Massbytes Vodka Tasting at Maximum Hesh

Massbytes hosted its first Booze Club tasting on Sunday April 14th. It was held at Maximum Hesh, a local skate shop in Davis Square. About 20 people showed up to enjoy vodka and mingle.

We tried 5 different vodkas. Everyone got a chance to vote for their favorite by secret ballot. Also provided was Q’s Nuts, which we eagerly devoured between vodkas.

First up was Doublecross, a seven times distilled vodka from Slovakia. It went down smooth and was a good start.

The next was Crop’s Tomato Vodka, an American brand. It was very light, and had a clean flavor. The tomato flavor was subtle and added to the taste.

The third one we tried was Pinnacle’s Coconut Vodka. Pinnacle in known for distilling many flavored vodka’s. The coconut was sweet, it took me back to younger days, this would be a good vodka for mixing in cocktails, the flavor was very forward.

The last two of offerings came from New Amsterdam Spirits. I was only familiar with their gin at this point, but they make good vodka and tasty peach vodka as well.

Overall I enjoyed the New Amsterdam Peach the most, and got a drink of it with cranberry and lime. Delicious! The winner though was Crop’s tomato vodka, another excellent choice.

Thanks to Maximum Hesh and Todd Brugman for graciously providing the space for the event.
The event was sponsored by Q-nuts and Maximum Hesh

http://www.qsnuts.com
http://www.maximumhesh.com

Federal WineLines: Rhone Rangers (by John Syfor)

FEDERAL WINELINES

This Week’s Tasting: Rhone Rangers
2010 Winderlea Dundee Hills Pinot Noir Vignette: Invertebrate Terroir

This Week’s Tasting:
Wednesday, August 8th, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
60 State Street, 7th Floor 

Rhone Rangers

We have an exciting tasting this week. As a fan of the wines from the Rhone Valley, I am pleased to show American versions of these wines, which I find more interesting than the more familiar Chardonnays and Cabernets.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, Rhone Rangers are American winemakers who promote the use of grape varietals grown in France’s Rhone Valley. The Rangers began in California in the 1980s, but did not really catch on with consumers. The movement received some further attention in the late 1990s when the Perrin family, proprietors of Chateau de Beaucastel, one of the two or three best estates in Chateauneuf du Pape, founded Tablas Creek Vineyard in Paso Robles, in partnership with their American wine importer. They also began a nursery with grape vine cuttings from Beaucastel itself, which they both sell to other growers and use to make their own wines.

In the southern Rhone, the wines are almost always blends, while northern reds are nearly all Syrah, and the whites, if not single varietals are two or three at the most. However, in America, winemakers are free to make either single varietals or blends at their will. While the Rhone Ranger are now represented in a number of winemaking states, all of this weeks wines are from California.