A premium expression from the top-selling rum brand in the Caribbean, Brugal 1888 advances the house style: “clean, dry and woody,” according to 5th-generation Maestro Ronero, Gustavo Ortega Zeller Brugal. Distilled from pure Dominican molasses and double-aged in both bourbon and sherry casks, Brugal’s richest offering noses banana bread, tobacco, saddle, candied orange and holiday spices. It’s rich but playful on the palate, flitting back and forth between tropical fruit, vanilla and caramel and a defining woody dryness.
Straw colour with a buttery, croissant nose; spicy pear and peach flavours, soft mouthfeel but carried on lively acidity.
A well-priced aperitif. Deep amber in colour with a nutty nose of dried apricot and orange peel; spicy flavours of orange, caramel and honey fill the mouth. Serve chilled.
I’m a fan of Chile’s Carménère, the grape previously mistaken for Merlot until DNA tasting showed it was the rare Bordeaux variety. Deep ruby colour, the wine has a smoky, cedary, blackberry nose with hints of vanilla oak and pencil lead. It’s mouth-filling with sweet blackcurrant and plum flavours, soft tannins and bright acidity; it also has an intriguing coffee note on the finish.
Full ruby. Seductive nose; full and deep with obvious luxury oak. Full-bodied, fleshy and thick texture; dense with fruity extract wrapping the high-quality tannins. Very long, harmonious finish. A great wine by all standards.
Fresh scents of apple, lemon and toasty almond. The lively palate delivers crisp apple, juicy stone fruits and lingering citrus. Finishes lemony clean and refreshing. An aperitif bubbly for salty bites: French fries, olives, anchovies, etc.
Ruby purplish. Fresh red fruits, hints of garrigue and soft spices. Simple fruity taste, very soft texture, almost creamy. Medium body and balanced mid-palate; powdery tannins, short finish. Drink up.