Baron of Beverage

This past Sunday night the Baroness and I reached into the cellar to enjoy a bottle from our honeymoon – 2006 Elyse Winery C’est Si Bon.

We learned some things in this podcast:

But beyond that – we were treated to an excellent example of a California example of Southern Rhone-style Grenache based red wine (think Châteauneuf-du-Pape).

On a late Friday morning I had the opportunity to visit a local distillery here in Baltimore – Old Line Spirits. Meeting Arch and Mark, touring their new (2015) facilities, and hearing the story of their beginnings was a real treat. The tasting that followed was a even more so – one that left me not wanting to finish the business of the day, but rather start the weekend early.

Arch & Mark are somewhat unique in terms of a start-up in that they bought an distillery/business from a gentleman out in Washington State who was looking to retire. They spent some time mentoring out west, learning his methods/recipes/et al and then packed up and moved everything (including some barrels of whiskey distilled as far back as 2011) back to their home in Maryland.

Since apprenticing with that award-winning artisan distiller, they’ve began their process here by not making any ‘new tweaks’ other than everything that will change in terroir simply from the move. Once they’ve got a consistent handle on that (which should be soon), the tweaks, changes, and creatively that seems bubbling under the surface at Old Line Spirits will come to light.

For now – they’ve got a very enjoyable single malt whiskey, finished in a new, charred oak barrel, which achieves a whiskey experience that straddles the fences between the whiskey worlds old and new. They also have two quality Caribbean rums that lend them selves for both sipping and mixing. For the time being the rums are brought in as a finished spirit, wholly produced in the islands, and brought via their relationships. However, soon they will be using some of their ex-whiskey barrels add a new finish to it – and I for one am looking forward to tasting that and anything else they have in store for the future. I could wax on…but you can either read about them on their website, or better yet if you’re within driving distance, make a trip to visit them yourselves. And if you’re not, they have a handy app on their site that let’s you find places that carry their products.

Earlier this week I had a ‘golden’ opportunity to enjoy lunch with an up and coming winemaker – Michael Accurso from Goldeneye Winery, located in Anderson Valley, CA. Goldeneye is part of the larger Duckhorn Vineyards family of wines and work (almost exclusively) with Pinot Noir. [There are other varietals available direct to consumer at the vineyard.]

In  our conversation over lunch, Michael describes Anderson Valley as having a bit of a ‘wild west’ atmosphere when is comes to wine making as compared to the valley’s southern neighbors Napa & Sonoma. He has used that freedom  – accompanied by excellent soil, diurnal temperature shifts, and about 1/6 of the available acreage for wine grapes – to produce some beautifully elegant, complex and lush Pinot Noirs.

Join us as we discuss this along with tasting their 2013 Goldeneye Gowan Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Last week I was traveling for business in East Lansing, MI – but I was still able to squeeze in an interview with Quinn Sioma of ROAK Brewing Co.

The atmosphere sounds a bit raucous at HopCat, but I was able to discuss 3 distinct and different ales with Quinn: Awesomesauce -an English Pale Ale with wheat, Blow Your Face Out – a Double IPA; and  Live Wire, an American IPA.

BTW – If you’re a craft beer lover and get a chance to check out a HopCat – do it!

Some say that Scotch whisky isn’t necessarily a warm, weather drink. And some say that any day that ends in a ‘y’ is a good day for a wee dram. As luck would have it, this afternoon one of the Baron’s reps came by to discuss future projects and left him with a parting gift – a generous pour of Glenfiddch 21 Year Old.

Since it’s not my nature to be selfish when enjoying my beverages, I flipped through my mental Roladex and quick texted a friend who might be nearby and able to meet with me to enjoy and review with me. Joe Satava, who is an excellent pianist (& a hobby mixologist – from whom I was referred to the hot chocolate recipe) was able to squeeze in a few minutes to sit outside with me for this, uh….task.

This exceptional spirit is aged for a minimum of 21 years in ex-Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry casks before being finished for four months in specially selected rum casks. This treatment results in some beautiful tropical fruit and citrus notes – and as you’ll hear lends itself quite nicely to being enjoyed in the summer weather.

Sláinte!

So during my last trip to visit my parents, my dad wanted to share with me a cocktail he had recently learned how to make from a local bartender the El Jefe.

The BoB has seen several cocktails with this name (including one with gin), but this one uses a more traditional tequila – because, whoever heard of a Londoner with the nickname ‘el jefe’? And while many of the more common recipes call for pineapple juice, amaretto, and Grand Marnier (or triple sec), the recipe my dad was gifted from one of his local watering holes features elder-flower liqueur, fresh strawberries, & basil – which de-emphasizes the sweetness and results in a much more balanced and nuanced cocktail.

Something perfect for a spring or summer afternoon.

Cheers!

While visiting with my parents I thought it’d be fun to record a couple of episodes with them on my vacation. After all, they have had a great influence on my life in terms of the wide variety of different beverages I enjoy. I mentioned this to my parents, who seemed kindly interested, but rather less enthused than I was with the idea.

But when my dad decided to pull out 2 beers for us to enjoy together – made by my older brother Walter almost two years ago, I knew I had to capture the moment on the fly. [i.e. whipping out my phone and pressing record.]

So, this podcast lacks my usual intro, and those in the background weren’t aware we were recording. But what we captured was a one of a kind experience – and perhaps have hit upon the next craft beer craze.

Earlier this week I was able to sit down and chat with Bob Iantosca, Executive Winemaker, from Gloria Ferrer. Bob is a pioneer in the sparkling wine-making business – bringing Pinot Noir & Chardonnay clones from the Champagne and Burgundy regions of France to Carneros to test and develop for production of sparkling wine there in the early 1980’s.

Our conversation ranged from what he considers one of the best sparkling wine values on the market right now (Gloria Ferrer Royal Cuvee 2007) to how overcoming challenges (rolling blackouts) can turn into making better wine.

Cheers!