The Wine Voyage

Table of Contents - What Is Verdicchio? - The Two Main Verdicchio Regions - What Does Verdicchio Taste Like? - Verdicchio vs. Pinot Grigio - Food Pairing with Verdicchio - How to Taste Verdicchio with a Group - Bringing This to a Corporate Tasting - Further Reading I'll be honest — Verdicchio wasn't on my radar for years, and I think that's true for most Americans who didn't grow up around Italian wine. It gets overshadowed by Pinot Grigio and Soave in the "Italian white wine" conversation, which is a shame, because it's one of the most food-friendly, age-worthy whites Italy makes. Once I started pouring it for groups, it became one of my favorite "surprise" bottles — people expect a simple, forgettable white and get something with real structure and staying power instead. This guide covers what Verdicchio actually is, where it's grown, what it tastes like, and how it stacks up against the more familiar Italian whites most people already know...

Table of Contents - What Is Alicante Bouschet? - Why the Red Flesh Matters - Where Is Alicante Bouschet Grown? - What Does Alicante Bouschet Taste Like? - Alicante Bouschet vs. Other Deeply Colored Reds - Food Pairings for Alicante Bouschet - Alicante Bouschet's Reputation Problem - Running an Alicante Bouschet Tasting for a Group - Bringing an Alicante Bouschet Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading The first time I poured Alicante Bouschet for a group, someone asked to see the bottle mid-sip because they didn't believe a wine could be that dark. Fair reaction — most red wine gets its color from the skins alone, while the juice underneath stays pale. Alicante Bouschet breaks that rule entirely. Its flesh is red, not just its skin, which means the wine that comes out is nearly opaque, almost black in the glass. That single fact makes it one of the best "wait, what?" grapes I know for a group tasting. This guide covers what Alicante Bouschet actually is, why it's c...

Table of Contents - What Is Alicante Bouschet? - Why the Red Flesh Matters - Where Is Alicante Bouschet Grown? - What Does Alicante Bouschet Taste Like? - Alicante Bouschet vs. Other Deeply Colored Reds - Food Pairings for Alicante Bouschet - Alicante Bouschet's Reputation Problem - Running an Alicante Bouschet Tasting for a Group - Bringing an Alicante Bouschet Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading The first time I poured Alicante Bouschet for a group, someone asked to see the bottle mid-sip because they didn't believe a wine could be that dark. Fair reaction — most red wine gets its color from the skins alone, while the juice underneath stays pale. Alicante Bouschet breaks that rule entirely. Its flesh is red, not just its skin, which means the wine that comes out is nearly opaque, almost black in the glass. That single fact makes it one of the best "wait, what?" grapes I know for a group tasting. This guide covers what Alicante Bouschet actually is, why it's c...

Table of Contents - What Is a Gimlet? - Where the Gimlet Comes From - The Two Recipes, Side by Side - Gimlet vs. Martini vs. Gin Tasting - Building a Group Tasting Around the Gimlet - Common Questions - Bringing a Gimlet Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I've watched more bartenders get into friendly arguments over the Gimlet than almost any other classic cocktail, and the argument is always the same one: does it get fresh lime juice, or does it get Rose's Lime Cordial? Both sides have a legitimate claim to the "real" version, which is rare in the cocktail world and part of what makes the Gimlet such a satisfying drink to actually understand rather than just order. This guide covers where the Gimlet actually comes from, why there are genuinely two correct ways to make it, the recipe and technique for both, and how to turn that built-in disagreement into one of the more entertaining group tastings you can run. What Is a Gimlet? At its simplest, a Gimlet is gin and...

Table of Contents - What Is a Gimlet? - Where the Gimlet Comes From - The Two Recipes, Side by Side - Gimlet vs. Martini vs. Gin Tasting - Building a Group Tasting Around the Gimlet - Common Questions - Bringing a Gimlet Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I've watched more bartenders get into friendly arguments over the Gimlet than almost any other classic cocktail, and the argument is always the same one: does it get fresh lime juice, or does it get Rose's Lime Cordial? Both sides have a legitimate claim to the "real" version, which is rare in the cocktail world and part of what makes the Gimlet such a satisfying drink to actually understand rather than just order. This guide covers where the Gimlet actually comes from, why there are genuinely two correct ways to make it, the recipe and technique for both, and how to turn that built-in disagreement into one of the more entertaining group tastings you can run. What Is a Gimlet? At its simplest, a Gimlet is gin and...

Table of Contents - What Is Cortese, Exactly? - Tasting Profile: What to Expect - Cortese vs. Pinot Grigio vs. Sauvignon Blanc - Food Pairings - Running a Cortese Tasting for a Group - Common Questions - Bringing a Cortese Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading Ask a table of wine drinkers what grape is in a bottle of Gavi and I'd bet most of them can't tell you — even people who've ordered it plenty of times with seafood. That's the thing about cortese: it's been quietly making one of Piedmont's best white wines for centuries, and it's almost never the star of the conversation. Pinot Grigio gets the name recognition, Sauvignon Blanc gets the flavor-forward reputation, and cortese just sits there making genuinely excellent, food-friendly wine that most people drink without ever learning its name. I think that's a shame, and it's also exactly the kind of gap that makes for a great "aha" moment in a tasting. This guide covers what cortese act...