfolio offers a broad range of Scotches to whet the appetites of various palates and budgets. Here’s a look at one of their most popular, available, and value packed offerings. Head over to The Daily Meal to read the rest.
Each year Gambero Rosso visits the United States and hosts the Tre Bicchieri tastings in several American cities. What they’re showcasing is all of the best, most highly regarded wines from Italy the previous year. I’ve been attending the tasting in New York for the last seven or so years, and I can honestly say there isn’t an annual large-scale tasting I look forward to more. The breadth of excellent Italian wine is stunning. Whether you want to focus on a particular grape or style, or your preference is to wander around and survey the bounty, you’re more than likely to find something delicious at every turn. So when a wine or wines really make a strong impression amid such an imposing gathering, it’s noteworthy. This year one of my single favorites was a beautiful sparkling wine from Rotari, head over to my column at The Daily Meal to read about it.