Mocha Tequila? Painful.

Call us old-fashioned, but we like the idea of things tasting like the thing itself. Sauvignon blanc like sauvignon blanc; tequila like tequila, and so on. Here’s where we part company with ParTea, a new company specializing in so-called “Booze Infusers.” The infusers (teabags) come in five flavors–Jalapeño, Ginger, Orange Spice, Wild Berry, and Mocha. You add them to a jar of any unaged spirit– vodka, white rum, gin, tequila blanco, etc.—let it steep for 24 to 28 hours, and voilà, you have jalapeño rum, berry gin, or mocha tequila (just thinking about which is painful). The sampler pack (minus the booze) is $35.

Which country below is the only major wine producing country in the world not to have been seriously affected by the lethal insect phylloxera?

A. New Zealand

B. Chile

C. South Africa

D. Portugal

Phylloxera—a tiny, yellow, insect—has spread through much of the world, destroying vineyards in its wake as the insects feed on vines’ roots, ultimately sucking the life out of the plants. However, a phylloxera epidemic has not (some would say not yet) hit Chile. Secluded on the western coast of South America, Chile is hemmed in by the Andes Mountains to the east, the Atacama Desert to the north, and Antarctica to the south. The country’s physical isolation, dry climate, sandy soils, and use of flood irrigation all have helped protect against phylloxera.

Let’s See—Crème Brûlée or Chocolate?

There are ten styles of Port, but luckily they all fall into one of two major categories which I’ve come to think of as those that are like crème brûlée and those that are more… Continue reading

Mocha Tequila? Painful.

Get WineSpeed