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Posted: 2026-06-15 07:08
Dortmunder Export is one of those silent European lager styles that rarely gets the spotlight. Born in the industrial city of Dortmund in the mid‑19th century (first brewed in 1873 by DUB), it emerged during the same era that produced Pilsner and Munich Helles -- yet it carved out its own identity: a pale lager with the soft malt depth of Helles, a hoppy base of a German Pilsner, the firm minerality of Dortmund’s brewing water, and a slightly elevated strength (higher gravity) that made it suitable for export. By the early 20th century, Dortmunder breweries like Dortmunder Union (DUB) and Dortmunder Actien Brauerei (DAB) were shipping beer across Europe to consumers who enjoyed balancing drinkability with a subtle, structured backbone. A recent trip to Hagerstown, Maryland included a visit to Cushwa Brewing Company where their Starting Over Dortmunder is available via a 16oz can. This modern American interpretation respects that balance between drinkability and the structured backbone.. Brewed to 5.0% ABV, it presents the style’s hallmark clarity and golden hue, leaning into a clean and soft malt profile supported by gentle bitterness. The beer pours a bright straw‑gold with a tight white head, offering soft grain aromatics and a touch of herbal hop character. On the palate, it’s rounded but not sweet, finishing dry with the faint mineral edge that defines the style. This is a faithful nod to Dortmund’s brewing heritage.
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Posted: 2026-06-11 06:00
"America's first spirit was rum... For a solid 150-plus years, that's what we drank." -- Barry Hanenberg of Virago Spirits (CBS6 Richmond Interview) And somehow we have forgotten that fact. Rum was the widely produced in the colonies, with New England distilleries converting Caribbean molasses into a domestic staple as early as the 1640s . By the mid‑18th century, rum was so embedded in daily life that consumption reached an estimated fourteen liters per person annually, effectively making it the national drink of colonial America. British taxation-- starting with the Molasses Act of 1733 and then the Sugar Act of 1764 -- choked off affordable molasses imports, crippling the industry and paving the way for whiskey’s rise after the Revolution. Prohibition dealt another blow, and when legal drinking returned in 1933, Americans largely favored imported Caribbean rum rather than rebuilding a domestic tradition. Today. several entities are attempting to rebuild this American Rum tradition such as Caroline Porsiel, Founder & CEO, House of Applejay Distillery and Co-Founder of the American Brandy & Rum (AMBRu) Campaign as well as BevFluence and their timely TERROIR campaign, a multi-dimensional campaign across seven locked categories: Touriga Nacional and Portuguese varietals, Emerging spirits, Riesling, Rum, Obscure, Italian varietals, and Rye. A third entity is the Virginia Spirits Guild, who in partnership with the Virginia Spirits Board, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, and Virginia ABC, created the The Virginia: Birthplace of American Spirits Collection. This is a limited‑edition three‑bottle release to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and to highlight the Commonwealth’s foundational role in early American distillation. The trio of spirits includes a botanical gin, a four‑grain whiskey, and an aged rum—each designed to reflect a different geographic and historical dimension of Virginia’s distilling heritage The rum in the collection - nicknamed the Coast expression -- was crafted under the leadership of Barry Hanenberg of Virago Spirits, who brought together the complementary strengths of Vitae Spirits, Belmont Farm Distillery, and Chesapeake Bay Distillery to create a blend that reflects Virginia’s Tidewater identity and its deep colonial ties to the molasses trade. Drawing on rums contributed by three of the partner distilleries, the team built a spirit averaged 7.5 years of age and weighing in at a robust 105‑proof. From the same CBS6Richmond interview, Hanenberg refers to the Coast as "a sipping rum" that will surprise whiskey drinkers with preconceived notions. It provides a complex experience, with layers of what I would describe as honey and caramel drizzled on toasted macadamia nuts between earthiness, and oak inspired baking notes. The individual components of the rum were driven by each contributor's distilling philosophy. According to anonymous sources, Virago’s house style is rooted in their Caribbean‑influenced pot‑still and a focus on layered, oxidative depth. Their contribution shaped the blend’s weight, mid‑palate richness, and molasses‑forward profile. Vitae Spirits added the brightest, most aromatic elements in the blend. Known for their cane‑juice‑driven distillation and precision fermentation, Vitae’s rum brought lift, tropical notes, and grassy freshness beneath the deeper molasses tones. Belmont Farm Distillery contributed a traditional pot‑still rum that added rusticity, structure, and oak‑leaning edges. And finally, Chesapeake Bay Distillery supplied a clean, column‑still‑driven rum that helped lengthen the finish, sharpen the structure, and keep the blend from becoming overly dense. "No one goes to the liquor store and says, 'Let me get that American rum.' That category doesn't exist yet. That's what we need to create, and I think when people taste this, they're going to start thinking differently about the rums they can get from the continental United States." -- Barry Hanenberg of Virago Spirits (CBS6 Richmond Interview) Let's toast to America’s 250th anniversary, the Virginia distilling tradition, and the revival of the American Rum category.
