Ethan Fixell
Ethan Fixell
 

Ethan Fixell

 
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      Writer  •  Educator  •  Performer

 
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Five Wine Regions Producing America’s Finest Ciders
Five Wine Regions Producing America’s Finest Ciders

AS PUBLISHED BY WINE ENTHUSIAST

As it happens, some of the most noteworthy cider in the United States comes from its greatest wine regions.

“Not every plot of land in a famous wine-growing appellation is perfectly suited to grapes,” says Dustin Wilson, master sommelier and co-founder of Verve Wine. “Often, you’ll see other types of plants in areas that might not be as well-suited for quality grape growing.”

Here are five cider makers from the nation’s greatest wine regions.

Everything You Need To Know About Fancy Cider
Everything You Need To Know About Fancy Cider

AS PUBLISHED BY THRILLIST

Cider is seemingly everywhere these days, going well beyond its antiquated status as a tap option for the gluten-averse or people who say they don't like beer. Still, most people don’t think to order cider when out for a nice dinner, and that's a shame. Good ol’ fermented apple juice can be as complex (and expensive) as any craft beer or fine wine. The best stuff -- often “heritage cider,” made with cider-specific heirloom apple varieties and produced with traditional winemaking techniques -- is incredibly nuanced, with plenty of regional differences and unique flavors to go around.

This Is the Delicious, Super-Cheap Wine You Need This Summer
This Is the Delicious, Super-Cheap Wine You Need This Summer

AS PUBLISHED BY THRILLIST

Can we be honest with each other? Is this a safe space? We know that you like your off-dry Yellowtail Riesling or sweet Barefoot Moscato — but what you really like is spending $8 or less for a bottle of easy-drinking white wine. Did you know that for just a few bucks more, you can upgrade your experience twentyfold? Meet Torrontés: the aromatic Argentinian grape variety capable of producing the ultimate summer sipping wine.

 
 

