behind the cork
2012 LAN Rioja Reserva Recently I featured LAN Rioja Crianza as the Behind the Cork™ wine of the week. Now we step it up to the LAN Rioja Reserva. This Rioja is from vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Alavesa subzones with an average age of vines be...
Read more →Have you heard of blind wine tastings? No, it doesn’t involve blindfolds. That could get messy. What a blind wine tasting means is that the taster is ‘blind’ to things such as where the wine is from, the winery that produced the wine and the price ...
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behind the cork
2019 Beronia Rosé ($12.99) Here’s another returning star to Behind the Cork™. This Beronia Rosé is from the Rioja region of Spain. It is produced from 70% Tempranillo and 30% Garnacha. Both the Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes underwent cold pre-...
Read more →Did you know that there is such a thing as apple wine? Well, indeed it exists! While the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) states that fermented apple juice that is under 8.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) is cider or ‘Hard Cider’, it consid...
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behind the cork
2016 Bodegas LAN Crianza This Bodegas LAN Crianza is from Spain’s famous Rioja region that is best known for its Tempranillo that is a full-bodied wine that is typically high in tannin. The winery’s name LAN represents the initials of the DOCa pr...
Read more →Noble Rot doesn’t sound like a good thing when associated with wine. But, it actually is! Noble Rot is officially known as Botrytis Cinerea and is a mold that devours the skin of the grape making it turn purple-grey and fuzzy. It eventually kills th...
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behind the cork
2017 The Federalist Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) In the spirit of American craftsmanship, this unique Cabernet Sauvignon from The Federalist represents the bold American tradition of aging in charred bourbon barrels. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon is f...
Read more →Last time we took a quick look at organic wines and wines produced from organically grown grapes. But, now let’s quickly summarize what it means for a wine to be called ‘Natural’, ‘Bio-Dynamic’ or ‘Sustainable.’ Natural Wines Like so many other win...
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behind the cork
2018 The Federalist Chardonnay ($23) The Federalist Chardonnay pays homage to the work of our Federalist Founding Fathers fighting for our country’s liberty. And, the Status of Liberty was the best symbol of their accomplishment. This wine is 100...
Read more →When it comes to organic wines, there are two major categories: ‘Organic Wine’ and ‘Wines made with Organic Grapes.’ Here’s a quick overview of each. Organic Wines For a wine to be labeled as ‘Organic’ it must only use organically grown grapes and ...
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