By Natalie Kaar

MNStudio/shutterstock.com

Just as having a doctor in the family can come in handy, same goes for a family oenologue. When the pressure is on to impress the fam with the perfect pour what do our pros prefer?

Like any good sommelier, Jake Parrott first considers everyone’s preferences. “White wine is the afternoon drink/aperitif of choice for most of the family, and so that makes the bulk of my wine-buying,” he shares. “This year, I laid in cases of two wines from one of the best importers of Spanish wines in America, José Pastor.”

Describing the first of his two selections, Parrott says, “The Señorío de P.Peciña Rioja Blanco Cosecha 2007 ($16) is not a simple wine. The nose gives off the almond, wax, lanolin, honey and poached pear accents of a traditional style Rioja.” He further illustrates, “On the palate, especially with air, this wine is considerably crisper, with clean apple fruit and just a hint of waxy complexity.”

Parrott describes the Benito Santos Albariño Rias Baixas Igrexario de Saiar 2010 ($18) as a little less difficult to get into, but still showing much more complexity than most albarinos in the U.S. market. “The nose is classic albarino, with rich peaches and flowers. The palate is similarly rich, but a laserbeam of minerality pokes through immediately, and the wine turns almost crunchy with quartz.”

An added benefit of the preferred pour is that it’s a good wine to please crowds of mixed wine aficionados and newbies according to Parrott, who remarks that the selection “rises above most albarinos, who have taken on a caricatured sameness similar to New Zealand sauvignon blanc.”

For Kelly Magyarics, the cornucopia of main dish options—“everything from roast turkey to standing rib roast, and from seared duck breast to baby lamb chops”—can be boggling. She thanks the wine gods for one “go-to versatile crowd pleaser that can hold its own”: none other than pinot noir.

Magyarics says she and her wine-loving friends tend to prefer the options coming out of Oregon these days. She also recommends paying a bit more. “If you step up the price point you usually spend by $20 or so, the bottles go from being good to great.”

In pinpointing specific especially pleasing pours, Magyarics refers to a recent Pinot Noir Showdown dinner at Bourbon Steak in D.C., where she sampled pours from California, Oregon and Burgundy to compare and contrast styles and food affinity. “One of my fave bottles that night was the 2006 Argyle Spirithouse Pinot Noir ($55), which I found to be a textbook example of what a great Oregonian pinot should be— bright cherry fruit and silky tannins, and the signature earthy aroma that is often lacking.”

Of course, as Magyarics points out, ham will be on many tables this winter, and she has the perfect pairing: “Riesling is a natural partner for ham, and a sparkling version just makes things that much more festive and mouthwatering.”

She offers, “The Germans surprisingly happen to consume more sparkling wine per capita than the residents of any other country. Their answer to Champagne is called sekt, and though they tend to keep much of what they produce … it’s worth seeking out.”

Her sekt suggestion: 2007 Peter Jakob Kuhn Riesling Sekt ($30), featuring riesling’s signature peach and floral notes but with a finish dry enough to hold its own next to a baked ham or pork tenderloin.

(January 2012)

By Jake Parrott

Illustration by Ashleigh Carter

As I reflect on another year of bibulous wonder, I can’t help but look back at two lions that our beautiful little world lost this year. These two men changed our expectations about what and where we can and should drink. They were curious long before curious was cool.

We lost Ray Deter on July 3 in New York City to a bike accident. Ray was the visionary behind the three “d.b.a.” bars in the East Village of Manhattan, the Frenchmen Street strip in New Orleans, and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. He opened the original East Village location in 1994. To hear the drink intelligentsia of New York tell it, the city was a wasteland for fine beverages at the time. Sure, there were the old-line places with museums of wine, but a place where the casual and inquisitive could learn and socialize at the same time was a revelation. d.b.a. started as a beer bar; Ray wanted to offer everything he could get his hands on. A beer engine went in for casks, many from local brewers who made English styles but had no outlet to show them in their proper form. At the same time, Ray took his mantra (“Drink Good Stuff”) to the back bar. The breadth and depth of his liquor selections were unsurpassed at the time for a casual bar. For many years, if you were stretching the budget to buy a bottle of whiskey, you went to d.b.a. and bought a dram. If Ray were there, as he often was, you got a lesson, too.

