"Take wine out to the ballgame..."

So you head to the ballpark, it’s a bright summer day and you have a hankering for wine. Sure, beer is the preferred drink at a baseball game, but regardless, you just want a glass of wine with your hot dog and peanuts. But without the actual glass – too treacherous – you can’t have shards of glass flying when you catch that home run. You can’t BYOB, so what to do? Hold on to your first base. Fetzer winery in Mendocino has saved the day. Actually they, and a company named Zipz have created a new day.

We now have single serve wines in safe, eco-friendly, 100% recyclable durable plastic which are shaped like a real wine glass hold some pretty good wine. Problem solved, crisis averted, and wine to drink. The Red, called Crimson is primarily Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet and the taste is clearly Zin-driven. It’s a very pleasant kitchen sink blend, far superior to bag-in-a-box wine, or whatever-in-a-can and frankly, this would make a terrific everyday red wine.  The White, known as Quartz, is a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio – a fine concoction ending up fruity, fresh and slightly sweet. The glasses are sealed and have a lid.

Currently they are available at these ballparks:

Tropicana Field - Tampa Bay Rays

Coors Field - Colorado Rockies

AT & T Park - San Francisco Giants

Safeco Field - Seattle Mariners

Citi Field - New York Mets, and

Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves.

There are plans to roll these out to other ballparks and perhaps even supermarkets, so they will be ideal for picnics, time at the beach, even your own backyard deck. Smart, smartly designed, and we hope successful. It’s a home run.  CRIMSON & QUARTZ

$9-11/ 187 ml – Alc:12 % (White), 13.5% (Red)

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

4 Bonz – Good Dog!

At Cross Purposes: Cross Keys Rum

Cross Keys, a rum from Barbados, claims they have aged their rum for 5 years. But aging anything doesn’t necessarily make it better, it merely makes it older. And this rum is fine, but forgettable, a toss away which if you drank it you’d get a buzz, and if you didn’t then you’d find something else. I love rum, and attending the Taste of Rum Festival in Puerto Rico a few years back started me on this discovery. Rum is misunderstood and these guys aren’t helping. According to the very limited, and vague (I don't like vague - tells us about your product!) information on their website: “Our goal at Distiller Sales Company is to develop comprehensive corporate brand distilled spirits programs to help expand your liquor department sales and profits.” And that really sums up any thoughtful approach to this bottle of rum. It’s not bad, but the mild burn, overtly sweet oak, and candy-like citrus element of this does no favors for the rum world. Not sure what’s happening on Barbados, but if they are consuming too much of this, well, then “island time” means they won’t accomplish much of anything. Terribly amusing to me is that the president of Distiller Sales is Bruce Alvino and his bio states: “When Mr. Alvino is away from the office, he enjoys golfing.” Ah, Bruce, rather than golfing and worrying about corporate profits, try making some quality rum. Let’s “cross” our fingers they get it right in the future.

$23/ 750 ml – Alc: 40%

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

2 Bonz – Put a Leash on It!

Distilling the Truth: Vodka gets the Vote

I like vodka. But vodka has been mercilessly maligned; it's a tasteless odorless spirit, right? It’s just a backwoods cousin to other spirits and only decent when paired with chemical-laden additives like Red Bull, or orange juice or whatever other crap you may have lying around. Uh, wrong! (And for you college kids out there, pull up your pants, get serious about vodka, and quit whining about your future). Vodka can be alluring, smooth, and packed with flavor elements better suited to other spirits. So when the book Vodka Distilled came out by master cocktail guy Tony Abou-Ganim I thought, finally, someone else loves vodka like I do. Tony writes: “For reasons that largely escape me it has become vogue in some bartending corners to bash vodka. Despite the widely held view to the contrary, all vodkas are not the same. Think about tasting and comparing one vodka to another, not as comparing apples and oranges, but akin to comparing apples to apples…apples of the same variety grown in different orchards…” And here I slightly disagree, yes the banality of mass produced vodka is terrorizing to the palate, but I have discovered a world of subtle nuances and tastes with artisanal vodka. Tony's book celebrates vodka in all its diversity; corn, wheat, and potato iterations. You'll find a wealth of information and recipes about creating the best vodka-based cocktails and what to look for so you don’t waste your time and money. There’s even a round up of 58 vodkas (including Boyd & Blair – one of my personal favorites) in the back with thorough tasting notes. This is a terrific book by a guy who knows his spirits and I’m thrilled to recommend it.

Vodka Distilled: The Modern Mixologist on Vodka and Vodka Cocktails – published by Agate Publishing, $22.95 hardback. 208 pages, color photos.

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

5 Bonz – Man’s Best Friend

Brandy’s Dandy but Coffee’s Quicker

Coffee is a ritual the world over. According to the April 2013 issue of Discover Magazine, the world “consumes close to 1.6 billion cups of coffee everyday.” Sadly I only add to that number by 2 cups. So when the Stone Barn Brandyworks – Red Wing Roast Coffee Liqueur arrived at my house I got more excited than a triple-shot espresso.

This coffee liqueur is a blend of El Salvadoran coffee and coffee from Yemen. Sounds intriguing right there. They infuse a house-distilled Pinot Noir brandy and pear/apple spirit with fresh roasted coffee. This liqueur relies on fruit-based alcohol, no grain spirits are used of any kind – so there’s no inherent burn. Toss in some Madagascar vanilla, cinnamon and invert the sugar to make the liqueur and voila!

