November’s Staff Picks

The temperature is dropping, so check out what we’re drinking to stay warm!

O'Looney's + Loblolly Creamery Limited Edition Ice Cream

If you’re anything like me, ice cream is a year-round treat. I don’t care how cold it is, it’s never too cold for ice cream! We’ve partnered with the amazing Loblolly Creamery to produce a line of alcohol-flavored ice creams and sorbets that are available exclusively at O’Looney’s. In November, we’re debuting two new flavors: Banana Nut Marula and Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream! Banana Nut Marula is made with wonderful African Amarula liqueur, banana ice cream, and candied black walnuts. It’s available in our store until November 15th. From the 16th until the 29th, we’ll be featuring Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream made with Bailey’s!


– Seth

Maquis Cabernet Sauvignon

The cabernet sauvignon is newly available and just in time for the autumnal culinary shift.  Wines from Chile are grown in cooler, mountainous regions and tend to be more austere than one might imagine.  This cabernet has soft, smooth tannin with a slight vegetal note.  Pair with all of your root vegetables, red meats, and stinky cheeses.

– Susie

Michael David Petite Petit

Don’t let the cartoony label fool you, this is fantastic wine. The color is almost black to the rim, the aromas are meaty and peppery, and the flavors are very concentrated. The texture is thick and yet creamy with layered, smooth and bold tannins. For all its density and depth, however, this is not an overpowering monster. The blackberry and black pepper notes are rich and appealing and everything seems in balance for something this robust and full bodied.

 – Ty

2012 Produttori del Barbaresco

This is consistently the best value Barbaresco available. It is capable of aging gracefully for decades but this vintage is particularly approachable in its youth. 2012 is a particular fruit forward vintage that will please lovers of Barbaresco and anyone interested in Italian wine.

 -Keegan

Boulevard Rye on Rye Sazerac Cocktail

Cherry, tobacco leaf, baking spice, brown sugar… these are just a few of the notes I pick when putting my nose in a glass of Boulevard’s Rye on Rye sazerac cocktail. This beer is part of Boulevard’s Smokestack series which branches out from traditional beer styles and into the realm of the experimental. The beer itself is a heavy Rye ale with spices aged in Templeton Rye whiskey barrels. Bittering spices and lemon peel were added to mimic the famous New Orleans Sazerac cocktail.

– Spencer

Luli Pinot Noir

The Luli Pinot Noir is extremely vibrant with dark berry and floral scents. It offers intense black raspberry and rose pastille flavors supported by a base of juicy acidity. It contains a long lasting finish with smooth tannins that add to the lush berry fruit. Earing 91 points from Vinous, this is an amazing wine with silky texture and impressive concentration

– Walker

Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier

This wine is a great alternative for both Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc drinkers alike. With the first smell, you get a lovely honeysuckle floral aroma mixed with some tangerine. This wine is made completely using stainless steel tanks, so for those looking to venture away from the big oaky Chardonnays, this might just be right up your alley. I love this wine because I find it very refreshing and drinkable without having too much acidity. Something about blending these two varietals together seems to make for a very smooth drink. On the palate, you will definitely get that citrus and floral flavors again as well as a hint of bright Apple. This wine is so enjoyable and easy to drink and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try something new.

– Carley

A Beginner’s Guide to Bordeaux – Part 2

In our last post, we talked a bit about the grapes that make up Bordeaux’s red and white wines. This week, we’re going to dive deeper into the ways in which Bordeaux’s unique geography influences its wine.

Choose a Side

The Bordeaux region is bisected by the massive Gironde Estuary which splits at its base into the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. The estuary serves as the dividing line between what wine drinkers have come to call Bordeaux’s Left Bank and Right Bank.

Though the banks themselves are only separated by a few hundred meters, the soil composition of each side is quite different and can have a dramatic effect on which kind of grapes grow best and, in turn, can drastically affect the way wines from each bank taste.

Wines from Bordeaux’s Left Bank (much of which is actually south of the city of Bordeaux), are predominantly made up of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Here, the soil is quite gravelly with a layer of limestone bedrock far below. The gravel forces the vines to stretch their roots deep into the soil in search of nutrients. The results in wines that exceptionally long-lived and incredibly valuable.

Across the river on the Right Bank, cabernet franc replaces cabernet sauvignon as the most planted grape behind merlot. The Right Bank’s soil is much less gravely than the Left Bank, and the limestone bedrock is buried just under the surface. Wines from the Right Bank are often said to be more aromatic with smoother tannins than their Left Bank cousins.

