Rick black fruit flavors, plus fig paste and chocolate, waft up from the glass. Blackberries, dried fig, and chocolate lay in a bed of soft tannins. Balance is marvelous, with enough acid to keep the fruit from getting cloying. The blackberry and fig linger forever. This is a marvelous glass
(This story originally ran on November 11, 2009. At Palate Press we salute the Veterans of every war for freedom and justice.) This story comes from the war diary of my grandfather, Archie Brick, one of the first Americans in Europe in World War I. It is the story of
The color is very pale, clear around the edge, a translucent brick red in the center. Strawberries and brambles show on the nose. On the palate, the stalks included in fermentation show as brambles, while sweet strawberry from the nose gets more complex on the palate. Cranberry, raspberry, and sage
The color is a pretty light gold. The nose show pear and mango, with hints of pepper in the background. It shows round and soft on the palate, with ripe pear, hints of mango, and the lightest touch of sweet lemon. The finish is fruity, with a jalapeño tingle around
Even if they've drunk it before, most everyone experiences a serious first encounter with wine – one moment when you know you’ve really latched onto something magical. When I escaped Appalachia after college, the people I associated with, first academics and journalists, then corporate types, mainly drank cocktails, starting at
This is a delightfully complex and delicious wine. The nose shows apples, pears, and honeysuckle. It's tighter on the palate and could clearly continue to get more round and open over 2-3 years. On the palate it leads with green apples, firm pear, with lemon zest on the mid-palate. The
This very reasonably priced American Whiskey is made in Kansas from locally sourced corn, rye, wheat and barley, and aged for 18 months in American oak. It is a golden hue, with a touch of red. Aromas of caramel, vanilla, and sweet tobacco leaf waft up from the glass. The
The color is a very pale coral. There are aromas of strawberries and candied cherries. It is more tart on the palate, and a little disjointed. Light flavors of strawberry and maraschino cherries are there, and so is lime. Drink with hot dogs on a hot day. Recommended. 86 points.