Washington State Red Wines: California & Bordeaux Have Met Their Match!

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It wasn’t too long ago (30-40 years) that Bordeaux was THE red wine, and no other wine could compete.  Thanks to the Tasting of Paris in 1976, this was proven to be false; California could also make red wines equal in caliber to those from Bordeaux.  The most recent contender in this on-going battle is Washington State.

In 2009, Wine Spectator named Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 the #1 wine of the year; not many wineries can put that on their resume.  A bottle of Quilceda Creek Estate Cabernet Sauvignon can cost $150-$175, depending on the vintage, but show me a Bordeaux or a Napa Cab that has those same scores and costs about the same; there aren’t many.  Washington State wines are the newest gems in the wine world and, little by little, they are getting noticed.  I love that Washington State wines are still in the dark because the quality of wine isn’t compromised by sales. Continue reading Washington State Red Wines: California & Bordeaux Have Met Their Match!

The Forefathers of Bourbon

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Due to Bourbon’s popularity these days and the recent passing of our nation’s birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to discus the history and the exact requirements that go into producing our country’s official spirit. It is fairly easy to figure out how Irish whiskey or Scotch Whisky got their names, but the way Bourbon got its name is slightly more convoluted.  How Bourbon became Bourbon is really an interesting story.

It all started in 1791 when the Continental Congress put a tax on whiskey production in order to help pay for America’s debt.  So angry were the the settlers of Western Pennsylvania that they refused to pay!  As tensions escalated George Washington was forced to send the Continental Army to stop a potential uprising.  However the situation turned out to be trickier to solve than anticipated and in order to prevent any political humiliation and further trouble with the stubborn Scotch-Irish, Washington came to an agreement with them by offering them incentives for moving to Kentucky (then part of Virginia). Continue reading The Forefathers of Bourbon

Wine Existentialism

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My fellow colleagues-in-wine and I are always discussing, debating, and arguing about hot wine topics.  Sometimes it’s about oak, over-extraction of fruit, old world v. new world, and of course…terroir.  We also discuss what makes a wine good and what sells, and we often find that the good wines don’t sell.

A couple weeks ago, Patrick wrote about Malbec and it’s rise and fall.  Weeks before, Nic wrote about the concept of terroir. These blogs are the result of our on-going conversations.  Both blogs got my attention. Continue reading Wine Existentialism

Summer Tasting at NARA Park in Acton: Tuesday, July 26

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Colonial Spirits will sponsor wine and beer tasting from popular brewers and vineyards, food tastings from local restaurants including Slow Pokes BBQ, Moe’s Southwest Grille, Sweet Bites and more. Music is sponsored by Acton Jazz Café. This event is $10 per person and open to the public. Register on-line www.mwcoc.com or pay at the door. Please call 978-263-0010 for more information.

The Death of Malbec

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I’ve noticed something funny about Malbec recently… it’s everywhere.  Even the 99, hardly renowned for its wine list, has a Malbec.  The latest big red craze has gone beyond the first stage of people simply buying it, to magazine coverage, to the tier of restaurants who always seem to be the last to react to wine trends.

In addition to writing a blog and doing plenty of talking with customers at the shop, my primary responsibility continues to be making sure that the fine wines are stocked.  While not especially glamorous, this does give me a ground zero view of trends among our customers, and what I’ve noticed in the past couple of months is this:  Malbec has slowed to a crawl.  Where once I had to make two passes a week through Argentina, now if need be I can skip a week safely.  It seems as though, again, the fashions are shifting. Continue reading The Death of Malbec