White Wines

Of course, not all wines from Bordeaux are red. Bordeaux’s white wines are blends of sauvignon blanc, semillon, and sometimes muscadelle. White Bordeaux can come two forms: dry and sweet.

Bordeaux’s best white wines come from the Left Bank region called Pessac-Leognan, just south of Bordeaux city. These are delicious blends that, depending upon the winemaking technique, can be either light or crisp or lush and full bodied.

Perhaps the most famous white wine made in Bordeaux is Sauternes, a semillon-heavy blend that, in some cases, can age in a cellar for decades. Sauternes is made near the small village that shares its name on the banks of the Garrone River. The unique topography of the area causes the ground to be frequently covered with fog. The moisture in the morning fog, combined with the heat of the afternoon sun often results in a special kind of fungus called botrytis (also known as the noble rot) to grow on the grapes. The botrytis concentrates the sugars in the grapes and makes an incredibly sweet wine with complex notes honey, beeswax, and candied citrus peel.

Entre Deux Mers

Between the Left and Right Banks, at the bottom of Gironde Estuary is an area known as Entre Deux Mers or, literally translated as “Between Two Seas.” This is Bordeaux’s least famous region, and most of the wine grown here is made into what is known as Vin de Pays, or a inexpensive, bulk wine that is very rarely imported out of France.

October’s Shamrock Selections

Shamrock Selections is a monthly subscription service that brings you the best wines from around the world. Each month’s selection is carefully chosen by sommelier Keegan Sparks and his team. He keeps a keen eye out for wines that are unique, rare, and new to our market. Shamrock Selections is ideal for enthusiasts and explorers who delight in finding hidden gems and trying new, exclusive vintages. Each month, you can join us on a journey sampling and learning about some of the greatest wines in the world. Each selection of wine comes with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions from our team.

2015 Tercos Bonarda

You may not be familiar with bonarda (this is my first experience with the grape) but it’s actually the second most planted variety in Argentina. I was intrigued by the chance to try a new grape and I was delighted to find that it’s downright delicious. Bonarda is very late ripening and needs a warm climate, like that of Argentina or its native Italy, to develop fully. The Tupungato mountainside where it is grown is the perfect environment for bonarda because it has long warm summers but it also has cool nights. This allows the grape to ripen while retaining freshness. The winemaking is designed to accentuate that freshness along with the true varietal flavors. It is fermented and aged without any use of oak and is released early. The result is a wine with a distinctly smoky character that reminds me of syrah, though the fruit is much more lush and the tannins are less intense. For food pairings, look no further than Argentinian style rotisserie chicken or steak served with chimichurri.

2014 Ridge Lytton Springs

Ridge Vineyards is one of my all time favorite estates. I say estate because they are committed as much to excellence in the vineyard as they are in the winery. They really believe in expressing the true character of the place the grapes come from. To achieve this, every effort is made to limit human influence on the wine. Biodynamic and organic farming are practiced throughout their vineyards, and irrigation is only used in instances when the life of the vine is threatened. Even in 2014, the third straight year of drought in California, with only 18’ of rainfall, no irrigation was used. The winemaking is as hands-off as possible. The back label of the bottle says it perfectly “Ingredients: Hand harvested, sustainably grown grapes; indigenous yeasts; naturally occurring malolactic bacteria; oak from barrel aging; minimum effective SO2.”

All this meticulous work results in a magnificent wine, a field blend of old vine zinfandel, petite syrah, carignan, and mataro. The Lytton Springs is stylistically similar to wines that were common before prohibition. Upon first opening, the aroma is very tight with an intense note of graphite. As it has time to breath a myriad of aromas and flavors are revealed; cedar, tobacco, cherry cola, ripe and dried strawberries, cocoa, red apple, and pear notes are all present. This is one of the most complex wines I’ve tasted in quite some time. On the palate, it’s rich without being heavy, with strong but elegant tannin and a finish that seems to go on forever. What I like even more about this wine is its ability to work with many different dishes. I enjoyed it with General Tso Chicken which I usually find too spicy for red wine but was a delightful match. I encourage you to try it with something unusual.

Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here. 

