The Wine Voyage

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...

Table of Contents - What Is Lagrein? - Where Lagrein Comes From - Lagrein vs. Teroldego vs. Schiava - Food Pairings - Building a Group Tasting Around Lagrein - What to Look For When Buying Lagrein - Common Questions - Bringing a Lagrein Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I wrote up Teroldego a few weeks back and kept mentioning its closest relative in the comparison table without ever giving that grape its own moment. That's Lagrein, and honestly, it deserves better than a supporting role. It's the deeper, richer, more chocolate-driven cousin in that family of near-black Alpine reds, grown just up the valley from Teroldego in Alto Adige, and it consistently surprises people who assume a region famous for crisp, aromatic whites like Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio couldn't possibly also produce something this dark and structured. Lagrein is the wine I reach for when I want to show a group how much a single mountain valley can shift what a grape becomes. Same rough geneti...

Table of Contents - What Is Lagrein? - Where Lagrein Comes From - Lagrein vs. Teroldego vs. Schiava - Food Pairings - Building a Group Tasting Around Lagrein - What to Look For When Buying Lagrein - Common Questions - Bringing a Lagrein Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I wrote up Teroldego a few weeks back and kept mentioning its closest relative in the comparison table without ever giving that grape its own moment. That's Lagrein, and honestly, it deserves better than a supporting role. It's the deeper, richer, more chocolate-driven cousin in that family of near-black Alpine reds, grown just up the valley from Teroldego in Alto Adige, and it consistently surprises people who assume a region famous for crisp, aromatic whites like Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio couldn't possibly also produce something this dark and structured. Lagrein is the wine I reach for when I want to show a group how much a single mountain valley can shift what a grape becomes. Same rough geneti...

Table of Contents - What Is a White Russian? - Where the White Russian Actually Comes From - The Correct Ratio and How to Build It - White Russian Variations Worth Knowing - Building a Group Tasting Around the White Russian - Common Questions - Bringing a White Russian Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I still get asked to make a White Russian at almost every event I work, and it's almost never because someone actually loves the drink on its own merits — it's because of a movie. That's a strange thing for a cocktail's legacy to hinge on, but it's the truth, and it's part of what makes this one so fun to actually break down for a group. Underneath the pop-culture baggage is a genuinely well-built drink: three ingredients, real balance, and a history that has nothing to do with bowling alleys or Los Angeles. This guide covers what a White Russian actually is, where the name and the drink really come from, the ratio that separates a well-made glass from a cloy...

Table of Contents - What Is a White Russian? - Where the White Russian Actually Comes From - The Correct Ratio and How to Build It - White Russian Variations Worth Knowing - Building a Group Tasting Around the White Russian - Common Questions - Bringing a White Russian Tasting to Your Team - Further Reading I still get asked to make a White Russian at almost every event I work, and it's almost never because someone actually loves the drink on its own merits — it's because of a movie. That's a strange thing for a cocktail's legacy to hinge on, but it's the truth, and it's part of what makes this one so fun to actually break down for a group. Underneath the pop-culture baggage is a genuinely well-built drink: three ingredients, real balance, and a history that has nothing to do with bowling alleys or Los Angeles. This guide covers what a White Russian actually is, where the name and the drink really come from, the ratio that separates a well-made glass from a cloy...

Table of Contents - What Is Gros Manseng? - Gros Manseng vs. Petit Manseng - Where Gros Manseng Comes From - Food Pairings - Building a Group Tasting Around Gros Manseng - What to Look For When Buying Gros Manseng - Common Questions - Further Food and Occasion Pairings - Further Reading Every time I pour Petit Manseng for a group and someone asks "is there a dry version of this," the honest answer is that they're really asking about a different grape entirely: Gros Manseng. It's Petit Manseng's higher-yielding, thinner-skinned sibling, and while Petit Manseng gets nearly all the attention for its passerillage dessert wines, Gros Manseng quietly does the real workhorse job of Southwest France's dry white wine production. It deserves its own guide, not just a footnote in someone else's. This piece covers what Gros Manseng actually is, how it differs from its more famous relative, what it tastes like, how to pair it, and how to build a group tasting that fina...