Imbibe Magazine

AUGUST 30, 2024

In a craggy corner of New York state, the Finger Lakes might not strike you as the ideal place to grow wine grapes. But this region produces some of America’s best bottles, says Erika Frey, a wine educator and co-founder of Saperica , a nonprofit organization that hosts an annual Finger Lakes wine fair, Saperavi Festival.

Wine 132

Wine Bottling 132

Drinkhacker

JUNE 7, 2024

Il Blu — denoted by its blue label — is the wine that “put Brancaia on the map.” Never even remotely sweet, this is a brooding wine for a serious meal, silky but dense and, ultimately, quite weighty. Pair it with a meal of the appropriate gravity and you’re in for quite a night.

Wine 90

Wine 90

Imbibe Magazine

FEBRUARY 20, 2024

In 2017, she founded the Hue Society to champion inclusivity in the wine industry and was named an Imbibe 75 Person to Watch in 2020. Since then, she’s continued to rack up accolades, such as VinePair ’s 2022 Advocate of the Year and Wine Enthusiast ’s 2023 Social Visionary of the Year. But it just doesn’t happen,” she explains.

Sommelier 258

Sommelier Wine Beer 258

Drinkhacker

MARCH 4, 2024

Maturing in 100% French oak for 18 months, the wine presents bold notes of spiced plum and dark chocolate at the forefront. As the wine evolves in the glass, it reveals deeper layers of complexity, with currant notes, a subtle hint of smoked sage, and blackberry that is muted at first but gradually builds in intensity with time.

Wine 92

Wine 92

Drinkhacker

JULY 9, 2024

This bottle slipped through the cracks in our most recent roundup of top Virginia wines , so we’re making up for the oversight and covering it solo. A- / $41 / musevineyards.com The post Review: 2020 Muse Vineyards Petit Verdot Shenandoah Valley appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking.

Wine 83

Wine Bottling 83

Drinkhacker

DECEMBER 6, 2023

This wine is invariably a monster , and the 2020 vintage is no exception to that rule, Inky purple-black, it is initially slightly off-putting with its tarry notes of the blackest of berries and the darkest of chocolates — notes of blackened oak barrels and licorice candies never far from reach.

Wine 75

Wine 75

Drinkhacker

JULY 11, 2024

At the top of Stags’ Leap Winery’s mountain of Cabernet Sauvignon releases sits The Leap, a heavy-duty wine that, in this incarnation, is composed of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petite Sirah, 3% Malbec, and 1% Merlot. Top-notch stuff.

Wine 86

Wine 86

Drinkhacker

MAY 27, 2024

As for white wines, they aren’t produced on the Right Bank — only the Left Bank makes these blends, which are built around sauvignon blanc, sémillon, and muscadelle. If you’re drinking White Bordeaux, it’s a Left Bank wine. Thoughts follow. Thoughts follow. A- / $35 The post Review: Left Bank Bordeaux from Ch.

Wine 90

Wine Bottling 90

Drinkhacker

FEBRUARY 17, 2024

A few weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to someone’s lovely home in the central Kentucky countryside to enjoy an evening focused exclusively on wines from Napa’s Rutherford Valley. Quality was not in short supply, with many hard-to-find vintages or bottles attainable in highly specialized shops.

Wine 90

Wine Bottling 90

Drinkhacker

DECEMBER 8, 2023

2020 Echolands Rubrum – A Bordeaux blend, the wine is made with 40% Cabernet Franc, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, and 3% Petit Verdot. This wine pours dark, dark purple in the glass. The wine has good structure, with generous acidity and well-integrated tannins. Let’s give them a try.

Wine 77

Wine 77

VinePair

NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Check out the best wines from previous years here ! As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on the standout wines we’ve tasted this year at VinePair HQ. Here are the top 50 wines of 2024, tasted and reviewed by VinePair’s tasting panel.

Wine 135

Wine Bottling 135

Drinkhacker

APRIL 9, 2024

B+ / $26 / mascotavineyards.com The post Review: 2020 Mascota Vineyards Unanime Malbec appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking. It pairs quite well with grilled dishes during the summer months but could also complement a quality block of Cheddar or Gouda beautifully regardless of the season.