O’Looney’s + Loblolly Creamery: Limited Edition Ice Cream

We’re excited to announce a new line of alcohol flavored ice creams from Loblolly Creamery! We’ve been working with our friends at Loblolly Creamery to create seven amazing ice creams and sorbets flavored with some of our favorite wines, spirits, and liqueurs. From now until the end of the year, we’ll be selling these small-batch flavors exclusively from our store, with a new flavor debuting every other week.

There are lots of wine ice creams currently on the market, but after doing some research, we couldn’t find a brand that delivered the flavors we wanted . . . so we decided to make our own! Loblolly Creamery is already known for making some of the best ice cream in Arkansas, so when it came time to find a partner, they were a natural fit. After collaborating with their experts, we came up with a range of flavors that you’re going to love. Check them out below!

Double Chili Chocolate

Available: Oct. 19 – Nov. 1

 

Our first flavor is inspired by hot chocolate around the campfire. We’ve taken Loblolly’s wonderful milk chocolate ice cream and combined it with Ancho Reyes chili liqueur. The result is a luscious chocolate that finishes with a warm, sultry heat. It also contains cinnamon, honey, and just a touch of jalapeño to give it a subtly spicy edge (We like to call it a creeping heat!)

Banana Nut Marula

Available: Nov. 2 – Nov. 15

 

Amarula, the delicious liqueur made from the fruit of the African Marula tree, is combined with nuts and fruit for a delicate and sweet flavor.

Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream

Available: Nov. 16 – Nov. 29

 

It just wouldn’t be fall without pumpkin spice! We’ve combined with delicious ice cream Bailey’s Irish Cream to create an instant classic.

Pineapple Rum Fancy

Available: Nov. 30 – Dec. 13

 

It may be cold outside, but this ice cream has us feeling tropical with its combination of Plantation Pineapple Rum, pineapple chunks, and sweet vanilla cream.

Spiked Eggnog

Available: Dec. 15th at the Historic Arkansas Museum’s annual Nog Off

 

We’ve added St. Elizabeth’s Allspice Dram to classic eggnog for a one-of-a-kind, Christmas inspired treat.

Negroni Sorbet

Available: Dec. 14 – Dec. 27

 

We couldn’t think of a better cocktail to turn into a sorbet than the classic Negroni. Our sorbet version uses Dolin vermouth, Hayman’s Gin, and Campari. With just a hint of orange garnish, of course!

Sparkling Elderflower Sorbet

Available: Dec. 28 – Jan. 4

 

You can’t celebrate New Years without bubbles! That’s why we’ve combined Asti Cocchi, a beautiful sparkling wine from Italy, with the delicate St. Germaine elderflower liqueur.

A Beginner’s Guide to Bordeaux – Part 1

It seems almost too appropriate for us to start our exploration of French wine with Bordeaux. The name is synonymous with rolling green vineyards, majestic chateaux, and high quality, ageable wines.

History

As Bordeaux lies on France’s Atlantic coast, it naturally became a bustling port city, with ships regularly stopping on their way to and from other European ports. This ease of trade is one of the major reasons why Bordeaux wines are known the world over. In the earliest days of the wine trade, barrels labeled Bordeaux were already being singled out as being of above average quality.

The Bordeaux region was first loved for its sweet white wines from the area Sauternes. In the 1700’s, Thomas Jefferson was a huge fan of these wines, and as a whole, sweet wine was more popular than dry wines. Bordeaux’s red wines didn’t begin to become the superstars they are today until this 1800’s. Their popularity was bolstered by a set of laws and decrees that codified the best producers of the region, by ranking them into groups of 1 through 5.

This is now called the “1855 Classification,” and it’s still extremely important today. We’ll talk a little more about this in next week’s “Part 2” post.

The Major Grapes

Reds:

Cabernet Sauvignon – This intensely flavored and complex grape is the second most widely planted in Bordeaux. It provides structures to wines, especially those of Bordeaux’s Left Bank.

Merlot – The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux, merlot features prominently in all red Bordeaux wines where it adds depth and roundness to the blend.

Cabernet Franc – A wonderful grapes that can add aromas of spice and flowers to blends. It plays an important part in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank.

Malbec – Sometimes called côt, this grape is often added in tiny amounts to blends to add depth and nuance.

Petit Verdot – Very little petit verdot is planted and used in the wines of Bordeaux, but even a small amount can add a rich color and intensity to the blend.

Whites:

Sauvignon Blanc – A light and crisp wine with notes of green herbs and citrus. This is almost always blended with semillon.