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Posted: 2026-06-08 07:14
Pálava tells the story of modern Moravia: a native grape rooted in tradition, yet confident enough to speak to the world. For many Czech wine lovers, Pálava represents a distinctly Moravian style of wine and is often considered one of the country's signature varieties. -- Sonberk Winery ** During an evening at the Czechia Embassy, we tasted two expressions of a local hybrid Pálava - a variety developed in Moravia by Josef Veverka from a crossbreeding Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau. The new grape was named after the Pálava Hills, a UNESCO-protected landscape area in South Moravia renowned for its vineyards, limestone slopes, and centuries-old winemaking tradition. The breeding station where Veverka completed his work was located on the slopes of these hills, making the name a natural tribute to the region. Imagine the aromatics in these wines. First, though, let's step into the terroir. Moravia is the Czech Republic's viticultural engine and is responsible for 96% of Czech wine production. The region sits along the 49th parallel, sharing a latitude with Alsace and Champagne. It also resides at the intersection of Pannonian warmth and Central European coolness which helps explain its hallmark style: high‑acid, aromatic wines shaped by warm summers, cool autumns, and slow ripening. Vineyards typically lie between 240–320 meters in elevation and the soil is a mosaic of loess, limestone, sand, and ancient seabed deposits.
Mikulov is a subregion of Moravia and is dominated by the limestone massif of Pálava -- one of Moravia’s most distinctive terroirs. It excels in Welsch Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Riesling, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and the local aromatic cross Pálava. The town of Mikulov is a cultural and wine hub, home to festivals and historic wine presses. Pálava is a mid‑ to late‑ripening variety, typically reaching full maturity toward the end of the harvest window in South Moravia. It thrives in warm exposures where it can accumulate flavor precursors without losing acidity. The grape forms medium‑compact clusters with small to medium berries, thick enough in skin to contribute a gentle phenolic grip an advantage over its parents. Yields must be controlled; if overcropped, aromatics flatten and the wine loses its distinctive spice. In the right sites, however, Pálava develops a layered aromatic profile while maintaining enough acidity to avoid heaviness. The result is unmistakable: a wine that marries Traminer’s rose‑petal aromatics with the gentle acidity and orchard‑fruit charm of Müller‑Thurgau. Sonberk Winery stands on a vineyard site cultivated since at least the 13th century, historically prized for its south‑facing slopes overlooking the Pálava Hills in the Mikulov subregion. Founded in 2003, the modern winery was built in 2008 and is recognized as one of Czechia’s first examples of contemporary wine architecture. Sonberk farms roughly 40–45 hectares on loess soils and produces acclaimed whites - especially Riesling, Pálava, Traminer, and Sauvignon - known for focusing on low yields, hand harvesting, and meticulous vineyard work to highlight the character of Mikulov's limestone terroir. "One of Pálava's greatest strengths is its versatility. Few aromatic varieties are capable of expressing themselves so convincingly across different levels of sweetness. In our experience, a near-dry style with around 5–6 g/L of residual sugar offers exceptional harmony at the table, allowing the wine's freshness and aromatics to shine. At the same time, Pálava can achieve extraordinary results in sweeter styles, including traditional straw wines with residual sugar levels approaching 190 g/L, where its floral character and exotic fruit notes gain impressive depth and complexity. **"  The winery's approach to Pálava is deliberately restrained: fermentations are cool, aromatics are preserved, and residual sugar is kept in balance with acidity. The result is a style that feels modern and architectural --aromatic but not exaggerated, textured but never heavy. Sonberk’s Pálava typically shows layers of white peach, lychee, citrus blossom, and ginger, grounded by a mineral line that reflects the vineyard’s limestone base. At the Embassy, we started with the 2024 Pálava, their everyday offering that, besides the strong floral aromas, shows tropical notes such as guava and peaches, some ginger, and all within a surprisingly fuller body. Expect minerality racing through the finish. The second expression was the Pálava 2024 VOC which shared similar traits as the previous with additional spice and texture from the oak treatment. The wine is produced under the VOC (Wine of Original Certification) appellation system, which guarantees the wine's origin and typicity. This wine provides both charm and structure. The winery believes both wines are ready for the international market. I heartily concur. These wines are available through Wine of Czech Republic. ** Thank you to Kristína Eibl, Head of Marketing & Events at Sonberk Winery for most of the information about Pálava and the vineyard photos.