Wine 106

Wine 106

VinePair

NOVEMBER 11, 2024

With a seemingly endless number of producers making dozens of varieties, finding a quality bottle of red wine for an affordable price can often feel like looking for the needle in a haystack. From Cabernet Francs and Cabernet Sauvignons , to Syrahs and Austrian Zweigelts, these are the 15 best red wines under $25 to drink in 2024.

Wine 130

Wine Bottling 130

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 10, 2024

2020 Castello di Gabbiano Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG – Bright and immediately pleasing, this offers a classic Chianti experience with a brisk fruit profile of bold cherry notes tempered by a touch of orange peel, wet leather, and tobacco leaf. A- / $33 castellogabbiano.it

Bottling 97

Bottling Wine 97

Drinkhacker

JANUARY 20, 2024

Generations later, they’ve diversified and now rely largely on wine as their primary export. A- / $38 / langetwins.com The post Review: 2020 LangeTwins Thirty Eight Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Jahant appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking.

Wine 92

Wine 92

Drinkhacker

OCTOBER 15, 2024

Peak wine season is upon us, and with it come some questions: Is the 2021 or the 2020 the better buy? Not a huge number of changes from last year, though a few vintages from 2020 and 2021 have been added to the list for certain regions. So you can tell the difference whether you use a color or black & white printer.)

Wine 88

Wine 88

Drinkhacker

JUNE 4, 2024

A return appearance of Beaulieu Vineyard on this site should not come as a surprise, given our track record of reviewing and enjoying the Rutherford-based vineyard’s diverse range of wines.

Wine 94

Wine Bottling 94

Drinkhacker

APRIL 8, 2024

A- / $20 / trivento.com The post Review: 2020 Trivento Golden Reserve Malbec appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking. This is most certainly ready to drink now and can work as a standalone but a rich, hearty pairing of food allows this to show off its versatility.

Bottling 84

Bottling Wine 84

Drinkhacker

JUNE 14, 2024

These include the more traditionally styled Finca El Otero 2019 and the brand new contemporary El Espino 2020. All three wines are made from 100% Tinta del País. Ringed around the edges with baking spice, the wine avoids falling into an over-sweetened trap and allows touches of licorice and nutmeg to cling to the sides of the mouth.

Wine 101

Wine Bottling 101

Drinkhacker

APRIL 19, 2024

A- / $90 / elevenelevenwines.com The post Review: 2020 Eleven Eleven XI Cabernet Sauvignon Oak Knoll District appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking. The enduring finish is touched with notes of allspice and a shot of cherry juice.

Bitters 100

Bitters Wine 100

Spiritz

MARCH 29, 2024

China has scraped tariffs on Australian wine. Australia and China are rebuilding trade ties after a period of strained relations which hit a low in 2020 after Australia called for an independent investigation into the origin of Covid-19. We welcome this outcome, which comes at a critical time for the Australian wine industry.

Wine 109

Wine Bottling 109

Drinkhacker

NOVEMBER 16, 2024

This year the winery celebrates its 200th anniversary, and it’s still at it today, turning out a range of wines both white and red from this storied island. Versatile but extremely gentle, almost a wisp of a wine that quickly fades from view. Today we look at a trio of offerings from the Duca clan. B+ / $80 duca.it

Wine 81

Wine Bottling 81

Drinkhacker

AUGUST 2, 2024

Nested within California’s Paso Robles district along the Central Coast, Continental Vineyards (CV) is a sister label to Broken Earth Winery, releasing only wines sourced from its estate vineyards, produced in highly limited editions and only during exceptional vintage years. It will be well worth the wait.

Wine 91

Wine Bottling 91

Drinkhacker

JUNE 8, 2024

Wines by Joe is a second label for Dobbes Family Wines — Joe being Joe Dobbes. These are Oregon-based wines from all over the state — and nothing in the mix priced above 20 bucks. We received a trio of wines from the current vintage for review. Thoughts follow. Thoughts follow. Great value.

Wine 95

Wine 95

Cheers

DECEMBER 3, 2024

We asked the Cheers national wine panel to taste and rate their favorite pours from this past year. RATING SYSTEM Five Stars (92-100): A top-flight wine. Four Stars (86-91): A very good wine and an excellent value. A wine for which customers will keep coming back. This is THE wine for holiday dinners.