Ray’s second d.b.a., in New Orleans, combines fine drinking and great music. It’s my favorite bar in the world. On July 21, in the midst of the teeming Tales of the Cocktail liquor festival, we sent Ray off with a traditional New Orleans second-line. Photo posters on sticks, a brass band, dancing and drinking in the street; we had it all. And what did I choose to toast Ray with? Wild Turkey Rye, one of those whiskeys that Ray would keep at d.b.a. that no one else would stock. It was delicious.

We lost Joe Dressner on Sept. 17 in New York City to a recurrence of brain cancer. In 1988, Joe started Louis/Dressner Selections with his wife, Denyse Louis. By the time I was blooming as a wine geek in 2000, Internet message boards already teemed with stories of wines from unfashionable places (Muscadet! Touraine! Montlouis! Corbieres!) that weren’t merely youthful wines for glugging down or filling wine columns. They were alive! They were cheap! They aged! (Even the Muscadets!) Joe was a presence online as well, sprinkling his cantankerous observations of the wine business with brilliant insight into what made the wines he sold compelling.

I was fortunate to have met both Ray and Joe, and talked shop with them briefly. But their work permeates so much of what we do. We can draw a line from Ray Deter to pretty much any great beer or whiskey bar, from Brandy Library in New York to Jack Rose and Bourbon in D.C. Without the inspiration of men like Joe Dressner, how easy would it have been to open a wine shop like Arrowine in North Arlington? Or our local importers, such as Wine Traditions, Simon ‘N’ Cellars, or Williams Corner Wine? And it all stemmed from a single concept: curiosity.

So I say to you, in honor of Ray Deter and Joe Dressner: Be curious. Drink Good Stuff. Drink Real Wine.

(December 2011)

by Warren Rojas

2009 Kenneth Volk Vineyards Malvasia Bianca

Much like inspiration can unexpectedly sneak up on you, keeper wines occasionally crop up when you least expect them.

Kelly Magyarics, for instance, knew she’d be in for a treat when she made her way downtown for a dinner at the renowned 701. But she was still thrilled to be greeted by a palate-pleasing roussanne.

“Sommelier Will Murck lives to disorient diners just a little bit by offering varietals on the wine list from atypical or unexpected regions,” she notes, praising his selection of the 2010 Cass Winery Roussanne as a gutsy call. “I like to refer to this wine as ‘chardonnay on steroids’—it’s got body, weight and girth, along with some of chard’s typical fruit characteristics,” she opines.

Magyarics enjoyed the “notes of candied lemon, honeysuckle and dried tropical fruit” that invaded her nostrils but found the taste most complementary. “The wine is balanced, with both richness and vibrant acidity that runs the gamut from lime to orange blossom. It paired nicely with rice and succulent pork belly,” she recalls.

Her other score was a Sicilian gem by way of Paso Robles, the dual-aged (endures both tank and barrel fermentation) 2009 Kenneth Volk Vineyards Malvasia Bianca. “Aromas of ripe tropical flowers and fruit like lychee are joined by a crisp, dry finish that’s similar to Alsace or Alto Adige gewürztraminer,” she estimates. “It’s a great partner with sushi or seafood (we sipped it alongside pistachio-crusted scallops).”

Jake Parrott did some of his scouting on the opposite coast, but still wound up drinking sorta locally.

“On a recent trip to Seattle, I sampled two wines from McLean-based Wine Traditions at two sister bar/bistros, Le Pichet (a cute little place for respite from the bustle of Pike Place Market). Alongside a simple tartine of house-pressed beef tongue, I enjoyed the 2010 Domaine Philemon Gaillac Perle,” he shares, hailing the unconventional white’s quirky nature. “This white blend starts out lush … but the pear fruit quickly firms up to a dry finish with loads of fresh flowers, a gentle, quartz-like minerality, and fresh, fruity acidity,” Parrott says.

Once back home, Parrott found his way up to Café Presse on Capitol Hill where he was able to round out his report with the rocking 2008 Domaine Philemon Gaillac Croix d’Azal. “This wine starts with soft fruit like the blanc—in this case plums and black raspberries—and the wine just sings from there,” he counsels. “The 14-percent alcohol does poke out a tiny bit, but in this case it just adds to the sensation of a late summer walk through an arid vineyard.”

(Nov. 2011)

by Warren Rojas

There’s no denying fall.

Courtesy of López de Heredia Viña Tondonia

The turning leaves. The slight nip in the air. And the long-awaited payoff that harvest season brings to those who have so patiently waited for dangling clusters of sun-ripened grapes to swell, sweeten and ultimately plummet into collection baskets.

