Poggia Basso Grappa del Piemonte Ghemme, Italy 40% ABV This is my first grappa. Well, unless you count that one time I drank it while waitressing at Vinny Testa’s in Boston’s Back Bay. I assure you, you should not count that. But I think it was better than this? The grappa has a nutty smell,
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Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whiskey Dufftown, Scotland 40% ABV I picked up this triple malt Scotch whiskey from Trader Joe’s. The company’s been around since 1887, and this spirit takes its name from a medical condition that men used to acquire from working the malt press. I imagine it wasn’t fun to deal with, but
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Goats in Villages Shiraz Pinotage South Africa Note: No vintage I could see. The artwork on this bottle of wine and the playfulness of the distributor’s name — Goats Do Roam — charm me. For Trader Joe’s, this is a high-end bottle at $9.99. Smells like blackberry gumdrops with a hint of licorice. I haven’t
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Trader Joe’s Grande Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2011 Napa, California I tasted this wine before purchasing it at Trader Joe’s, and I’m glad the sample convinced me to get a bottle. Its rich, medium-bodied boysenberry digs into me and won’t let go. The nose has a fleeting burst of fig newton, but is otherwise lackluster.
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2011 Green Fin Cabernet Sauvignon California In the tradition of Trader Joe’s wine, the exact region in California these grapes hail from is murky, but that’s all part of the mystery, right? This Cab smells of berry and nothing else. Thin- to medium-bodied, barely there sweet anise and leather notes come out right away then
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KoMo KoMo Afternoon Tea 1305 NW Maynard Rd. Maynard Crossing, Cary Website Tea Service: $14 plus the cost of tea or coffee Komo Komo calls itself a Korean French kitchen, and it’s having a lot of fun with the idea of fusion cooking, at least in terms of afternoon tea. They offer it for only
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La Ronescina Pinot Grigio Collio, Italy This white wine smells mildly of cantaloupe, but no other scents jump out at me.  That’s probably because it’s extra chilled, which dulls the aroma — my bad. It tastes dry at first, but a sweetness swells up in the middle of the glass. The notes are vanilla with
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St. Somewhere Petit Verdot 2010 Paso Robles, CA I was recently introduced to the petit verdot varietal at the Virginia wine tasting I attended at the Angus Barn in June. I was impressed with its versatility in those VA blends, but mostly, I enjoyed finding a petit varietal that wasn’t too tart for my palate.
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Cocobon 2010 Red Wine California   This is one of those wines I selected based on the label design, and I’m not ashamed. Look at how pretty that brown and beige label is! I love it. The taste ends on mildly sweetened cranberries, and it starts with milk chocolate and pomegranate seeds. Those fruit flavors
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Comique Revolution Blanc 2010 Central Coast, CA Look at this — another wine that won me over with its label artistry! I’m so predictable. This time, that art is an alluring blend of golden tones with black lines portraying some odd lords and ladies along with exclamations that they had to “cut the fluff!” apparently
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