Tag Archives: Beer

Hard Apple Cidery Review: Sea Cider, Vancouver BC Canada

Posted on January 14, 2019 by waywardwine

Hi Internet. Too much time has passed us by. It turns out that toddlers and bloggers mix like oil and water. My apologies.

Time to scratch the itch and wrap up our Vancouver Island drinks tour with one last review. To recap: Canada is not the Mediterranean. Wine grapes struggle to reach ripeness in this cool, marginal climate. Yet Vancouver Island, oddly, shelters enough microclimates to encourage some to try their hand at wine-making. Results range from enamel-etching bubbly (read here), tart Chardonnay (read here), decent but pale Pinot Noir (read here), a fine Gamay (read here), a solid hybrid white (read here), to a mixed-bag winery that distills great gin and vermouth (read here),

Maybe we’re going about this all wrong. Let’s drop the grapes and give cold-hardy apples a chance. We roll from Victoria North into the rolling verdant farm hills of Saanich Peninsula. A gravel road bends up a cliff overlooking gleaming Cordova Channel. Short apple trees for hand picking lead up to the white, decked, cidery and tasting room. The view stops us. Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Hard Cider, Uncategorized | Tagged apple, Beer, Canada, drink, Hard Cider, Sea Cider, travel, Vancouver Island, wine | 3 Comments

Virginian Wine is for Lovers? Drinking Local -VS- Trendsetting

Posted on September 11, 2017 by waywardwine

My wife’s conference brings baby and I to Virginia. We stay in Alexandria: namesake of our ten month old and posh tourist excursion from Washington DC.

“Really Dad?”

Now, with a week to kill, between eponymous photo-ops, I explore Alexandria’s wine shops and bottle bars. Years have passed since I last sold or tried wine from Virginia. I remember liking it. Lean and structured, like Bordeaux, Baboursville Octagon Red seemed solid.

But a concern slowly creeps in. Alexandria’s shelves and lists feature fab Sancerre, German bubblies, Rhône growers, interesting South African Chenin Blanc, Langhe Nebbiolo, and Californian classics. Heck, every shop has at least three Oregon Pinot Noir, even unseen single vineyards, and I come from Oregon. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alexandria, Beer, Cabernet Franc, drinks, Norton, Rkatsiteli, travel, Viognier, virginia, Virginia Wine, wine, Winery | Leave a comment

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day Black Velvet Cocktail

Posted on March 17, 2017 by waywardwine

Sadly, there is not much Irish wine out there. But to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day, let us dabble with a historical wine/beer cocktail. Next time, something a bit more Brut might have worked better. But look at this thing! It is gorgeous. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beer, cocktail, Guinness, Saint Patricks Day, wine | 1 Comment

Golden Oak wins Second Place Judges Choice at Portland’s Willamette Week Pro Am

Posted on October 15, 2016 by waywardwine

So, after pouring their beer for seven hours against 31 other ingenious beers, Tracy’s Golden Oak got second place for Judges’ Choice. Congrats to my brilliant wife, to Danny of Rogue Brewery, and Jesse of Lange Estate Winery for turning … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Barrel, Beer, drinks, Pinot Gris, Portland, proam, wine | 3 Comments

Oktoberfest Wine Review? Acolon Halbtrochen Wachtenburg Winzer, Germany

Posted on October 13, 2016 by waywardwine

Yes, here I am at Mt Angel’s Oktoberfest, surrounded by fabulous, rare German beers, looking for wine. For over 50 years, Mt Angel has hosted 350,000 tipsy, wanna-be bavarians intent on eating, drinking, and watching weiner dogs race.
Continue reading →