“After a summer of rosé and acidic whites, October brings the focus back toward red,” is how Jake Parrott chooses to view things. His affinity for outdoor cooking—“I’m a grilling and barbecue nut,” he proudly admits—mandates seeking out fresh, acidic pours to pair with his flame-licked fare.

He admires the care invested in producing the 2005 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Cubillo Crianza, a Rioja blend cobbled together from tempranillo (65 percent), garnacho (35 percent), graciano (5 percent) and mazuelo (5 percent) grapes and left to mingle in well-seasoned, American oak vats.

“There is a bit of old pencil shaving and sweet earth above the dried cherry fruit,” he suggests. “But what really makes this wine sing, like many Lopez wines, is the finish.” Parrott most appreciates the well-balanced tannins and “fresh, bright, mouthwatering acidity”—attributes he deems “perfect for cleaning up that [last] bite of smoked ribs or lamb shoulder chop.”

According to Parrott, the 2009 Domaine des Homs Minervois “Paul”—which binds together syrah, carignan and grenache varietals—eases up on the acid but “still has plenty of definition.” He extolls the prominent blackberry and black cherry front-loaded onto the palate by the carignan, but he reserves his highest praise for the protracted finish.

“The finish is intensely mineral, and while there is some acidity, this minerality is what drives this wine and makes the second sip come so easily,” he says, adding, “This wine is for warmer October nights, when we want to hold on to that last bit of summer before we bed in with our stews and Chateauneufs.”

Kelly Magyarics recently had her own run in with minerality. But her epiphany was facilitated by the 2009 White Hall Vineyards Viognier ($17).

“I’ve always believed that Virginia really shines with viognier; [VA] winemakers have a really good knack of combining New World fruit with Old World elegance and minerality,” she opines. Magyarics enjoys the “honeysuckle and a hint of rose” floating on the bouquet and flashes of orange blossom that dance across her palate. But she still sees room for improvement.

“While I wouldn’t compare Virginia viognier to some of the higher-end bottles coming out of its classic region—Condrieu in the Northern Rhone—I would compare it to some quality California producers like Rosenblum Cellars and J. Vineyards’ Hoot Owl Vineyard Viognier,” she suggests. “And for some Virginia producers, it’s only getting better.”

(October 2011)

by Warren Rojas

Experience has proven that no single wine is the ideal accompaniment to every meal.
But confidence is high this palette of hand-picked pours will serve you well the next time pairing block rears its ugly, confounding head.

Sparkling - Kelly Magyarics enjoys Champagne as much as the next girl. But she also appreciates getting a great deal—“It’s a lovely substitute for Champagne (at a fraction of the price),” Magyarics says of the NV Marquis de la Tour Brut ($13)—on unheralded bubblies from the neighboring Loire Valley.
“This sparkler is made with ugni blanc (the grape used for Cognac), chenin blanc and chardonnay, using the same method as the ‘other’ French stuff,” she notes, hailing the “delicate melon and lemon tart aromas” and “light-bodied and crisp” flavors swirling around in the naturally carbonated bottle.

White - A sucker for Campania’s “workaday wines,” Jake Parrott can’t help but be struck by the refinement evident in the organically produced 2009 Terra di Briganti Sannio Falanghina ($17).

Parrott digs the “firm and bright” bouquet (with decidedly apple aromas) but is really bowled over once his tongue gets involved. “The firmness continues on the palate, with just the tiniest bit of sweet, raw almond providing a touch of opulence, before a snappy, grapefruity finish. I’ve certainly had Falanghinas with more minerality, but the rich finish and gentle price still makes this a winner,” he asserts.

Rosé - Given his druthers, Parrott would shepherd even more unpronounceable Basque wines—particularly those as striking as the 2010 Ameztoi Rubentis ($21)—to our shores.
“Txakolina wines are crisp and spritzy but often have minerality and depth that other freshly imported wines, such as Portugal’s Vinho Verdes, lack,” he argues. “The Ameztoi wines combine that depth with an extra dose of exuberance.”

Parrott cheers the “fresh, fresh, fresh strawberry fruit” and “endless finish” (attributed to the phenolic signature left by the prominently featured hondarrabi beltza grapes) exhibited by the complex rosé. “The other prominently-imported Txakolina rosé, Gurrutxaga, is also well worth your time,” he advises.

Red - Done with overhyped/overblown/just plain overdone California reds? Magyarics is too.