Semillon – Sometimes known for its strong notes of lanolin, this is blended with sauvignon blanc to add structure to long aging white blends. It’s also the main grape in the sweet wine called Sauternes.

October’s Staff Pick

The leaves are turning and Halloween is just around the corner! Check out October’s frighteningly good staff picks!

Georges Vernay "De Mirbaudie" Syrah

As I study for my Certified Sommelier exam, I drink a lot of wine. So much so that it stops being grape juice and starts becoming…something else. I recently opened a bottle of 2012 George Vernay syrah. It’s grown on this tiny hillside in the commune of Condrieu on the banks of France’s Rhone river. There’s a scarcity of essence to it, a return to the base elements of life, a taste of aloneness. It called me back to the nights of autumn in my childhood when I find myself, late at night, still under the deep dark blanket of the sky. We had no neighbors, no light pollution, so I could look up at the deep and wide band of light that crosses our lives connecting us to a time, to maybe others, of another age, another universe. It was a humbling sight, like this wine. A visual representation of us at our most simple elements. Carbon, the sanguine taste of iron, petrichor, smoke. Carl Sagan once said of all of us “we are star stuff’,” and with each glass it was like I was drinking eternity, drinking the vast nothingness of space, drinking ourselves.

– Seth

NV Casas del mar Cava

If you like sparkling wines and haven’t tried Cava, you need to get your act together. It’s made in the traditional methode champenoise, delicious, and a great value. This particular producer uses grapes from vines up to 70 years old, which adds to the quality and complexity of the wine. The great price of this product makes it perfect for cocktails, mimosas, or Wednesdays.

– Susie

Montes Spring Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

Montes Spring Harvest sauvignon blanc is a peculiar wine with a tropical passion fruit nose with hints of bell peppers. The pepper taste really comes through on this wine along with the typical herbaceous undertones for which sauvignon blanc is known, creating a complex white wine to end your summer with.

 – Ty

Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir Cuvée Gérard Potel

This hidden gem was recently unearthed, lost for years only to be discovered at the perfect moment for drinking. On the nose the fruit is subtle and ripe, with earthy aromas prevailing. It has beautiful notes of truffle, leather, and forest floor. On the palate, the wine is light and elegant thanks to the extended aging in bottle.

-Keegan

Meli Carignan

This Meli is produced from 100% carignan fruit. It contains a spicy nose with hints of coffee black fruits, and chocolate with pleasant lighter notes. It is a medium bodied wine with soft fine tannins. It has a long complex finish with notes of cherry and plum.

– Walker

Ace Space Bloody Orange Cider

This is definitely something different from The people at Ace. The inspiration for the name and label come from the wife of the owner, Jeffery House, who played a character in the original Star Wars cantina scene and is pictured on the neck of the bottle. This unfiltered cider pours a cloudy pinkish-orange, the taste is tart apple, orange, and grapefruit with a pleasant yeasty note. Reminds me of a blood orange mimosa.

– Spencer

An Introduction to French Wine

This is the first part in a series of posts on, obviously, French wine. How many posts will there be? Well, . . . we’ll let you know when we find out! The truth is that we could probably go on for years about all that is French wine, but we’re trying to be concise here, so we’ll bring you one blog post a week about a different area in France. Our goal is a simple one: to educate you on the beauty of French wines. Anyone that’s ever been to our shop can attest to the fact that we love these wines and we want you to love them too!
This week, we’ll start by covering a few of the basics about the French wine industry and all of the info you need to know to get started.

Law of the Land

You have to remember that people have been making wine in France for thousands of years. Even before the Romans invaded, the first grapevines had been planted by Greek explorers and wine was a common drink among the locals.

This has given the French plenty of time to come up with complex series of laws regarding wine production and labeling, and understanding these laws is key to understanding French wine.

Here are the key things to remember:

  • Unlike wines in America, French wines are typically named after the place in which they’re made. For example, when you see a wine labeled Chablis, you automatically know two things about the wine: 1) That is was produced in the town of Chabli and 2) that it’s made of chardonnay, the only grape legally allowed to grow there.
  • The villages where wines are produced are legally defined geographic areas called, in French, an appellation. You’ll see this labeled on a bottle as either AOC (Appellation Controlee) or, more often, AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protegee).
  • Even within a single AOP, there can still be further delineation. For example, a wine from the AOP of Bordeaux could then be listed as being from the district of Margeaux or St. Emillion, and even then, it could be again listed as being from a specific village in that district, such as Soussnns in Margaux.
  • Wine in France is classified into a tiered structure, in which (generally) the more specific the classification, the better the wine should be. Often, these classes are referred to as “crus” which literally translates to “growth” in English. The top most of these is “Grand Cru” with “Premier Cru (sometimes written as 1er Cru).”

