Eve's Wine 101

Why I Go Both Ways: Enjoying Wine and Spirits

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When I first started drinking wine and decided to spend the time and money for further education and certification, I didn’t think about studying spirits as well. However, the course I wanted offered by WSET at the time, included both. (WSET stand for Wine and Spirits Education Trust. In the last few years they have split the two certifications, though they still go by the WSET name.)

L to R: Claudia Sheridan, Denise Lowe and Eve Bushman shortly after receiving out WSET pins in 2010.

It was in those classes that I got to spend time learning about a wide array of wines as well as spirits. It might have been where the bug for spirits bit me. If you were to talk to my husband he would say that his interest in single malt scotch was what swayed me. (He may be right as we cover more than one whisky event a year. That category alone includes his beloved single malt scotch as well as rye, bourbon and blended scotch whisky.)

Fast forward a few years and I found myself offered not only wine tasting opportunities but spirit tasting as well. There is one event that offers both wine and spirits, and in those my Contributing Editor Michael Perlis usually covers the wine while I do the spirits. It’s a bit different than wine tasting – the offered taste is smaller, you still sniff and taste, but spit all out as the alcohol levels are so much higher. With that said, I usually only make it halfway through a spirit tasting until my lips grow numb and I have to take a break.

From spirit tastings I moved into a little bit of mixology classes and started experimenting with making cocktails at home. We hit on a few favorites and have stuck with them over the years.

My husband, also a lover of both wine and spirits, started buying me gifts that the home bartender would need, and I returned the favor and found him some unique items as well.

We now have travel kits, three or four shakers, different measures of “shot” glasses, bar spoons, single “rock” makers, simple syrup, brown sugar, sweet and dry vermouth, Amaro, Compari and other mixers, as well as a nice array of bitters, cherries, oranges, limes and lemons at any given time.

One friend, a fellow wine writer, asked me how I could like both wine and spirits. I found the question in and of itself to be peculiar, but answered anyway, I felt – and still do feel – that there are just as many discoveries in  aromas and flavors in both. If you can detect things like fruit, nuts, botanicals, earth and wood in your wine you will be pleased to learn that some of the same aromas and flavors are in your spirits.

On hot days we often enjoy chilled Viognier, Chardonnay, Picpoul de Pinet, Sauvignon Blanc, sparkling…basically any white wine that we own. But, on some hot days we also have been known to enjoy a gin Martini, Moscow Mule, Aperol Spritz, Sazerac, Negroni, Margarita, Rob Roy, Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. Usually how it works is that we have a cocktail before (aperitif) or after (digestif) dinner, and a nice bottle of white wine with warm weather dishes such as salads, seafood, chicken and cheese plates. During the cooler days of fall and winter we often enjoy Rhônes and Bordeaux varietals with dinner, but still enjoy a cocktail before or after.

After our best meals, which usually means a beautiful sous vide filet and a red wine from our cellar, we often finish our evening not with a cocktail but with a nosing glass (aka a Glencairn) of one of our favorite single malt scotch whiskies. Then we linger over those flavors as well.

Now, how do you imbibe? Maybe it’s time to widen your taste profile a bit.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Vintage Eve: My Favorite Wines and Cocktails from 2016

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In writing wine and spirit reviews, which include comprehensive tasting notes on appearance, aroma, flavor and sometimes a score, it would be remiss for me not to explain that even when I’m not working on an article I will still employ some of these same methods when drinking wine for pleasure with friends or at a large commercial tasting event. Those wines, sans actual notes, are the ones I want to share today.

2016 Cocktails on the Roof.

Why? Because sometimes we make our buying choices dependent on numerical scores from critics. While that is fine, especially if you have found a critic that has a similar palate as yours (you agree with his scores) it also reduces the time spent trying wines on your own, and finding them not to be enjoyable, which can be costly.

Some pals have also reached out to me, believing they will like what I like, and have asked me to share my favorites. So this article is for them as well. (Please keep in mind these are wines and cocktails I enjoyed in 2016 alone.)

And now, without further adieu:

Remarkable vintage years I did note – so it will be easier if you want to duplicate the experience – I found via my Facebook photographs: 1863 Reserva Velha Barbeito Bual Madeira, 2003 Tramin Cerveny (Czech dessert wine), 2000 Don Melchor Puente Alto Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003 Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Brut Champagne, 2004 Robert Mondavi Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 Chateau de la Gardine Chateauneuf du Pape, 2014 Turley from Howell Mountain, Pesenti Vineyard and Dogtown Vineyard, 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia and a 2006 Backus, 2015 Trombetta Chardonnay, 2015 J. Lohr White Riesling, 2005 Robert Mondavi Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Beckmen Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and their 2013 Cuvee Le Bec, 2007 Kosta Browne 4-Barrel Pinot Noir, 2013 Beekeeper Zinfandel Rockpile Appellation, 2005 Chateau Canon, 2013 Hearst Pergola Petite Sirah, 2014 Poet’s Leap Riesling, 2012 Concrete Old Vine Zinfandel, 2012 Kynsi Pinot Noir, 2012 Colome Estate Malbec, 2012 Dilecta Unorthodox, 2013 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel, 2013 Summers Andriana’s Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011 and 2013 Cabernet Franc all from Crocker and Starr.

