The Discriminating Wino

  One fine day... you’re gonna want me for your glug… Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores Oak Legend Doppelbock 9% abv 12 fl. oz. Hard to beat the Germans at their own game—scratch that; impossible. But it’s rare for an American brauerie to even play in the same ball club. OEC has some highly decent lagers and marzens, but this is probably my favorite offering from the anomalous Connecticut brewers. For starters, it’s a full-force doppel—I had some Belgian-style Canadian ale calling itself a trippel the other day that had the same alcohol content as Oak Legend —and at 12 ounces, they’ve got the Germans beat by 22 2 / 3 ml (trust my drunken math; I got 1420 on the SAT’s, stoned.) But drinking is a pleasure, not just the prosaic chore of getting drunk: it’s dark but not that dark, more nutty than chocolaty-bittersweet like many doppelbocks, the mash gives a really unique flavor, the hops are subtle and really don’t make this very heavy or spicy in-my-not-so-humble-opinion, although...

Mani di Luna Sangiovese Umbria 2020 13.5% 1L “What’s that?” “This, my friend, is a pint.” “It comes in pints? I’m getting one.” —Pippin and Merry, Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring It comes in liters? I’ve tried a few liters of Italian wine—but for $20, this is the one to buy! Balanced bouquet, a pleasure to drink, made me feel tingly with full tannin and alcohol profile—in other words not just a regular 750ml watered down like some of ‘em probably are! No silt at the bottom: always a plus to be able to enjoy the last fleeting drop; and enough to marinate peppers and onions for pasta sauce on top of that…a wise choice for an evening at home.

  Monte da Vigia Reserva 2017 vinho tinto—30%Trincadeira 30%Aragonêz 20%Alicante Bouschet 20%Cabernet Sauvignon When you’ve been drinking coffee all day and need something to help unwind, finding the ideal red can be a balancing act—I don’t want something to go straight to my head and increase the raciness from the caffeine, now do I need much more acidity shriveling away my insides; on the other hand something low in alcohol won’t serve to calm my heart and warm the blood on a December’s night and over-sweetness is out of the question. That said, from the first sip this affordable tinto is fruit-forward, medium-bodies and well-balanced. The linalool-rich aroma of the grape blend fills one’s nostrils, expanding to flare out like a stallion kicking in its stall as the palate thrills to this smooth nectar of ruby lambency. Portuguese reds under twelve dollars are hit-or-miss and while I know I can never really go wrong at my neighborhood liquor store, I am really happy I ma...