So, what do all of these laws mean for you? Well, unless you’ve been brushing up on your French geography, not much. However, this is exactly why we’re breaking down our future blog posts based on geography. We’re visiting each wine region individually so that, even if you don’t remember exactly where Vouvray is in the Tourinne region of the Loire Valley, you’ll still know that it makes some of world’s most amazing chenin blanc.

So, sit back, pour yourself a glass and enjoy!

Understanding Sweet Wines

“Is it sweet?”

This is something I get asked at least once a day. Some people are looking for sweeter wines while others are trying to avoid them. Sweetness in wines seems be something about which everyone has an opinion, but few people know exactly how to express their views.

To understand sweetness in wines, you’ll need to understand the term residual sugar (RS). RS is the amount of sugar that is left over after the fermentation process. You’ll remember that fermentation is simply the process by which yeast convert sugar into alcohol. Based on the wine and the winemaker’s desired style of wine, fermentation can either end naturally, when the yeasts have converted all of the sugar to alcohol, or stop the process early to preserve a small amount of sugar in the wine.

Talking about the amount of sugar in a wine can be difficult, in part, due to the complex wine terms that describe sweetness in wines. You can use the following terms to see the differences in wine sweetness levels.

BONE DRY: 0 grams per liter of sugar (g/L). There is no sugar at all in these wines.

DRY: 1 – 9 g/L of sugar Almost all red wines and most white wines. For most people, under 9 g/L is so low that the human tongue can’t taste the sugar.

OFF DRY: 10 – 18 g/L. This is where the sugar begins to be noticeable to the human tongue. Wines make in off dry styles include chenin blanc (often labeled as “sec”), some rieslings, and extra dry Champagne.

MEDIUM SWEET: 19 – 120 g/L. For an every-day comparison, a typical can of Coca Cola, contains about 110 g/L of sugar. This is the largest category of sweet wines, and it includes many rieslings, moscatos, and Champagnes that are labeled “demi sec” or “sec.” You’ll also find many wines made from torrontes and gewurztraminer in this category. Fortified wines, such as Madeira and Port are also in this category, though at the higher end of the spectrum.

VERY SWEET: More than 121 g/L. This is as sweet as it gets, and this category is dominated by four major wines: Rieslings, ice wines (sometimes called eiswein), the French dessert wine of Sauternes, and a Hungarian wine called Tokaji.  

Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here. 

September’s Shamrock Selections

Shamrock Selections is a monthly subscription service that brings you the best wines from around the world. Each month’s selection is carefully chosen by sommelier Keegan Sparks and his team. He keeps a keen eye out for wines that are unique, rare, and new to our market. Shamrock Selections is ideal for enthusiasts and explorers who delight in finding hidden gems and trying new, exclusive vintages. Each month, you can join us on a journey sampling and learning about some of the greatest wines in the world. Each selection of wine comes with detailed tasting notes and food pairing suggestions from our team.

2012 Barkan Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Galil, Israel

The Barkan Winery has been operating for over 100 years, making it one of the oldest continually operating wineries in Israel.  It was fully upgraded and modernized in the year 2000 and now farms over 2,400 acres throughout Israel from the hills surrounding Jerusalem to the mountains of Galilee. For their reserve cabernet sauvignon, the grapes are sourced from two vineyards in the Galilee region. This is the coldest region in Israel and that cool climate helps the grapes ripen more slowly and retain acidity, which is key to a balanced wine. Once the grapes are picked and fermented the wine is aged for 20 months in oak. The aroma is bright with note of ripe plums, cherries, and blackberries, along with a note of spice from the oak aging. The fruit persists on the pallet but is replaced by a distinct earthiness on the finish. The wine will improve with time in a decanter but is also delicious right after opening. As you would expect from cabernet sauvignon grilled meat is the best pairing, I think lamb chops would be lovely.

