Category: Booze

Wine reviews, pairings, events, and getaways


Sep
2017

Ammunition Wine 2016 Un-Oaked Chardonnay

categories: Booze, Wine

The story of Ammunition Wine is the story of two friends who wanted to fight the battle against pretentious wine. Good wine, quality wine, doesn’t have to come with a high price tag, and affordable wine doesn’t have to come from a mass producer. These are the goals Andy Wahl and Bill Kerr set out for themselves when they created Ammunition. “The taste of freedom” is what it says on the back of every Ammunition bottle. So breathe a sigh of relief, your heroes have arrived, and they’ve come with their guns loaded…with wine.

What’s your Ammunition? Mine: kicking back with a good game of MarioKart

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Sep
2017

Ammunition Wine 2016 Sauvignon Blanc

categories: Booze, Wine

Speaking with Bill, Andy, and David — the trio behind Ammunition Wine — one thing became immediately clear to me: Their main goal is to produce focused, refined, small-batch wines — for the average punter. “Wine doesn’t have to be a luxury item,” says David Dees, Director of Sales for Ammunition Wine. Beyond an affordable price point, what Dees means, and what Whal (head winemaker) produces, are approachable wines of notable quality that any wine lover — whether novice or expert — will enjoy. Not just for special occasions, not only in front of your wine-snobby friends, but on any day of the week during any time of day — as long as the mood suits you.

What’s your ammunition? Mine: cooking in the kitchen

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Sep
2017

Ammunition Wine: The Taste of Freedom

categories: Booze, Wine

The story of Ammunition is a simple one — two ordinary guys who wanted to make extraordinary wine, wines “of the highest caliber.” Their goal: to tell a different story, one that speaks of the average American who wants to enjoy wine that’s anything but average. Founded on friendship and a mutual agreement that quality grapes are the ammunition to great wines, Ammunition brings together the winemaking talent of Andy Wahl and the artistic expression of Bill Kerr — a collaboration that itself tells the story of the American entrepreneurial spirit.

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Sep
2017

Grenache: The Unsung Grape Hero

categories: Booze, Wine

“Grenache is an unlikely hero of a grape,” says Jancis Robinson. And yet, it is the most planted wine grape in Southern France, (and the second most widely-planted wine grape in the world), is the primary ingredient in the popular Rhône grape trio GSM, and has garnered recent recognition for its contribution in the powerful red wines coming out of the mountainous region of Priorat in Spain. Indeed, it seems that in all cases, Grenache is considered a grape worth blending, playing a supporting role amongst a league of more forceful wines. So, to play on Robinson’s analogy, poor Grenache has both the perceived purpose and popularity as Aquaman among the Justice League.

This need not be the case. Depending on where its grown, how the vineyards are maintained, and the choices made during winemaking, Grenache can actually be quite sneaky-cool. A dedicated Grenache can stand on its own, with the strength and independence of, say, Catwoman.

Courtesy of Decanter.com

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Sep
2017

Adobe Road 2016 Sparkling Rosé Wine

categories: Booze, Wine

So I asked Adobe Roads winemaker Garrett Martin what method he uses to create sparkling wine and his answer was just too good not to share verbatim:

“This is a good story!  My production space is right next to Lagunitas brewery.  The folks over there are fantastic and good friends.  When I got the creative inspiration to make a sparkling rosé I walked next door and chatted with them about the process – I mean, they make beverages sparkle every day!  With some of their advice, I began running small scale experiments adding CO2 to kegs of rosé and eventually bottling in swing-top bottles.  We had enough positive feedback that we took it from that ‘proof of concept’ phase to full production.  I bottled the full-package bottling with another friend who has a sparkling wine bottling line.  The short answer is that I use the Charmat method, but I like the full story more!”

Next I have to ask him about the time he put the sparkling rosé into a keg-tapping system designed for beer’s low-level carbonation. “Boom! Rosé mess everywhere…” 

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