Which is why she was so pleased to stumble across the palate-pleasing 2009 Robert Sinskey Vineyards Pinot Noir Los Carneros ($35) while stepping out for a bite in McLean. “Sinskey’s pinot deftly straddles that great combination of fruit (cherries and raspberries) along with a hint of tea and Pinot Noir’s signature earthiness,” she says. “I enjoyed this wine at the new Seasons 52 in Tysons Corner recently along with cedar-planked Copper River Salmon. It was a blissful pairing.”

(September 2011)

by Robert Fulton

Mad Fox Brewing Company in Falls Church starts getting busy mid-afternoon on Saturdays, and stays that way until closing. The long, comfortable wood bar in this brewpub located in a shopping center situated right on the town’s main drag, Broad Street, begins to fill with thirsty beer lovers looking to try one of the dozen or so craft offerings described in colored chalk on two boards next to flatscreen televisions.

Long-time Northern Virginia brewer and Mad Fox owner Bill Madden sits at a table in the restaurant’s expansive dining room. He’s brewed in the area for 15 years, including stints at Capitol City in Shirlington and Vintage 50 in Leesburg, before opening Mad Fox in July of 2010.
“We were all heartbroken,” Madden says, wistfully, when the conversation turns to the subject of one-time area beer maker Old Dominion Brewing Company. “There was a big hole in all of our hearts, in all of the brewer’s hearts in Northern Virginia, when we saw Old Dominion [leave].”
When Old Dominion’s brewing operations relocated to Delaware in 2009 after 20 years operating in Ashburn, the Northern Virginia beer scene took a major hit. No longer was there a beer both brewed and bottled locally. No longer was there an area commodity that residents could see stocked on the shelves at the nearby grocery story and point to as theirs.
But in the wake of Old Dominion’s departure two years ago, a wide-open market has emerged, with a number of new breweries looking to fill the void.
“There was a big hole left when the company that purchased them kind of betrayed Northern Virginia,” Bill Madden says. “What the beauty of it now is we’re seeing the hole filled with these great new breweries coming up.”

Photo: Jonathan Timmes

Favio Garcia is making a mess.
Amber liquid pours out of a tank and onto the freshly laid floor of his new venture, Lost Rhino Brewing Company. Chock the spillage up as just another casualty in the beer-making process.
If anyone currently producing beer in the area has first claim to the legacy of Old Dominion, it’s Garcia and his business partner Matt Hagerman. Both were brewers at Old Dominion, the former the head brewer.
Founded in 1989 by Jerry Bailey, Old Dominion was the flagship beer in Northern Virginia. In 2007, Coastal Brewing Company, a joint venture between Fordham Brewing Company and Anheuser-Busch, which owned a 49-percent share, purchased Old Dominion. In 2009, Coastal Brewing Company consolidated operations to Delaware, shuttering Old Dominion’s Ashburn brewery. The building still stands empty.
Garcia and Hagerman didn’t move with Old Dominion, and two years later, have opened Lost Rhino.
Of all the area brewers with an opinion on Old Dominion’s departure, Garcia’s might surprisingly be the most upbeat one yet.
“That’s the best part about it,” says Garcia, as he stands monitoring equipment in the new brewery in Ashburn. “When Old Dominion moved away, that sparked people doing things again. It’s exciting.”
It’s no coincidence that Garcia and Hagerman chose to locate Lost Rhino’ s home in a business park close to Route 28 in Ashburn, the drumming of their kettles drowning out the roaring of jetliners making their approach to nearby Dulles Airport.
“Ashburn at the end of the day supported a craft brewery for 20 years,” says Hagerman, who first brewed root beer at Old Dominion before making his way up the ladder. “They’re very well educated on how that all works.”
Originally, Garcia and Hagerman wanted to name their new company 28 North, after the nearby highway, but learned that a Pittsburgh-area band already laid claim to that moniker. The two settled on Lost Rhino, trying to convey a sense of West Coast nonchalance.
“We want to bring back that laidback atmosphere,” Hagerman says. “You just get a sense of being. I want to bring some of that relaxation into my beer.”
At the outset, the folks at Lost Rhino plan to produce three beers, as well as a seasonal selection, with the initial goal of making 2,500 barrels a year. At press time, plans called for a tasting room and, adjacent to that, a brewpub in the same vein as Old Dominion’s popular brew pub. Beer is available by growler and 22-ounce bottles, and long-term plans include canning. Lost Rhino has space to significantly increase production.
“We’re trying to create a fun brewery, a place to have fun, hang out with the brewers, and make some interesting beers,” Garcia says.

