Drew's Wine List

Why is sparkling wine so hard to understand? What's up everyone. Hope you've all been doing well and are hanging in there and staying safe! Today's post will be a little different. I sat down to write a review of a sparkling wine, but was gonna end up writing an essay about what exactly makes different sparkling wines different. So, instead I'm gonna take this time to briefly explain sparkling wine (*disclaimer* No matter how much I read about it, it's still confusing, so bear with me). Buckle up everyone, here we go. Sparkling wine... what a wonderful and confusing thing. I love it, you love it, my dad hates it. He's weird. Anyways, I'll try to briefly touch on some of the things that make sparkling  wine so great and so confusing. Cava vs. Prosecco vs. Champagne vs. Sparkling Wine vs. vs. vs. SO MANY DIFFERENT NAMES. So what do they mean and why does it matter to call things by their official names? Does it? We'l l start with Champagne because France m...

2016 Wohler Bridge Pinot Noir Vintage:  2016 Region:  Sonoma County (Russian River Valley), California Winery:  Wohler Bridge Varietal:  Pinot Noir Price:  $15.99 at Wegmans Expert Rating:  91 My Rating:  91 The Review:  Guys- big day today. I'm ashamed to have gone so long without reviewing a pinot, so I'm breaking out a Cali pinot for the first. Today we've got the 2016 Wohler Bridge Pinot Noir- a classic pinot noir from (arguably) the most prominent New World (not Europe) region. Born in the cool climate of the Burgundy region of France (the most prolific and recognized region of pinots), pinot noir has long been ruining the hopes and dreams of winemakers. Known as "L'Enfant Terrible" and "the Heartbreak Grape," it's delicate nature, susceptibility to cold snaps/extreme weather, ability to somehow show off the tiniest of faults, and ridiculous growing challenges make this grape a game of Russian Roulette. You can get a gorgeous art piece with ...

2017 Domaine de Carmignan C ôtes du Rhône Rouge Vintage:  2017 Region: Rhône Valley, France Winemakers:  Domaine de Carmignan Varietal:  Grenache, Syrah, Mourvédre, Carignan, Cinsault (in order of decreasing amount) Price:  $7.99 at Costco Expert Rating:  92 My Rating:  92 The Review: Happy belated mothers day to all you moms out there! Hope it was a relaxing day and you were well celebrated with love, desserts, and wine. For today's wine, we've got arguably the best bargain so far on my list all the way  from the banks of the Rhône River - the 2017 Domaine de Carmignan Côtes du Rhône Rouge. Coming in at just $8 a bottle from Costco, this wine delivers wayyyy above its price point. The Côtes du Rhône AOC in France is known for producing full-bodied, round, earthy reds with its warm climate, sunshine, and rich clay-limestone soils. Most famously, the largest AOC in the Rhône Valley produces varietals such as the ones we find here- predominantly grenache...