Wine 52

Wine Bottling 52

VinePair

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

And spending time perusing wine shop shelves while internally panicking about how you need to baste the turkey in 15 minutes is no fun. We compiled our top Thanksgiving wine picks so you can shop with ease and get back in time to “shoo” everyone out of the kitchen. Read on for the 30 best wines to drink this Thanksgiving.

Wine 105

Wine Bottling Alcohol Brandy 105

Drinkhacker

JULY 3, 2024

Today we are fortunate to cover a quintet of wines from the storied operation, including a white blend, three Chianti Classicos, and a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano — offering a broad look at the various styles coming out of the winery. 2021 vintage is pictured, but 2020 was tasted.) Let’s dive in. Let’s dive in.

Wine 80

Wine Bottling 80

Cheers

OCTOBER 1, 2024

For our latest round of wine reviews, we asked our national wine panel to taste and rate American Wines. If you’d like to submit wines for review, please do so through our Wine Stars app. Four Stars (91-86): A very good wine and an excellent value. A wine for which customers will keep coming back.

Wine 92

Wine Bottling 92

Cheers

MARCH 22, 2024

We asked the our national wine panel to taste and rate Old World wines from this past year. As always, these selections include brief tasting notes, a rating and the wine’s retail price (which can vary from store to store and market to market). Four Stars (91-86): A very good wine and an excellent value.

Wine 91

Wine Bottling Alcohol 91

Drinkhacker

APRIL 13, 2024

We’ve covered wines from the sprawling Gonzalez Byass portfolio on many occasions, and today we look at a small collection of warm-climate bottlings, made alternately in Spain’s Ribera del Duero, Rioja and the Apalta region of Chile. A- / $28 2020 Primus The Blend D.O. All are very affordable. Let’s dive in.

Wine 100

Wine Bottling 100

Drinkhacker

DECEMBER 24, 2023

2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Organic Malbec – A 100% Malbec big with dark notes of violet, blackberry and dark chocolate. A- / $37 2020 Domaine Bousquet Ameri Organic Red Blend – A blend of 60% Malbec, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 10% Merlot.

Bottling 77

Bottling Wine 77

VinePair

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

One would assume that the countries that drink the most wine in the world would remain pretty enthusiastic about the beverage, but this year, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Wine Industry Report , sharing current data on wine trends, including a list of the top 10 countries that consume the most wine. is the No.

Wine 131

Wine Alcohol 131

VinePair

NOVEMBER 7, 2024

The sky is falling , or at least that’s the sense one gets when reading wine industry news over the past year. Every morning, my email inbox cues up yet another dirge of reports on grape gluts , government bailouts , bankruptcies , and generational reckonings for wine and alcohol in general. Charles Smith Wines is an iconic brand.

Wine 128

Wine Bitters Beer Alcohol 128

VinePair

JUNE 5, 2024

The red wines of Portugal are a melange of relatively unfamiliar grapes, often joined together in blends that distinguish the country from so many other wine regions where single-varietal wines dominate. Some of the wines are still labeled as such.

Wine 98

Wine Bottling Alcohol 98

Chilled Magazine

APRIL 24, 2024

After discovering a passion for wine in a small plate, Spanish & Italian-inspired restaurant, Gabriella briefly explored consulting and ventures outside the industry before returning to join the opening team at Flor, the second restaurant of the Lyle’s team. How concentrated is the wine? What is the dream wine for this dish?”

Wine 130

Wine Sommelier Club Bottling 130

Drinkhacker

JUNE 30, 2024

Dark, dense, and a little bit pruny, this is a wine that hits the palate with a rich thickness, rolling over the tongue en route to a core of plum, currants, and tart black cherries. Pushy notes of graphite, turned earth, and anise give the wine a very savory start, with restrained notes of cherry adding a mild but welcome note of fruit.

Wine 82

Wine Bottling 82

VinePair

DECEMBER 13, 2023

The vast area in the south of France — often combined with neighboring Roussillon to the west as Languedoc-Roussillon — is not only the country’s largest wine region, but the biggest in the world with about 700,000 acres under vine. The soils include alluvial, chalk, limestone, and gravel, which inform many of the best wines.

Wine 98

Wine Infusions Bottling 98