Photo: Jonathan Timmes

For a brewery, Port City in Alexandria is clean. Like, you-could-lick-soup-off-the-floor-of-the-production-area clean. But this cleanliness is not because the facility off Wheeler Road, situated between Duke Street and the Beltway, only opened in February and isn’t busy cranking out product. No, it’s clean because owner Bill Butcher wants it that way.
“You can’t produce world-class beers in a dirty brewery,” Butcher says during a tour of Port City’s facilities. “We make a big mess in here when we’re brewing, but at the end of the day, we spend a lot of time cleaning it up and making sure that the place sparkles.”
While Lost Rhino in Ashburn may have a claim to the Old Dominion legacy because of lineage, Port City is trying to fill the void left behind on the store shelves. Unlike other Northern Virginia producers, Port City bottles its beer, which can be found in area grocery stores.
When Butcher sees opportunity, he jumps. After a career in the wine business, Butcher recognized that the greater D.C. area didn’t have microbreweries commensurate to the region’s market size. That’s when he explored the idea of opening a brewery.
With no beer experience to speak of, Butcher brought in award-winning, long-time local brewer Jonathan Reeves to make his beers. Port City now has four flagship products [Monumental IPA, Essential Pale Ale, Optimal Wit, Porter], with plans for a seasonal offering. Port City, a homage to Alexandria, has plans to produce 5,000 barrels in 2011, with capacity for 25,000 barrels annually.
The Port City building includes a small tasting room, where customers can try out the beer before purchasing growlers or bottles. On one wall is a display paying respect to the old Robert Portner Brewing Company, which operated in Old Town Alexandria from the end of the Civil War until the onset of Prohibition.
A hundred years later, Butcher now sees a time for a renaissance in Northern Virginia craft beer.
“I’ve always been a fan of craft beer,” Butcher says. “Over the past 10 years the craft beer business has gotten more and more like the wine business with more choices, more selection, more styles available, and a growing appreciation of the market for craft beer that’s in a way very similar to how wine aficionados have appreciated wine over the years.”

While the likes of Port City and Lost Rhino are new to the Northern Virginia beer scene, brew pubs have long been popular. Over the last decade plus, such locations as Vintage 50 Restaurant & Brew Lounge in Leesburg, Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington and the three area Sweetwater Tavern locations have quenched beer drinkers’ thirsts.
“A lot of what Northern Virginia has benefited from is the recent exposure and acceptance of beer and food,” says Capitol City director of brewing operations Mike McCarthy, sitting at his Shirlington location, speaking passionately about beer. The restaurant operates two additional brewpubs in D.C. “It’s so much more accessible. People are feeling less intimidated by microbrews. There’s such a wide range of beer. People are demanding better selections.”
McCarthy says that while Northern Virginia’s brewpub scene has remained strong, Old Dominion’s departure hurt because it took away a local identity.
“I think it had a big impact,” says McCarthy, who has been with Cap City for nine years. “They were the only big boy around here. There was no other production. It’s great to have a great pub scene, but that’s something that legitimizes an area.”
Nick Funnell, the head brewer for Sweetwater Tavern, owned by the Great American Restaurant Group with three locations in Merrifield, Sterling and Centreville, has brewed locally for 15 years and has seen the area evolve as much as anyone.
“It’s much easier to get good beer,” Funnell says. “When we opened up, there were very few breweries and very few places to get good beer.”
Funnell believes that the area beer drinker is sophisticated.
“Beers in the East Coast tend to be better balanced,” he says. “The average drinkers here are more broadly traveled. They have a fairly good understanding of different styles of beer.”