2011 Spann Vineyards Cabernet Franc Amador County, California

Amador County is located about 100 miles east of Napa Valley in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. All of the vineyards are above 1,200 feet with some over 2,000 feet in elevation. This cabernet franc is treated to 27 months in 85% used and 15% new French oak barrels which allows the wine mellow and develop without picking up too much oak flavor. The result is a wine that is balanced with the classic cabernet franc note of green pepper along side a gorgeous ripe strawberry flavor. The time in oak has allowed the tannins to soften giving this wine a really pleasing texture. The wine is ready to drink right out of the bottle and it would benefit from a slight chill. I would recommend about 20-30 minute in the refrigerator just before serving. I think either chicken or pork with a cherry sauce would be an excellent pairing for the wine.

Want to learn more about Shamrock Selections? Click here. 

The Best Boozy Books

I’m always looking for a good book and, as I’m sure you can imagine, my reading often centers around the world of wine and spirits. Here are some of the alcohol-related books I love most! Check one out for yourself and let us know what you think!

The Wine Bible

Karen MacNeil

For many oenophiles, this is the book that started us down the path to our wine education. It’s an excellent introduction to, literally, the world of wine. Even for those who’ve read it before, it’s a constant source of wisdom. For anyone looking for a “catch all” reference book on wine, you really can’t ask for me than Karen MacNeil’s aptly named bible.

Napa: The Story of an American Eden

James Conaway

The book by renowned writer James Conaway gives a crash course in the history and politics of California’s Napa Valley. Through the stories of Napa’s wineries and the families who built them Conaway examine not only the rise of the American wine industry but also the political and familial drama that comes from ever expanding family businesses.

Judgement of Paris

George M. Taber

The Judgement of Paris was a blind wine tasting held in 1976 in which California wines were judged superior to those of France by a panel of French judges. This event sparked global interest in American wines and gave rise to the American wine industry as we now know it. Author George Taber takes us back to that fateful day examining who was there, what wines were poured, and the influence this single event had on the greater wine world.

Adventures on the Wine Route

Kermit Lynch

The name Kermit Lynch in synonymous with good wine. Known for the wine importing business, he founded, these are his own stories from traveling France in 1980’s looking for incredible wines. It’s humorous and enlightening as Lynch is able to focus on individual winemakers, their successes and failures, and their role in a fast-changing industry. For anyone who loves Kermit Lynch wines or reading insider accounts of the wine industry, this is a must-read.

The Drunken Botanist

Amy Stewart

Who knew that so many of the plants around us were responsible for such an incredible array of spirits and liqueurs! Botanist Amy Stewart breaks down plants and their spirits the world over, examining their discovery, history, and potency. She expertly catalogues a diverse range of drinks, from small, locally drunk spirits of rural Africa and Asia to globally known spirits such as vodka and gin.

Drops of God

Tadashi Agi

Of course, Japan would have a manga in which a sommelier is the central character. This comic follows Shizuku Kanzaki on a quest to find 13 of the world’s greatest wines in order to inherit his late father’s world-renowned wine collection. Of course, he’s not the only one searching for these wines, his brother and rival wine critic is also on the hunt. It’s a race against time for Shizuku, but interspersed between the family drama are unique tips for tasting wine and some great wine trivia.

Sideways

Rex Pickett

Yes, this is the book the movie was based on, and yes, the book is better than the movie. Sideways follows two best friends on a week wine tasting in Southern California. Though wine is ever present in this book, the focus is on the relationships and personal goals of each character. Any wine lover find at least a shade of themselves in the book’s characters.

Three Sheets to the Wind

Pete Brown

Local beer matters. That’s the idea the compelled author Pete Brown to leave his native England and travel the world in search of great beer. Over the course of his 27 country trek, Brown gained 10 pounds and wealth of knowledge about beers from around the globe. For those looking for a more international view of how different cultures brew, buy and drink their beer, this book is sure to please.

Boozehound

Jason Wilson

Washington Post spirits columnist (yes, that’s a real job title) Jason Wilson wants to raise the class level of America’s cocktail by tracing back spirits to their old world origins. He champions old spirits being made the way they were hundreds of years ago and is quick to point out the name brand products that aren’t as good or authentic as they claim to be.

And a Bottle of Rum

Wayne Curtis

This book tells the story of American history through rum. Starting with the rum sailors would drink in the 1770’s and ending with the mojitos we all drink today, Wayne Curtis explores ten different turning points in American history through rum cocktails that were popular at the time.