Amanti Vino Montclair Blog

Organic? Biodynamic? Natural? WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN...

Learn a little history behind this 200+ year old celebration of all things Bavaria!

Did you know September is National Bourbon Heritage Month? Declared in 2007 by the United States Senate as a celebration of America’s ‘native spirit,’ National Bourbon Heritage Month is mostly celebrated in—or with respect to—Kentucky, the state with the most widely-known bourbon producing history and most of the country’s large commercial producers, along with MGP of Indiana. But there are incredible craft distillers around the country producing bourbons you need to try...here are some of our favorites! 

From bourbon to Scotch to tequila and mezcal, craft spirits are incredibly popular right now. However, because the world of spirits is so broad, some of the most incredible bottles on the shelf still get overlooked in favor of more familiar options. As your resident spirits expert and enthusiast, I just wanted to point out some of my favorite spirits currently in inventory that aren’t getting quite the attention they’re due. These were the bottles that lingered in my mind after I first tasted samples and then ended up on my home bar because I couldn’t quite live without them. Whatever your favorite category, hopefully you’ll find something to try and enjoy as much as I have!

Tariffs have been the source of significant discussion when it comes to wine (and cheese, and olive oil), but we’ve seen less discussion about how they’ll impact the spirits market, especially when it comes to single malt scotch. The 25% tariff on single malt scotch went into effect on October 18th, right alongside wine and other European goods, and a vote last week saw it continue further into the new year. Without getting too into the political weeds, I wanted to discuss briefly the very real way this will impact the prices you, the consumer, pay for single malt scotch.

It’s International Scotch Day—and it’s cold outside!—so why not try a new dram? Our robust selection of independently-owned and operated Scotch distilleries & bottlers offers a chance to try cult favorites and award-winning whiskies alongside newcomers and rarities. No matter what, each scotch on our shelves—blended or single malt—is produced without common corner-cutting practices such as artificial caramel coloring and chillfiltration, which can’t be said of most of the big, familiar, commercial brands. These are authentic, traditional whiskies handcrafted to be as delicious as possible, rather than to merely create profit. Add one of our favorites to your home bar or whisky collection today!

I have enjoyed talking to so many of you about the recent imposition of tariffs on a variety of wines from some of our favorite wine producing countries and was encouraged to share my insights on what wines are likely to be affected and how this will affect wine consumers.  Feel free to reply to contact us with any feedback, comments, or questions!

Cheers,
Sharon

With the craft cocktail scene booming stateside, adventurous drinkers are after unique, interesting, high quality vermouth not only for cocktail-making, but to drink on its own. And—you guessed it—we have some incredible options for you to try.

Last week our spirits buyer, Jacob, spent a few days in the Finger Lakes touring some of the most exciting craft distilleries in America. First stop: Finger Lakes Distilling, producer of Amanti Vino staff and customer favorite, 'McKenzie Wheated Bourbon, Bottled-in-Bond.' Just what makes this small-batch distillate so good?

Tequila is one of the world’s favorite spirits right now. In the United States, sales of the venerable Mexican sipper, shooter, and mixer nearly rival bourbon! But for many, tequila still has a negative association with bad nights in college or cheap, harsh spirits bought at the corner store. In reality, it’s an incredibly broad, versatile category with something for everyone, and knowing just a few key points of information will help you buy the ultimate bottle for your own home bar.

If you’ve shopped with us before, you’ve probably heard our spiel—that we champion small producers, traditional methods, and craft beer & spirits, rather than mass-produced, commercial products. Most importantly, we taste everything before we buy it, so even though something might not be familiar, it’s been vetted and vouched for by experts with a lot of experience. That all sounds good....but what does it look like in practice? 

People are confused about sulfites. They’re a buzzword in the world of wine, especially in retail, and thanks to misleading marketing, most people are woefully misinformed. Every single day, customers ask me if we have “sulfite-free wines” or insist that they cannot drink red wines because of “sulfur allergies” or “sulfur sensitivities.” Don’t get me wrong—I’m not denying that these sensitivities exist in a small percentage of the population. However, in most cases this is a misunderstanding about what sulfites are and how they contribute to the preservation process of wine and other foods. This is good news: chances are an unpleasant headache or killer hangover has nothing to do with sulfites!

Everyone loves getting a good food & wine pairing at a local restaurant, but why rely on a chef and sommelier? You can make excellent food at home and pair it with incredible wine; not only is it a fun way to entertain, it's also significantly less expensive than dining out every night of the week. This recipe is a secret weapon of mine: simple, delicious, & low-maintenance.

With the demand for rosé growing stateside, and wine knowledge and education lagging behind, it seems like every b-list celebrity and get-rich-quick entrepreneur has started a new wine brand. Bottle after bottle of rosé gets branded with tacky, pandering names and goofy-looking packaging. Whether the wine comes from movie stars, Instagram joke plagiarists, Hamptons elite wannabes, or just a Côtes de Provence producer with dollar signs in his or her eyes, there’s a proliferation of bad rose on the market again, and these days it’s often anything but cheap! Whether, like me, you’re just burnt out on even good examples of the most well-known rosé regions and styles, or you’re hunting for something truly farmed and handmade by an actual producer at an actual estate, here are three unusual and very delicious rosés that will convert even the harshest skeptic.

People who think they don’t like gin often associate the word with low-quality spirits that taste—quite frankly—like Pine-Sol and rubbing alcohol. Maybe you had a bad college experience with one of those gins in plastic jugs, or maybe you had a family member with dubious taste in gin, but hear me out: you shouldn’t let these misconceptions color your understanding of what ‘gin’ tastes like, or how it should be enjoyed!

Home-cooked food, bottle after bottle of great wine, and a cocktail or three, all with great company—who doesn’t love a memorable dinner party? But there are a lot of moving parts to an evening like this, and your life-as-host will be much easier if you get organized ahead of time. In this week’s blog, we offer you an open-ended template to give you some guidance, along with some pro tips & tricks, for structuring the perfect evening of eating, drinking, and revelry. 

A lot of people dismiss Riesling as a ‘sweet’ style of wine, and because of this misconception spend most of their wine-drinking lives missing out on some really incredible wines. Don't be that person! Whether dry or sweet, Old World or New, Riesling is near the top of any good sommelier’s list of best wines for food pairings, especially with challenging cuisines. And because their reputation isn’t on par with, say, white Burgundy or even Vouvray, your hard-earned dollar goes a long, long way. 

If you follow our Instagram, you may have already noticed that our beer manager has a spot in her heart for beer & food pairing. Check out this blog for a crash-course on her favorite methods of matching the right beer with whatever you might be eating! 

Amanti Vino’s resident food dweebs have we’ve settled on three guiding principles that we think are important when it comes to pairing food and wine: Drink what you like; understand that seasoning and cooking methods are critical for achieving balance between food and wine; and—when in doubt—pair like with like. Keeping these ‘rules’ in mind, and with beautiful weather well on the way, we came up with four pairing examples that we use both in the store and at home to make life’s edible moments all the more delicious...

Did you know that the vast majority of bourbon and rye comes from just a few sources, namely the big corporate distilleries and distilling plants? Often they are labeled misleadingly or branded as distinct products, so it can be hard to tell what's truly 'small-batch' or 'craft.' Time to learn more about why you should be drinking real craft whiskey! 

If you’ve yet to branch out into the wider world of wine—or maybe you’re comfortable asking for Pinot Noir, but not sure what else you’d enjoy—I highly recommend trying one of these five delicious, light-bodied, spring & summer reds.