Bartolo Mascarello: Not just a Great Italian Winery, but One of the World’s Great Wineries

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Mascarello is an Italian wine producer family that adheres to the old ways. Apparently, there is no email nor website (I certainly could not find one), and until 1990 they did not even have a phone. However, there are many who believe that Maria Teresa (granddaughter of founder Giulio Mascarello) has taken the wines to unprecedented heights. After a recent visit to the winery in Italy, Ken Gargett is one of them.

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Diplomaticos 30th Anniversary PCC Cigars: Seriously Good to Stunning

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Before Ken Gargett smoked a Diplomaticos 30th Anniversary PCC Cigars, he asked for some thoughts. The responses ran the gauntlet from seriously good to stunning.

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Champagne Devaux: Seriously Good Wines

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Champagne Devaux blends are not predetermined and the non-vintage wines see a high proportion of reserve wines. The majority of the reserve wines are aged in oak vats while they also incorporate the solera process. Time on lees far outstrips many of their competitors.

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Old (Very Old) Vintage Bordeaux Tasting: Time Traveling with Decadence

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“Time traveling with decadence”. That’s the perfect description of the incredible extravaganza known as the annual tasting in Scandinavia, which saw an absolute deluge of amazing wines, so many of them a century old, give or take.

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It’s ‘Champagne Day’ with Krug: Pop the Cork and Cheers!

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Held on the fourth Friday of October – in 2023, the 27th of October – Champagne Day was originally established in 2009 by Californian wine educator, Chris Oggenfus, and has taken off, with events around the world. You might be like Ken Gargett and have wondered why we need an official Champagne Day. Surely, every day is perfect for champagne?

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Asaka Aoi Edition Single Cask: A Japanese Single Malt Whisky Worth Looking At – Reprise

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Normally Ken Gargett would not highlight a retailer/supplier, but Dekanta offers special limited edition Japanese whiskies as well as many of the harder-to-find bottlings. And he does think this Asaka Aoi Edition Single Cask is a very fine whisky and definitely worth a look.

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Yamazaki 12-Year-Old Japanese Whisky: Why Pricing has Gone Through the Roof

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Yamazaki 12-Year-Old from Japan is a whisky that Ken Gargett has loved every time he has had the chance to try it. The bottle he sampled for this piece was actually one from the back of his cupboard, which he has been sitting on for far too long. When a mate saw it, he implored him not to open it. But Ken of course did and shares the experience with us here.

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Patron en Lalique Serie 3: Sensational Tequila in a Sensational Decanter

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So, what does a squillion dollar tequila taste like? The color is a deep gold/bronze, not dissimilar to an aged rum. The nose is both powerful and mellow, with dried fruits, orange rind, cinnamon, hints of nutmeg, honey, even cassis and Christmas cake. The palate is quite stunning, as smooth and seductive as one could imagine.

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Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2012: A Complete Champagne with Great Balance and Length – Reprise

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For Ken Gargett, the Veuve Clicquot 2012 La Grande Dame is a special champagne. It walks the tightrope between dense and coiled power with delicacy, finesse, and elegance. Great intensity, finally balanced acidity, early complexity, and it is still wonderfully youthful with a long future ahead of it. But what interesting story lies behind this fantastic champagne?

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Apostelwein Vintage 1727: How does a 3 Hundred-Year-Old Wine Taste? Sensational!

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Old wine is always a lottery. The provenance, the chances of the wine being a fake, did the cork hold up, how was the storage, and so on. But sometimes the Gods smile and you taste history!

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