This is not a viscous elixir - that oftentimes wonderful liqueur which is so thick and sticky-sweet you can use it as glue. No, this is pure coffee essence with its slightly appealing woodsy and bitter note. This is also not for coffee drinker who likes Yuban and is impressed with reality TV. Stone Barn makes potent stuff. What’s cool is that, even though coffee is the driving force, you can pick up the subtle brandy notes. This is smooth but also a packs enough flavor that it takes over your mouth, so don’t try any fancy food pairings, just enjoy the purity of coffee and brandy comingling is a beautiful brown liquid. After trying the Red Wing Roast I may switch over my morning espresso routine! STONE BARN BRANDYWORKS

$27/ 375 ml – Alc: 25%

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

4 Bonz – Good Dog!

New Wines--New Zealand: Pinot Poses Promisingly

Tim Atkin explains New Zealand Pinot Noir

I was invited this February to join Master of Wine and wine writer Tim Atkin (a very nice British Man) and other wine industry folks at the New Zealand Consulate General’s house in Los Angeles to sample through a variety of New Zealand Pinot Noirs. You might be thinking - New Zealand makes Pinot Noir? That’s exactly the point. Better known for Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz (called Syrah in the, ahem, Northern Hemisphere), New Zealand is a small country full of surprises. It’s one thing to have Pinot Noir from some random place in New Zealand, and it’s another matter entirely to sample through multiple regions within the country so you get a solid understanding of what the whole place is capable of producing. 

I tasted through 18 New Zealand Pinot Noirs:

~6 wines from Martinborough, Nelson, and Waipara (what stood out: 2010 Pegasus Bay Prima Donna, reflective of bright, expressive, more California-ish fruit),

~6 wines from the best known grape region; Marlborough (what stood out: the 2010 Seresin “Leah” with its biodynamically produced grapes;

~6 wines from Central Otago (what stood out: the 2011 Burn Cottage with its smoky quality, and the 2010 Felton Road from Bannockburn) which showed the most fun and unusual characteristics, and a region that Atkin says playfully is populated with "remarkable misfits." The diversity of styles reflects how the subtle and not so subtle regions (and sub-regions) allow for a broad expression of Pinot Noir. Some are earthy, fleshy and rich like California, others present a minerality and quiet finesse, “fine-boned” as Mr. Atkins put it, others were nuanced and subtle, and frankly some tasted like no other Pinot Noir I’ve come across – less fruit and more hard-to-define austere. The point of this exercise, and what I’m advocating here, is to try something new the next time you’re out and about. Should a New Zealand Pinot Noir be offered by the glass or bottle, don’t be timid – try it. There were certain ones which were not my stylistic preference, but none of the wines were inferior. You will discover a new world of Pinot, only if you’re willing to experiment. So get to it, your taste buds will thank you.  NEW ZEALAND WINES

BOOZEHOUNDZ NEW ZEALAND PINOT NOIR RATING

4 Bonz – Good Dog!

Bird of Paradise

Sauvignon Blanc is like that middle child in some families – innocuous, no personality, no character, just sort of wandering around looking for someone to like it. Sauvignon Blanc has something of an identity crisis. But where, oh where can you find a compelling, fun to drink, honest to god ideal version of this wine? Decoy, part of the Duckhorn Wine portfolio, pulls grapes from Sonoma County and crafts a vibrant expression of this underappreciated and way over used grape. The 2011 Decoy Sauvignon Blanc has a nose full of lemon, lime, apricot, vanilla, a treasure trove of scents. And it dances on the tongue; tart, playful, acidic, not shy about its place and it asserts its unique identity. And this is what it’s supposed to be, varietially correct for its region, a good food partner, and enjoyable to drink – otherwise what’s the point? Fermented in stainless steel (frankly oak rarely serves Sauvignon Blanc well) this is clean, bright, lively and ready to party. Decoy nails it. Get yourself some of the Decoy Sauv Blanc and you too will take flight.

$18/ 750 ml – Alc: 13.5%

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

5 Bonz – Man’s Best Friend!

Whiskey in Beantown

Boston is a great city, known for great brews, great pubs and crappy drivers. Alright, so there’s that. But a new distillery, Bully Boy, has emerged to craft some pretty cool stuff – like their Bully Boy White Whiskey. Made from wheat and sourced from (seriously?) Maine (who knew?) this is a USDA certified organic white whiskey, an un-aged spirit actually, therefore it’s clear and lacking the caramel and wood flavors typical with things aged in, you know, wood barrels. Being an un-aged spirit you might think it’s tasteless – not so. On the plus side, and what’s different is that there’s a smooth viscosity to this, a little burn but the liquor is rounded inside the mouth – meaning it doesn’t bite you. This is clean, with near mint overtones, and it presents a cooler vibe not hot and alcoholic, medium bodied and subtle at first. Sure this would be a great spirit to use in say your favorite vodka drinks, but I always prefect a very good spirits wearing nothing but an ice cube – that way you can truly experience the nuances of what the distiller hand in mind. Keep it clean, keep it simple. Sorry, not trying to bully you.

$28/ 375 ml – Alc: 40%  BULLY BOY DISTILLERY

BOOZEHOUNDZ RATING

4 Bonz – Good Dog!