In general, wines that I enjoyed but didn’t note the various vintage years were from Backus, Insignia, Le Mistral, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon (all from Joseph Phelps club membership), Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, every vintage of Phifer Pavitt DateNight Cabernet Sauvignon, various Del Dotto wines, all wines from Stolpman Vineyards, Silver Oak, Carlisle Mourvedre, Pure Cru wines by Mitch Cosentino, non vintage Champagne Jacquart, Pulchella Zinfandel, Stillman Petite Sirah, Regusci Patriarch, Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, Cakebread Cellars Pinot Noir, Larner Vineyard, Ferrari Trento, Derby Wine Estates, Oso Libre, Frick, Mystic Hills, Calcareous, Workman Ayer Defacto Red Rhone blend, Jaffurs, Epoch Estate, Whalebone, Casa Dumetz, Zaca Mesa, Tercero, Four Brix, Central Coast Group Project (CCGP), Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel, Cellardoor Winery Blueberry wine, wines that my local winemakers serve up every year at Sunset in the Vineyard…

Cocktails: Everything I could get my hands on at Cocktails on the Roof, which included these three award winners: Bourbon Bramble from Newhall Refinery, Trader Vics inspired Mai Tai at Salt Creek Grille Valencia and the Manhattan from Olive Terrace Bar and Grill. I also enjoyed: the Manhattan made by 12 Bottle Bar authors Lesley and David Solmonson, Frozen Margaritas, single barrel tequila and Horchata at solita, Bloody Mary at Egg Plantation, Perfect Rob Roy from The Social, Cucumber Soju Cocktail served up by Xevichez Sushi Bar, Black Manhattan at Bacari PDR, a Moscow Mule I made with Cherry Ginger Beer and a Negroni with St George Gin, Bowen’s Whiskey, Black Momma Vodka, whatever I get to taste with the L.A. Scotch Club and a 10 year old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon I nabbed from a pal.

Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.

Wine 101: Rebirth of the Cocktail

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I had noticed that other cities were doing cocktail events: our very own Santa Clarita Valley restaurants had bar programs that were vamping up with seasonal craft cocktails along with favorites our parents enjoyed like the rye-based Manhattan, blended whiskey-based Rob Roy, the Luxardo cherry and orange wheel in a whiskey-based Old Fashioned and the bright red Negroni that utilizes Compari and sweet vermouth and the vodka-based Moscow Mule with its bite of ginger beer.

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Even the winners of our bartender contest at Cocktails on the Roof all had made at least one with brown spirits. And I’m betting that though they offered more than one cocktail at their tables, these were the winners. Look for their trophies next time you visit:

First Place, Newhall Refinery; Bourbon Bramble by Peter Nguyen: Evan Williams whiskey, St Germain liqueur, Cassis Noir De Bourgogne and lemon wedge.

Second Place, Olive Terrace Bar and Grill; Manhattan by Jonathan Cross: Bulleit rye, Carpano Antica, Angostura bitters and Luxardo cherry.

Third Place, Salt Creek Grille Valencia; Trader Vic’s Inspired Mai Tai by Diego Lara: Premium rum, Cointreau, lime juice, orgeat syrup, pineapple juice.

Why Cocktails

People have asked me how I came up with the idea for Cocktails on the Roof, now having completed its second successful year as Santa Clarita Valley’s only cocktail event. First came pal Marlee Lauffer, then on the board of the WiSH Education Foundation, who asked me to come up with something. Marlee had supported numerous non-profit events I had hosted with the help of many others in the past, including our first, Pour Into Sandy, which was followed by Pour Into Haiti.

Fast forward to A Toast and a WiSH – a wine event I pitched to the powers that be from the then brand-spanking-new Newhall Library and the WiSH board, where I excitedly explained what I wanted to do, including turning the private study rooms into tasting rooms for the night, etc.

After co-hosting and/or covering nearly every wine event in Santa Clarita, I soon realized: we have a lot of these, seemed like every week there was another wine tasting. At the same time I was probably sipping on a Manhattan, fresh from a cocktail class, and reading a book on spirits.

And that’s when it dawned on me: a real out of the box idea would be to orchestrate a cocktail event. I added the roof idea to make it that much more new. I didn’t want it to be a footprint of any other food or wine event so our vendors could either do a cocktail, mocktail, or a food using spirits. And I also wanted single spirit vendors.

Amy Daniels, the Executive Director if WiSH did all of the legwork, including rallying up a committee of like-minded people to help.

Everything fell perfectly into place, so much so that we are already planning next September’s #COTR17.

So what are you waiting for? Get out that cocktail recipe book and start experimenting. Note: if you are a wine drinker I would suggest not imbibing more than two in an evening as you aren’t yet used to the difference in alcohol percentage. And call Uber.

Eve Bushman has been reading, writing, taking coursework and tasting wine for over 20 years.  She has obtained a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, has been the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and recently served as a guest judge for the L.A. International Wine Competition.  You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits that may be answered in a future column. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com