Woman on wine is award winning writer Amy Reiley’s monthly wine column. What should you be drinking right now? You can always find the answer in Woman on Wine!

Discover Drouhin Both Old World and New

amy reiley

Woman on Wine with Amy Reiley

Every once in a while I’m inspired to dedicate my monthly column to a single vintner or winery or, in this case, legendary wine family. Joseph Drouhin founded an estate in Burgundy in 1880. Since then, Drouhin has grown to become one of the most recognized and admired names in the wine business. The Drouhin family is considered a leader in creating world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In fact, Joseph Drouhin’s grandson, Robert Drouhin, is credited by some for “discovering” Oregon’s Pinot Noir potential. Today, the Oregon winery is overseen by Robert’s son Laurent while the wines in France are made by his very talented sister Veronique.

I’m featuring the wines of Drouhin this month because I feel like they’re perfect in both summer and fall. The Drouhin wines, both those from France and from their winery in Oregon, offer refreshing acidity but at the same time, they echo many of my favorite flavors of autumn. The four wines I’ve chosen to highlight, (two Old World and two New) are all affordable wines perfect for elegant summer dinner parties under the stars. But they’re also wines you can enjoy in front of a crackling fire as the weather turns cold.

2015 Roserock Drouhin Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay, Oregon
This is a lovely white with a freshness yet full body. It offers pear and almond aromas and flavors with hints of lemon zest and white peaches. There’s a saline quality on the finish that makes your tongue long for the next sip. $35

2015 Joseph Drouhin Mâcon-Villages, France
This is a lovely, easy-drinking example of affordable white Burgundy. It offers fresh, floral aromas and ripe peach flavors with bright tang of lemon acidity. A hint of minerality adds elegance. $15

2014 Joseph Drouhin Fleurie Cru Beaujolais, Hospice de Bellevilles, France
This might be Drouhin’s most fun bottle of red. Its color is remarkably ruby, beautiful in the glass. But in the mouth is where it truly shines with bursts of raspberry, cherry, lavender and sexy, exotic spices. $25

2014 Roserock Drouhin Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir, Oregon
If you like American Pinot Noir, you’re going to love this wine. In fact, it just doesn’t get much better than this for the price! It’s a cherry and berry fruit-forward wine with moderate tannins; so easy to drink, so luscious and elegant you’re going to wish you had a second bottle. $38

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Awesome Asti–Moscato d’Asti is a wine everyone can enjoy

amy reiley

Woman on Wine

with Amy Reiley

Moscato d’Asti is a sparkling white wine produced in Northern Italy. It is low in alcohol and slightly sweet, making it a perfect wine for summer. Unlike Champagne, Moscato d’Asti is produced in a frizzante style. That means that rather than having the rush of efferevescence of Cava or Champagne, it has a gentle effervescence produced fron tiny bubbles dancing across the tongue. This is because the wines don’t undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle. Read more

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Permission to Drink Bargain Wine—value wines the pros drink

amy reiley

Woman on Wine

with Amy Reiley

In my work as a wine writer, I’ve discovered that what most people are looking for in wine reviews isn’t florid descriptions of famous, impossible to find or at least, impossible to afford bottlings. What most people seek is permission to drink bargain wine. And they want suggestions of bargains they’ll want to discover. Now, when I use the word “bargain,” I’m not talking about “cheap” wines—although I’ll gladly give you permission to drink any cheap wine you enjoy! Bargain wines are wines that represent great value for money. Read more

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Wines for Summer—crisp white wines that will quench your thirst

amy reiley

Woman on Wine

with Amy Reiley

You know what I want to drink in summer? Something cool, refreshing, possibly fizzy, that makes me want to say, “Ahhh.” I want it to leave no lasting impression. I don’t want to feel its weight on my tongue or enjoy lingering notes of toast and vanilla. America and other parts of the New World tend to make whites in styles I’d call my “winter whites.” (And yes, I drink white after Labor Day.) They’re lovely and luscious, often oily or creamy and many linger long. That’s not what I want. Read more

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Naked Wines: a wine club experience with a twist

amy reileyWoman on Wine with Amy Reiley

As a wine writer, I’ve never felt the need to join a winery’s wine club or one of the many wine-of-the-month sort of deals cropping up on the internet at a staggering rate. I generally find my wines for articles from professional wine tastings, visits to wineries, digging around in the dusty back aisles of wine shops or from samples sent directly from the winery. But an advertisement for one wine club, Naked Wines, caught my eye; it even got me to click a link. And what I discovered is a bit of a wine industry game changer. Read more

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