May 12, 2017

BRÜNDLMAYER Grüner Veltliner “Terrassen” 2015

(Kamptal, Austria) $23

This is what I plan to open on the first torrid night of summer. I’m going to imagine that the coolness of Austria has crept like fog into the hot heart of the Napa Valley. Brundlmayer (one of Austria’s top producers) is known for making wines of restraint and purity. In particular, this gruner veltliner (from terraced hills–terrassen) always reminds me of the light minerally freshness of a cold mountain stream. The hint of white pepper (a signature of gruner) is like a sensory surprise at the end. (12.5% abv)

91 points KM

Available at K&L Wines

Shiraz is native to the ancient city of Shiraz in Persia (present day Iran).

Answer: False.

This erroneous legend just won’t die, but Shiraz did not come from Iran—or from Sicily or Greece, two other falsehoods. (Yesterday was Shiraz Day so we thought we’d set the record straight). The grape Syrah is usually known in Australia (and sometimes in South Africa) as Shiraz. Why so? In the seventeenth century, French Huguenots (fleeing religious persecution) brought Syrah from France (where it is indigenous) to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. From South Africa, it was eventually brought to Australia. However, by the 1830s, Syrah was also being brought directly to Australia from France. Most scholars think the name Shiraz is a corruption of one of the grape’s many colloquial French names (which include Serine, Serinne, Sira, etc.). Today, of course, Shiraz is Australia’s most planted and most famous red wine. Indeed, in appellations such as the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Margaret River, and a half dozen others, Shiraz can be spellbinding delicious and spicy, although rarely as outrageously gamey as the French Syrahs from Côte Rôtie or Hermitage.

Red Wine Hair

I swear I did not make this up. A new line of red wine hair products called Vine de la Vie have come on to the market, promising to make curly red hair shinier, blonde hair brighter… Continue reading

BRÜNDLMAYER Grüner Veltliner “Terrassen” 2015

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