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"Pétillant-naturel" (or pet-nat, if you wanna get cute) is French for "naturally sparkling." Made by #MéthodeAncestrale (similar to Champagne Method, but without added sugar or "dosage"), the wines are bottled under crown cap (not cork) before fermentation is complete, resulting in smaller bubbles than Champagne and a cloudy haze. @EarlyMountain Vineyards in #MadisonVA makes delicious pet-nat blanc from #VidalBlanc and #PetitManseng, and rouge from 100% Syrah -- but my favorite is this amazing Syrah rosé, with its balance of fresh red berry and savory herbal notes, along with a light body and soft, refreshing fizz. I've paired this rustic, perfect end-of-summer wine with an all-time favorite album: the obscure post-hardcore / #screamo one-off from Richmond, Virginia's Malady (ex-members of the legendary City of Caterpillar and Pg. 99). Like the wine, it has a raw, unpolished style that maintains high energy and a playfulness despite being dead serious at its core. . #PetillantNaturel #PétillantNaturel #PetNat #NaturalSparkling #SparklingWine #SparklingWines #EarlyMountain #EarlyMountainVineyard #EarlyMountainVineyards #VirginiaWine #VAWine #NaturalWine #RoboticEmpire #PostHardcore
Some days I have to pinch myself with this job of mine. Like today, when I got to hang with @PigDestroyerOfficial at @PaulBooth's @LastRitesTattoo Theatre in NYC, as guitarist Scott Hull received some fresh ink from the most famous heavy metal tattoo artist in the world. Booth, of course, painted the artwork for the band's seminal sophomore album, #ProwlerIntheYard (many a fan's favorite), and tatted Hull shortly after. Today he added to that piece for the first time in nearly two decades, and @KerrangMagazine_ was there to capture the dark and creepy magic (check out my story for a preview of the insane studio). Video coming soon. Legendary day. . #PigDestroyer #Grindcore #HeavyMetal #Tattoo #HeavyMetalTattoos #LastRites #PaulBooth #PaulBoothTattoo #TattooArtist #MetalTattoo #Tattoos #ScottHull #KerrangMagazine #PaulBoothTattoo #LastRitesTattoo #LastRitesGallery
Tonight's @KerrangMagazine_-sponsored @RedFangBand show at @MusicHallofWB in Brooklyn, NY, did not disappoint. Openers @Dead_Now_Band and @BigBigBiz dominated with an insane level of buzz 'n' fuzz, proving that five musicians across two bands can somehow produce the collective sound of an entire electric army. And headliners #RedFang brought the house down with a wide mix of stoner metal tracks from their entire discography. Was thrilled to discover that the Portlandian quartet is even heavier live than on record. My next mission is to crack a beer with these hairy dudes... . #RedFangBand #RedFangTour #KerrangTour #StonerMetal #BigBusiness #DeadNow #MusicHallofWilliamsburg #BrooklynNY #RelapseRecords #Metal #HeavyMetal #StonerRock #OnlyGhosts #PortlandMetal #KerrangUS #KerrangMag #AaronBeam
Watching the #Emmys in style with the official sparkling wine of the Awards, @FerrariTrento Brut. This deliciously dry stuff is made of 100% Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs what whaaaaat). And unlike Prosecco or most Lambrusco, this Trento D.O.C. (i.e. made near Alto-Adige at the base of the Alps) is produced via the #TraditionalMethod (or, in Italiano, "Metodo Classico"), just like Champagne. That's to say the wine gets a secondary fermentation in the bottle, when a bit of yeast and sugar are added just before corking, allowing for the yeast to gobble up that sweet fuel and produce an extra kick of bubbly bubbly CO2, and a complex cuvée with notes of golden apple, crusty brioche, and delicate white flowers. I may never get an Emmy...but I've got a PERSONALLY ENGRAVED BOTTLE OF DELICIOUS FERRARI BRUT, DAMMIT! . #Emmys2018 #TheEmmys #EmmyAwards #2018Emmys #SparklingWine #Chardonnay #BlancDeBlancs #ItalianWine #ItalyWines #ItalianWines #MetodoClassico #FerrariBrut #FerrariWine #Ferrari #TrentoDOC #Trento
This week at @KerrangMagazine_'s #Brooklyn office, I had the amazing opportunity to interview @Nergal69 of the mighty @BehemothOfficial for our "In Conversation" series. While he fronts an extreme metal band, the brilliant dude is fascinatingly three-dimensional, with interests far outside the realm of any one music genre. Though we talked about his new album, I Loved You At Your Darkest, we also discussed Nick Cave, Satanic dog food, and drinking red wine with coke (for the record: he loves it; I think it's repulsive). Very excited to share this exclusive conversation with the world in about a week or so via Kerrang!'s YouTube and Facebook pages -- stay tuned! . #Behemoth #ILovedYouAtYourDarkest #ILYAYD #Nergal #NergalBehemoth #AdamNergalDarski #BlackMetal #ExtremeMetal #MetalInterview #HeavyMetal #MetalTime #BehemothBand #BlackMetalhead #Kerrang #KerrangMagazine #MetalBlade #MetalBladeRecords #Metalhead #BlackMetalBand
Been getting some weird, cloudy weather here in New York this week. Amidst the haze, I'm sipping on @DeschutesBeer's new #FreshHazeIPA, a murky juice bomb bursting with citrus flavor thanks to #Mandarina, #Amarillo, and #Simcoe hops. ("Is this beer or OJ?" I find myself asking...) Nothing goes better with a hazy Oregonian IPA, of course, than a little stoner metal from Portland, OR -- which is why I'm cranking @RedFangBand's #OnlyGhosts, a sludgy, grungy work that still manages to brim with energy. Clouds ain't got nothin' on beer and tunes like these. . #RhythmandBooze #Deschutes #DeschutesBeer #HazyIPA #HazyIndiaPaleAle #IndiaPaleAle #HazeBomb #JuicyIPA #RedFang #RedFangBand #PortlandOR #OregonBeer #BendOregon #Beer #IPABeer

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