The members of the NoVA beer scene are a tight-knit bunch. Madden brewed at Vintage 50 and, before that, Capitol City. Jonathan Reeves, the head brewer at Port City, worked with Funnel at Sweetwater, among many other stops. Between Old Dominion leaving town and starting up Lost Rhino, Garcia also brewed at Sweetwater.
The beer scene, at least locally, is not like, say, the restaurant business. The brewers share equipment, and don’t keep secrets from each other. It’s not so much competitive as it is camaraderie. They root for everyone’s success.
“We all know each other,” Madden says. “We’ve all work together in some shape or form. We’ve all helped each other out.”
Festivals have played a significant role in the growth of the local social scene. Capital City’s Oktoberfest in the streets of Shirlington is a highlight event each October.
From 1996 to 2006, Old Dominion held a festival in Ashburn. In that tradition, Madden helped found the Northern Virginia BrewFest, both in summer and fall.
“It’s spreading the word,” Madden says. “It’s getting us brewers together and getting our products together in one place that people can sample and enjoy and savor what’s going on in Northern Virginia in one location.”
While Northern Virginia can boast a number of brewpubs from Leesburg to Arlington, and a beer consumer can find Port City in a local grocery store, there’s no specific style yet associated with the area.
“I think that the scene is too young here for us to have established a specific style or a regional flavor that we’d be known for,” Butcher says.
Madden sees nothing but growth for the local beer scene in the coming years, echoing Butcher’s vision.
“It can support all of us brewers,” Madden says. “I think it’s a little under-served right now. It’s desperate for more breweries and brewpubs. There’s a definite demand out there. It’s having a local identity folks can really gravitate towards.”
Sitting at Mad Fox one Saturday afternoon, taking a break from working on a new batch of beer, Madden recalls a well-repeated quote from rock musician Frank Zappa:
“You can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”
“Hopefully the hole is going to be filled for us all,” Bill Madden says.

Where To Go For Local Beer

Capitol City
Brewing Company
Shirlington
4001 Campbell Ave.
Arlington
703-578-3888
www.capcitybrew.com

Lost Rhino
21730 Red Rum Road
Ashburn
571-291-2083
www.lostrhino.com

Mad Fox
Brewing Company
444 W. Broad St.
Falls Church
703-942-6840
www.madfoxbrewing.com

Port City
3950 Wheeler Ave.
Alexandria
703-797-2739
www.portcitybrewing.com

Sweetwater Tavern
Three locations, in Centreville,
Merrifield and Sterling
www.greatamericanrestaurants.com

Vintage 50
50 Catoctin Circle NE,
Leesburg
703-777-2169
www.vintage50.com

(September 2011)

By Warren Rojas

Eddie Arrossi

According to Brewers Association director Paul Gatza, craft brewing is experiencing a renaissance the likes of which has not been seen in well over over a century.

“When there’s craft brew in the basket, the ring is higher on the register. So we’re getting more shelf space,” Gatza declares of the mass retailers’ slow but building appreciation for fledgling brewers.

The ranks of the brewingrati have so significantly swelled in the past few decades—closing on 1,800 active breweries, with 700 new players slated to come online by the end of 2011—the BA has had to redefine their constituency, tagging “small” breweries as those wheeling out under 6 million barrels per annum; “microbreweries” those rolling out less than 15,000 barrels a year; and loosely capping the nascent “nanobrewery” contingent as those producing under 100 barrels per year.

No matter where they fall on the production spectrum, all the participating breweries who attend the annual SAVOR gala in D.C. know to bring their A-game—because this town has gone craft brew crazy.

Beer chefs, local brews and cask ales have gone from amenities that restaurants might adopt as a goof to the cornerstones of the beverage/culinary programs. Take Neighborhood Restaurant Group: the burgeoning local chainlet keeps building bigger restaurants, it would seem, just to accommodate their dizzyingly deep and wildly diverse beer lists. Hell, now they’re even talking about opening up their own brewery in D.C.

Teddy Folkman, executive chef at Granville Moore’s and SAVOR’s local go-to menu planner, says he was so busy sweating the details of this year’s food pairings—a definite improvement over last year, but we still encountered more whiffs than homeruns—he barely got to bend the elbow.

“Beers … didn’t get to drink as many as I wanted to,” he suggests. “But I was really impressed with both beers from Trinity Brewhouse, Yazoo Rye Saison, Avery’s Dihos Dactylion and Saint Arnold’s Lawnmower Kolsch.”

Meanwhile, if any struggling home brewers need any additional encouragement to keep at it, take a page from Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione.

He opened his first brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Del., roughly 15 years ago. Last year, he partnered with Mario Batali to launch the rooftop gastropub/brewery crowning Eataly in New York. Calagione is taking the fight to Europe next, mapping out plans to found a proper birreria in Rome by 2012. 

We managed to swirl, sniff and sip—OK, and occasionally chug—with roughly a third of the six dozen producers on hand for the evening. The standouts included (in descending order):

Deschutes Brewery The Dissident: This one was pretty wild; big fruit nose, lots of sour on the palate.

Oskar Blues Brewery Gubna: Boldest can in the business; powered by summit hops and rye malt, this one is a quintessential hop bomb.

