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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Of course, no #Piemonte wine trip is complete without a stop at #Gaja. The 160-year-old producer is arguably the greatest in #Barbaresco, known for breaking with tradition again and again to set new industry trends. Most famously, Angelo Gaja began planting international varieties in the region (in 1978, Cabernet Sauvignon; 1979, Chardonnay; 1983, Sauvignon Blanc) -- unheard of before the '70s. I got to try one such varietal (their '06 Gaia and Rey Chardonnay is tremendous), but I'm really here for the Nebbiolo-based wines -- like that stunning '99 Sori San Lorenzo and killer '01 Sperss in the photo. It's also a pleasure to taste with @GiovanniGaja, the 5th generation (and third Giovanni!) to work at the winery. While relatively new to the family biz, the man has wine in his blood (or is that "blood" just straight up wine?), and knows an incredible amount about the process and local terroir. . #BarbarescoWine #GajaWine #GajaBarbaresco #GajaBarolo #BaroloWines #Barolo #LangheWines #Langhe #ItalianWine #ItalianWines #AngeloGaja #NebbioloGrape #Nebbiolo #NebbioloWine #WineTasting #Wine
One of the oldest and best wineries in all of #Barolo is the legendary #Vietti. Though officially founded in 1873, the Vietti family has been making wine since the 17th century in central #CastiglioneFalletto. Like most high end Barolo wineries, Vietti produces multiple single vineyard cuvees (i.e. all grapes in a bottle harvested from a single plot of land). I had the great opportunity to do a vertical tasting of one such vineyard, #Lazzarito, with the wine's brilliant maker, Luca Currado Vietti (@Vietti_Vino). Only around 5000 bottles of Lazzarito are produced each year, and though Vietti specializes in a more traditional, elegant style of Barolo, this particular vineyard produces some of their more powerful wine. The 2015 is the brightest and freshest of the bunch; 2013 is one of the most tannic and intense Barolos I've tasted; but 2014 is once again the sleeper. The weather wasn't great that year, but the grapes that survived produced amazing juice. The velvety texture and aromas of plum, roses, and even chocolate, are truly seductive. . #BaroloWines #BaroloWine #NebbioloGrape #Nebbiolo #NebbioloWine #ViettiWinery #BaroloTime #SingleVineyard #LucaCurrado #barolo2014 #2014Vintage #Vintage2014
One of the first stops on my #Piemonte wine tour is the incredible @Elvio_Cogno, located in #Novello, the southwestern most area of the #Barolo DOCG. It's an honor to taste with Nadia Cogno (Elvio's daughter), who now oversees the winery with her husband, Valter Fissore. The two couldn't be more gracious hosts, and the wines are fantastic, to boot. They specialize in single vineyard Barolo (Elvio, along with Marcarini, produced what is arguably the first ever single vineyard Barolo, Brunate, in 1964), and my favorite of the four wines they produce in the historical cru of #Ravera is Vigna Elena. Aged 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels, and then 24 months in bottle, this #Riserva Barolo shows notes of licorice and tobacco on the nose, and tastes like candied apple on the palate. You should be able to find this beauty in the U.S. for around $100; it'd be worth every penny. . #ElvioCogno #WilsonDaniels #BaroloWine #VignaElena #DOCG #SingleVineyard #SingleVineyardWines #BaroloTime #BaroloWine #BaroloWines #PiedmontWine #Piedmont #Vino #VinoDiPiemonte #Wine #Wines #WineTime #Vineyard #Vineyards
Before leaving Lake Como for #Piemonte, I had to get a warm up glass of #Barolo in. This bottle of 2014 #LeTerre by @TerreDelBarolo is just the thing to kick off the next leg of our journey. Generally speaking, the vintage was a weird one for the region: a difficult growing season with hailstorms rendered many farmers' crops useless -- but many of the grapes that did survive made for great wine. The cooperative winery in #CastiglioneFalletto (the heart of Barolo), has produced a solid effort here -- one that, admittedly, could use a bit more time in the bottle (5 years?) before the tannins, fruit, acid, and wood blend more seamlessly together. But it's especially nice with this #RomeoYJulieta cigar I nabbed at a shop in #Lugano, Switzerland. With a Cuban stogie and a glass of Barolo on a balcony overlooking beautiful #LakeComo, I feel like friggin' Don Fixelleone over here. . #PiemonteVino #Piedmont #PiedmontWine #BaroloTime #BaroloWine #Barolo #CubanCigar #Cigar #Cigars #RomeoYJulietaCigars #RomeoYJulietaCigar #CigarTime #CigarLife
When in Lugano...drink wine out of a striped ceramic bowl. Such is, apparently, the custom in this southernmost region of Switzerland, as I discovered at #LaTinera, a traditional #Ticinese restaurant that blends the best of German and northern Italian cuisine (porcini risotto! venison sausage!) in a rustic, underground dining room. Could I smell and taste every note of the #Barbaresco wine it held? Certainly not. But did I feel like a local #Ticeno baller as I knocked back cup after cup of fermented juice to wash down copious amounts of roast chicken and pasta? Sure did. . #Lugano #Swiss #Switzerland #SwissCustom #Italian #ItalianCuisine #BarbarescoWine #RedWine #DrinkWine #Wines #Wine #Sausage #VenisonSausage #ItalianMeal #SwissFood
It's not all wine out here in Italy -- by god, they've got great beer out here, too! #Collesi produces one mean blonde ale (or #bionda, in Italiano), naturally bottle conditioned and made from Pilsen-Munich malt and delicate European hops. The result is a light, elegant -- yet complex -- brew, with aromas of vanilla, fresh brioche, and honey. The brewery is way farther south (right on the border of Marche and Umbria) than where I am right now in Lombardy, but the style is still unmistakably Italian -- and a perfect pairing for this antipasti. . #ItalianBeer #ItalyBeer #BirraCollesi #Birra #Beer #BottledBeer #BirraArtigianale #Birras #birrartigianale #Italy #EatItaly #Antipasti #Antipasto #LakeComo #Como #Laglio #ItalianEats #DrinkItaly #ItalianBeverage #BirraItaliana #Italiana

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