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Posted: 2026-06-04 11:16
Today is World Cognac Day and thus a good excuse to revisit two cognacs from Cognac Drouet. Their 74 acres stretch across both Grande and Petite Champagne near the town of Cognac, yet every bottle they release comes exclusively from Grande Champagne fruit. This choice reflects their philosophy: a belief that the premier cru’s chalk‑rich soils, high‑acid Ugni Blanc, and slow‑maturing eaux‑de‑vie offer the most expressive foundation for long‑aged Cognac. Like the families featured in earlier WineCompass tastings -- Pierre Vallet with its meticulous cellar work and Famille Naud with its revival of historic stills -- Drouet remains firmly rooted in the historical methods that defined Cognac. Copper pot stills, small‑batch distillation, long élevage in seasoned oak, and hands‑on bottling are simply the way the family has always worked.That commitment becomes immediately clear in their Grande Champagne VSOP. Although VSOP requires only five years in oak, Drouet ages this spirit between five and ten years, allowing the fruit to deepen and the structure to soften without losing the tension that defines the cru. The grapes come entirely from estate parcels, harvested and distilled in small 240‑liter batches by Patrick Drouet, then bottled largely by hand. The result is a VSOP that carries the richness and intensity associated with Grande Champagne’s "thoroughbred" reputation—ripe fruit, polished texture, and a sense of precision that reflects the estate’s patient approach.
 Taken together, these Cognacs show a producer deeply committed to the character of Grande Champagne and to the slow, deliberate craft that has defined the region for generations. Drouet’s work captures the essence of what makes Cognac compelling: a respect for land, a patience with time, and a belief that tradition still has something vital to say.
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Posted: 2026-06-04 10:39
 Most drinkers have never heard of Kuyt, the 14th‑century Dutch three‑grain ale built on oats, wheat, and barley — but Pittsburgh's Allegheny City Brewing is one of the rare U.S. breweries bringing it back.  Dutch-Style Kuyt (also spelled Kuit or Koyt) is a historic gold to copper colored ale that originated in the Netherlands in the 14th century. Lost Beers has an old, but still relevant, historical treatment of the style which is famous for its unique three-grain proportions: minimum 45% oats, 20% wheat malt, and the remainder pale or pilsner malt. It offers an exceptionally light, smooth, and slightly sweet flavor featuring a grainy-bready aroma and medium-low to medium bitterness. The ACB Going Up To Cali (4.5% ABV) follows the historic ratio of three parts oats, two parts barley, one part wheat, a structure that once defined Dutch brewing before lagers took over. The result is a smooth, lightly sweet, grain‑driven ale with a bready aroma and earthy depth.
Brewers Association Beer Style Guidelines Dutch-Style Kuit, Kuyt or Koyts are gold to copper colored ale. Chill haze and other haze is allowable. The overall aroma character of this beer is grain emphasized with a grainy-bready accent. Hop aroma is very low to low from noble hops or other traditional European varieties. The distinctive character comes from use of minimum 45% oat malt, minimum 20% wheat malt and the remainder pale malt. Hop flavor is very low to low from noble or other traditional European varieties. Hop bitterness is medium-low to medium in perceived intensity. Esters may be present at low levels. Very low levels of diacetyl are acceptable. Acidity and sweet corn-like DMS (dimethylsulfide) should not be perceived. This style of beer was popular in the Netherlands from 1400-1550. Body is low to medium. Original Gravity (ºPlato) 1.050 - 1.080 (19.3 - 12.4) ● Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato) 1.006 - 1.015 (3.7 - 1.5) ● Alcohol by Weight (Volume) 3.80% - 6.30% (7.90% - 4.70%) ● Bitterness (IBU) 25 - 35 ● Color SRM (EBC) 5 - 12.5 (10 - 25)
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