Drinking on the Edge

Vinho Verde has of late risen in quality and availability. A close and arguably more inspired cousin to this broad category of mostly white wine made in Portugal's vast, northern Minho region is the Cerdeira family's Soalheiro winery in Melgaço.

As the pioneer for the increasing quality of his region's Alvarinho grape variety--a.k.a. Spain's Albariño--I'd the pleasure in 2011 of visiting the inspiration for this, João, accompanied by his then-young son Luís. With many bottles of Soalheiro enjoyed before & after visiting Portugal's restaurants, and when living in England and here, I revisited it taking a DotE deep dive with Luís who oversees the family estate alongside his sister Maria and their mother Maria.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

Following a decades-long career as a book editor for the likes of Dan Rather, Stephen Hawking, and Arthur Schlesinger Jr. while founding the Hudson Chatham Winery, Carlo DeVito took it upon himself to venture into authoring several successful books about American spirits and other matters. He also is a winemaking consultant to New Jersey wineries.

In this episode of Drinking on the Edge he shares some of rye's illustrious history, agricultural significance, and reasons why it's in the midst of a resurgence of popularity. Historic and technical details abound coupled with broad strokes of amusing anecdotes.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

Upon graduating from Vassar College, Nicole Sierra-Rolet floated into an expected, successful Manhattan career in international relations. Upon meeting an intriguing Frenchman her life took a widely divergent course which led her, her eventual husband, and his family in France to develop La Verrière. With time and effort from this Provençal property grew Chêne Bleu, a wine brand cultivated with native grapes--Grenache, Syrah, Rolle and more--of southern France. But with projects like Areni Global, a sometime wine school, and developing her alma mater's Institute of Liberal Arts, Sierra-Rolet hasn't and won't rest.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

From diving into his wines with foods of many kinds, Skouras family scion Dimitris details how his father and he for decades have been at the forefront of modernizing Greek wines. David recounts how early in his career these then-outlying, affordable Greek wines turned his head and laments that they're no longer so cheap albeit for good reason. This interview was spurred from David's visit to Skouras and other Nemea wine producers in March 2019 as pandemic was percolating across the Adriatic Sea in Italy.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

Philippe's a living, dynamic force hailing from a venerable lineage of Alsace's finest vintners. Concerned not only with his family's heritage and its modern vinous expressions, he's long espoused progressive means of incorporating his work and life as one through calculated applications of natural procedures in the vineyard and his life.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

New York's Finger Lakes region, famed for its farmed grapes and grains, has grown from a summer-only respite from city life into a year-round destination location for all manner of adult beverage producers. While wine remains #1 and continues to grow, brewers and distillers (and cideries) have recently bloomed tasing advantage of its rich agricultural heritage and scenic surroundings.

This DotE explores a sliver of the finest the FLX offers. Native daughter Nova Cadamatre returned during the Covid Era from California with her family after achieving wine biz greatness as lead winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery and earning the rare Master of Wine assignation to open her and her husband's Trestle 31 Vineyard.

Along the shores of Seneca Lake, FLX Distilling's Brian McKenzie staked out his claim several years ago as the area's first microdistillery, and one focused on using locally-sourced grains. A founding member of the Empire Rye initiative, Brian's neighborliness extends to sharing his knowledge and used barrels with his friends at Lucky Hare Brewing, so he spoke not only about his fine spirits but also some beers he's keen on.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff

In an effort to set the bar weirdly, David's first Drinking on the Edge was buoyed by a round of unusual beers, wines, and spirits. First up were two Belgian beers from the relatively large (for Belgium) Timmerman's brewery; a 2012 vintage Gueuze and a 2019 Kriek (cherry) shared with Epicurean regular Mike. Secondly he popped corks on two bottles of Spain's leading bubbly, Cava; a fresh & young basic brut from Vilarnau best-suited for relaxing after (or during) a tough day at work, the second a serious 2015 vintage Gran Reserva from Roger Goulart.

Produced by Matty Rosenberg and David Furer at Radio Free Rhinecliff