The Saint Louis Brewery Schlafly No. 20 Vol. 2 Hop Toddy: Forceful citrus open (think: lemon, grapefruit or tangerine tartness), but also very refreshing and totally unique.

Founders Brewing Company Kentucky Breakfast Stout: Thick, malty brew with brilliant coffee notes and a bourbon-y slow burn.

Nebraska Brewing Company Hop God: Spicy but light; a natural thirst quencher.

(August 2011)

Dearly beloved, we gather today to both kick dirt on the most tiresome mixology trends and celebrate its rising stars.

Aperol on the rocks (Courtesy of Campari Group)

RIP
Jake Parrott wouldn’t shed a single tear if vodka disappeared from the earth. “Try your favorite fruity vodka drink with an interesting white rum (Flor de Caña, Matusalem, Appleton),” he suggests. “The depth of flavor will shock you out of the webbed grasp of Grey Goose.

Kelly Magyarics couldn’t agree more—particularly when it comes to Frankenvodkas. “I am always astounded at the number of vodkas … in flavors ranging from bacon to whipped cream,” she muses. “If you really MUST drink vodka … why not mix it with fresh melon [or] berries … rather than reach for a sub-par shortcut?”

Parrott is also in the anti-shortcut camp. But his biggest beef is with commercial mixers. “Make your own syrups and squeeze your own citrus,” he urges. “Sugar is cheap, POM is everywhere. And you can use that vodka you’re not drinking anymore as a preservative for your syrups (about an ounce per quart of syrup).”

DH Krahn Gin ($25); Aperol ($25); Appleton Jamaica Rum ($24) - Courtesy of DH Krahn Gin; courtesy of Campari Group; courtesy of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rums

Just don’t overdo it. “The elements of a great cocktail should be balanced,” Magyarics asserts her pitch to retire overly sweet drinks. “I prefer cocktails a bit on the tart or bitter side, which makes them mouth-watering and easier to go back to, sip after sip. If you want something so teeth-achingly sweet, I suggest sticking to a soda or a Slurpee.”

Or get too fancy. “The laundry list of ingredients on many drink menus can be overwhelming for guests who just want a tasty cocktail,” Magyarics warns menu writers. “Not knowing exactly what’s going into the shaker (egg white, bitters, etc.) often adds to a drink’s mystique.”

And stop ostracizing vermouth. Parrott hails the oft-neglected aperitif as “delicious,” “versatile” and “food-friendly.”

“But it’s none of those things if it’s a cheap-brand afterthought or stale,” he counsels, touting a chilled bottle of Noilly Prat or Martini & Rossi Bianco as an invaluable asset.

Welcome Aboard
Both our Libation Sleuths champion minding the little things.

“Just as cuisine often shows at its best when a chef chooses just a few high- quality ingredients, the same goes for cocktails,” Magyarics says, describing traditional martinis (gin, vermouth, orange bitters: DONE) and fruity, homemade daiquiris as “wonderful.” Parrott was more nuts and bolts, espousing careful measurements, proper procedures and fresh garnishes—“no nasty ‘Maraschino’ cherries!”—as no-nonsense steps toward better drinking.

He also lobbies for more amaro. “Fernet Branca … makes a brilliant addition (in dashes) to drinks using bourbon or rich, aged rum,” Parrot counsels. He also endorses adding Aperol—“Campari’s low-alcohol, orange-and-rhubarb cousin”— to fizzy summer coolers.

Magyarics, meanwhile, puts in a plug for more gin. “Whereas vodka is neutral—and dare I say it, boring—the enticing aromas and flavor profiles of gin are anything but,” she says. She recommends stocking your bar with small-batch newcomers DH Krahn, Martin Miller or Back River, or the trusted Beefeater line.

(July 2011)

By Warren Rojas

J Vineyards Russian Valley Pinot Noir ($15); www.jwine.com

Dear up-and-coming winemakers: Our humble Libation Sleuths can’t stress enough that a less-is-more philosophy can and will get you noticed in a marketplace crowded with overly adulterated imitators.

“I have a love-hate relationship with Chateauneuf-du-Pape,” Jake Parrott readily admits, characterizing the wide array of source material, viticultural styles and cookie-cutter expressions as a recipe that’s enabled far too many to flood the market with middling, but commercially successful results, for far too long.

