Wines for Columbus Day Weekend

By Matt Domino Published May 13, 2015

Next Monday is Columbus Day and, while Christopher Columbus’ legacy is complex and nuanced, the holiday ushers in one of America’s great traditions—enjoying a three-day weekend in the peak of autumn. Chances are you’ll take a fall getaway with a significant other, sleep-in and lounge around the house, or fit in one last barbecue for the season. Whatever you decide to do over Columbus Day weekend, you’re probably going to want an adult beverage or two.

Luckily, we here at The Manual have two perfect wines for the occasion. Christopher Columbus was, of course, Italian, but his voyages to the West Indies and Americas were undertaken with the financing of the Spanish monarchy. So, to celebrate, we have one Italian wine and one Spanish wine for your consideration.

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The 2007 Tenuta Castelbuono Montefalco Sagrantino hails from the Umbria region of Italy—the only Italian region without access to the sea. The secluded region features an abundance of grape varieties and assortment of wines. The Montefalco Sagrantino is made in the hamlet of Montefalco—a town that retains its medieval rampart walls.

The wine consists of 100% Sagrantino grapes, which were originally used by monks for religious rites. Upon uncorking the bottle, the 2007 Montefalco Sagrantino fills your nose with a warm, pleasant aroma; and the taste is no different. This a smooth red despite being a high tannic and high acidity wine—two qualities that make it perfect for aging. You’ll have no trouble drinking a glass or two of Montefalco Sagrantino on an orange and gold autumn afternoon.

From Spain, we have the 2013 PradoRey Verdejo, Rueda. The Rueda region has long been home to the Verdejo grape, whose white wines are quickly gaining ground in the United States due to their similarity to Sauvignon Blanc. This wine is the definition of crisp and fresh. The taste features notes of flowers, herbs, and nuts with a precocious, light lime finish. Its attractive bottle makes it a perfect addition to a picnic for an unseasonably warm day, or as a pairing for really any kind of meal.

We didn’t want to overwhelm you with choices, so kick back on this long Columbus Day Weekend with a bottle of Montefalco Sagrantino or PradoRey Verdejo. We’re in the peak of fall—enjoy it!

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Matt Domino is a writer living in Brooklyn. His fiction has appeared in Slice and The Montreal Review, while his non-fiction…

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Liquor, Beer, Wine & Drinks

Food & Drink

Soave Used To Be The Most Popular Italian White Wine in The U.S. Here’s How It Has Changed

White wine in a glass

About fifty years ago, Soave was the most popular Italian wine in the states. For a hot minute, the white even outsold Chianti.
Those were the days. Today, the northern Italian wine is more obscure stateside, tucked away in bottle shop aisles and on restaurant by-the-glass lists. This isn't to say to it's not worth tracking down, though, as the workhorse white is great on its own or paired with Italian dishes like gnocchi or squid-ink pasta.
Soave is a regional reference, not a grape one. There’s a medieval commune by the same name that’s home to about 7,000 people. The wine is made from a handful of approved varieties, including Verdicchio and Garganega. The latter must be at least 70% of the wine to take on the Soave title.
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The Soave Classico region was designated such back in 1927. Generally, the soils of the west side of the region are limestone-based, producing bigger, fruit-driven wines. On the opposite side, the soils are volcanic, leading to wines that can show a more focused minerality. No red wine is produced in Soave (although Valpolicella is made nearby) and the area has several co-ops that vinify wine together.
Soave is generally light-to-medium bodied, with fruity flavors that fall somewhere between a Pinot Gris and a Chardonnay. Many suggest the mass-produced options offer nutty flavors and even a slight bitterness. Producers have pushed lighter, more approachable takes lately, making for trim wines that show melon and citrus and pair well with summer salads and lighter pastas.
Critics of the wine point to the region's rather large boundaries and some producers' tendency to push for heavy crop loads. The region absorbed some lesser growing zones during the height of Soave's popularity to keep up with demand and focused more on quantity than quality. But today's Soave benefits from two things: Established old vines in the areas where it truly flourishes, and the present generation of winemakers, many of whom are looking to make memorable, contemplative wines.

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Steak frites

I've lived in Italy before, which afforded me a quick 2-hour plane ride to Paris in the summers. I'm from the United States, and I don't speak French, so I wasn't exactly familiar with the menu the first time I went to a restaurant in the City of Love. I picked something that looked familiar ... steak frites. I got perfectly seared steak next to a golden mound of crispy fries; it felt familiar and comforting.

So, what is steak frites? It’s one of the simplest, most iconic dishes in French cuisine. A bistro classic, it's exactly what it sounds like: steak and fries. But don't let its simplicity fool you — when done right, it delivers big flavor with minimal fuss.

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The Purity Coffee Cold Brew, now available online, can be easily used with any of your favorite at-home cold brew methods. Just steep for at least 6 to 7 hours to ensure maximum flavor extraction, as well as the extraction of caffeine and antioxidants. This coffee blend, along with all products by Purity Coffee, undergoes rigorous third-party testing for mycotoxins, impurities, and other contaminants, leading to the best-tasting cup of coffee. As health-conscious coffee consumption continues to rise, coffee drinkers are increasingly paying attention to potential toxins and mold that can be present in their coffee. As a regular cold brew drinker, I'm especially excited about this new release by Purity Coffee.