My partner and I have recently increased our drinking. Mostly we’ve been making Altos Margaritas (Margaritas Altos?).
Of course, it’s Kickstarter Fulfillment Season in North America (some people refer to this time of year as Spring), so our favorite seasonal beer is in circulation again: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy (it’s a shame they changed their recipe a few years back; it’s not nearly as good as it once was, and I can definitely taste corn syrup in it )
But last night we enjoyed a Brandy Old Fashioned, a regional cocktail that her parents brought with them from Wisconsin.
We both wish you a happy birthday and hope you can celebrate nicely!
Enjoy the day and your drink (There is no fitting emote for your kind of drinks )
On a side note, I got my appointment for vaccination now, so it seems likey that I will be in the US again this year Not sure how full our schedule is after skipping a year with a new nephew now, but hopefully we’ll manage to see each other again!
Thank you both! It would be nice to see you again if you have time, but I suspect that you’ve got a lot of familial catching up to do after the “hiatus”. Regardless, let us know once you have a better handle on things.
Wow! This stuff is good. Really good. Magnificent, even. It has very powerful raisin notes, not unlike a vintage port, but with a hint of charred oak, and just a mild sweetness. I am not very familiar with dry Madeiras, but the sweetness was a tad surprising at first. It is also VERY strong. Not something I could drink a lot of at a single sitting.
I’ve decided it is time to figure out what White Wine I like. Red, I’m a Tempranillo/General Spanish or Malbec/Argentina drinker. White I have no clue, I just drink Chardonnay because it is what my parents drink when I’m with them.
Seems like there are three archetypes: chardonnay, pinot grigio, and sauvignon blanc - and then a wealth of subtypes under those umbrellas.
Just finished a tour de pinot g and liked it pretty well. Next stop is the sauv shelf.
Don’t forget Riesling. That one is its own beast. Pretty big in most of the wine regions close to me but I find it really difficult because a lot of them have either a lot of acidity or too much sweetness.
In any case I am mostly the pinot grigio type And whatever the rest of the world says for “Weissburgunder” (is there pinot bianco?) at least in spring. It’s just this beautiful light taste that goes so well with all the good stuff that is in season now.
Thank you for that - I automatically cut off the “sweet” side of the winotype circle and haven’t thought about it since.
Separately, in S. Africa there is a winery that makes a white wine out of pinot noir grapes. I’m not enough of an oenophile to understand exactly what that means but it is fantastic. Haute Cabriere?
My spouse used to travel there for work regularly and would lug back as large a case as she could carry each time.
They do make Blanc de Noire in the Burgundy region I believe. Some champagnes are also made from red grapes. But it is not quite as common. Not that I have much theoretical wine knowledge
Outside of traveling, we mostly stick to „local“ wines, as we live in close proximity(1) to a decent number of great wine regions
(1) within driving distance for a week-end or even day trip
I like some reds very much and they are much less at risk of giving me a migraine due to less sugar and acid generally. but If I have to decide between equivalent quality wines I will almost always prefer white wine over red.
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(There is no fitting emote for your kind of drinks 
)
Not sure how full our schedule is after skipping a year with a new nephew now, but hopefully we’ll manage to see each other again!
And whatever the rest of the world says for “Weissburgunder” (is there pinot bianco?) at least in spring. It’s just this beautiful light taste that goes so well with all the good stuff that is in season now.