“Most of the wines that come to the States from Chateauneuf are blowsy, alcoholic, woody, or all three,” he warns. “Many of those wines get HUGE POINTS from The Points Guy. Well, that’s all well and good for The Points Guy, but I want my wines bright, lithe and tasting of something other than fruit and wood.”

During a recent outing to Trummer’s on Main, Parrott found just what he was looking for in a pair of fully realized Papes.

Parrott hails the 2007 Xavier Vignon Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ($35) as a richly textured production. “It’s a Southern Rhone white, so it’s not shy, but the alcohol is relatively restrained, as is the wood,” he suggests, trumpeting the flashes of “rich pear fruit” and “a little Roussanne wax” as flavors to look forward to.

“Drink this with your in-season scallops, shrimp or trout,” he advises.

Milking even more magic from the same region, Parrott taps the 2006 Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge ($48) as a perennial favorite. “Wild berries are infused with an intense blood-and-mineral core,” he says, stressing, “This is insanely mineral.”

Kelly Magyarics found similar inspiration, just much closer to home.

She hails the 2009 J Vineyards California Pinot Gris ($15) as a welcome change from unnecessarily cluttered competitors. “J’s pinot gris is perfect for the wine drinker who prefers a cleaner, crisper style of white wine (i.e., not an oak bomb) but may be turned off recently by the overtly tropical notes and sweetness of some New Zealand and California sauvignon blancs,” she counsels. “It’s unoaked, with stone fruit, tangerine and lime, and a hint of vanilla and honey.”

Magyarics recommends breaking it out the next time fish tacos hit the grill, pitching it as the perfect complement to chipotle dressing.

If your palate craves complexity, Magyarics recommends kicking back with a glass of 2008 J Vineyards Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($35).

“Though J produces eight pinots—many of them single vineyard—this one, sourced with fruit from throughout the Russian River Valley, has Über-sip-appeal,” she posits, touting scents of “raspberry, blackberry” plus “flavors of cocoa and a hint of spice on the finish.”

“This is not an overly extracted pinot but one that has elegance and balance (the two words that describe J’s winemaking philosophy, by the way …),” Magyarics gushes. “2008 was a bit of a tight vintage, so this will just continue to evolve in the bottle.”

(June 2011)

By Warren Rojas

Courtesy of Elk Cove Vineyards

Like most red-blooded Americans, our Libation Sleuths get giddy when warm weather becomes the seasonal norm and glowing grills dot the summer skyline like so many amorous fireflies.

Kelly Magyarics got a preview of delicious things to come during Cochon 555’s—a nose-to-tail extravaganza that challenges local cheflebrities to reduce whole heritage pigs into delectable deconstructions and then pits the resulting plates against one another in a feasting free-for-all—annual swing through D.C.

“Also along for the ride were five winemakers, for those (like me) who like a little wine with their swine,” she shared, singling out Northwest Oregon’s Elk Cove Vineyards as a producer well worth remembering.

Magyarics hails the 2008 Elk Cove Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($30) as “a great example of what can happen in Oregon in a cool vintage.”

“Deep ruby in color, with cherry pit and a whiff of rosé, it also has some herbal and dark fruit notes,” she says, noting that “it can definitely benefit from a bit of aeration.” Magyarics suggests marrying this standout red to grilled baby lamb chops or smoked pork chops.

Northwest Italy gets the nod from Jake Parrott, who taps the Ligurian-bred 2009 Bisson Golfo del Tigullio Ciliegiolo Rosato as a palate pleasing pink. “Unlike many French rosés, which can tend toward the ponderous or the papery, this one is a perfect balance of light cherry flavors and acid that refreshes without challenging,” he suggests. “Look for the 2010 bottling soon, which promises to be even more fresh and electric.”

Were she to take a walk on the lighter side, Magyarics says she would gladly make her way over to the 2009 Elk Cove Willamette Valley Pinot Gris ($20) camp. “It’s got mouth-watering citrus on the palate (grapefruit and lemon), along with a rich mouth feel that gives it a bit of decadence,” she says, pitching grilled fish, pork tenderloin or Asian dishes as gastronomically aligned mates.

Flame-kissed seafood sounds good to Parrott. But he’ll take his with the 2007 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc—a who’s who of varietals (grenache blanc, chardonnay, roussanne, rolle, muscat) from Southern France with personality to spare.

“This wine is no one’s idea of a fruit bomb. A wax bomb, a honey bomb (though dry), a chunky, brash mineral bomb, sure,” Parrott quips. “But there is enough fruit amidst the idiosyncrasies.”

(May 2011)