Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Wines for Anytime: Five of the Best 2015 Releases

Shandana A. Durrani
By

With so many wines on the market, it’s hard to pick one these days unless you know your stuff. Yes, a Caymus or a Chateau Margaux is always a good bet but they can be pricey. Sorting through the myriad choices in wine shops can prove difficult, especially if you have to impress your dinner guests.

With new releases entering the market every month, you can feel overwhelmed. We’ve chosen five of the best releases, from five vastly different wineries, showcasing five different varietals that are sure to please. Don’t worry rosé and dessert wine lovers—we’ve got you covered, too!

Blanco Nieva Verdejo 2013

Recommended Videos

Vedejo is a little-known varietal Stateside, most closely related to Sauvignon Blanc. Primarily grown in Spain, it tends to be herbaceous and minerally. This Verdejo by Blanco Nieva, released in April, boasts an apple and melon bouquet. The palate offers hints of orange peel and grapefruit and crisp acidity. It’s great paired with fish and shellfish such as scallops.

Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé 2014

Since the 1970s, Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé has been a fixture on the American wine scene and has dominated the Provencal rosé market—with good reason. Wine lovers in the know have relished its drinkability, whatever the season (I have long been a year-round rosé drinker). This vintage is crisp and balanced with hints of orange peel. It works perfectly with roasted lamb.

Inman Family 2013 “Whole Buncha Love” Pinot Noir

Inman Family Winery is a small operation in Santa Rosa, California, known for its small-lot Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Owner and winemaker Kathleen Inman has been making wine here sine 2002 and the groovy “Whole Buncha of Love” is one of her most popular Pinots. This vintage, bottled in January 2015, is pale garnet in color and has dried cherry notes on the nose. The palate features pomegranate, dark berries and forest floor notes, making it ideal when paired with a hearty gumbo or cassoulet.

CrossBarn Paul Hobbs 2013 Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley

CrossBarn is the newest operation by fabled winemaker, Paul Hobbs, boasting sustainable vineyard practices. Founded in 2000, the winery is known for hand harvesting its grapes and it definitely shows in its wines. The CrossBarn Paul Hobbs 2013 Cabernet Franc features a cassis and lavender bouquet. The palate boasts red raspberries with just a hint of earthy clay and graphite, and the tannins are as smooth as velvet. This wine goes well with traditional steak frites or roast chicken.

Hauner Malvasia delle Lipari Passito 2012

Dessert wine gets a bad rap but serious wine lovers know that it’s the perfect choice to end an amazing meal. Muscatos and Sauternes dominate the American market but this lesser-known Sicilian dessert wine is truly worth the effort it takes to find it. The color of the Hauner Malvasia delle Lipari Passito a lovely amber, almost like a good scotch. The tannins are smooth, and the wine offers sweet fig notes and has a nice acidic finish. Savor a glass as you bite into a piece of deep, dark chocolate.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Shandana A. Durrani
Shandana A. Durrani
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Shandana A. Durrani has been a magazine editor and travel writer for more than two decades. Her work has appeared in numerous…
Far older than you think: A beginner’s guide to Mexican wine
Mexico has a great unsung wine scene
White wine glass tip

Wine has been produced in Mexico since the 16th century. With Spanish rule came mandatory vineyard plantings, wine-loving missions, and a steady flow of vino.

Today, the country is responsible for some exciting up-and-coming wines. The Baja region, in particular, is home to more than 125 producers and is beginning to get some serious industry recognition. Beneath the fine agave spirits and beach-friendly lagers, there’s quality wine on Mexico’s Pacific coast.

Read more
This is how to sharpen a serrated knife the right way
This fearsome blade needs a little extra love
Knife blades closeup

In every good set of kitchen knives, there is one particular blade that most people both love and hate. We love it for its ability to flawlessly slice through foods like crusty baguettes and plump, ripened tomatoes. Its jagged edge gives us smooth cuts through otherwise tricky-to-slice ingredients, all while appearing rather fierce in the process. But this knife can be desperately infuriating in its trickiness to sharpen. This is the serrated knife - a fiercely toothy blade with a saw-like edge.

Serrated knives come in all sizes for a variety of kitchen tasks. Their toothy edge is perfect for many culinary uses, allowing for crisp, clean cuts without tearing or squashing the ingredient's often tender interior.

Read more
How to craft a heavenly vodka martini: Shaken or stirred
We know James Bond likes his vodka martini shaken, not stirred, how do you like yours?
Vodka martini with olives in a martini glass

 

The martini is an iconic cocktail, with millions being poured since its inception. Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was known to down martinis, as did legendary author Ernest Hemingway and the greatest spy of all time, James Bond, who famously liked his vodka martini shaken, not stirred. As you can see from Bond's specifications, there is more than one way to make a martini and crafting a martini the "proper" way is a subject of debate. Does a martini have to employ gin or vodka? Will the Martini Police pop up out of nowhere if you use vodka instead of gin?

Read more