Hagerstown Magazine - The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond

Online Exclusives
Area Sommeliers Select Three Must-Try Wines.
Sia Ayrom, Antrim 1844 manager and expert sommelier, insists he doesn’t have three personal favorites, but offers the following suggestions for HM readers:

• Any vintage from Joseph Phelps Insignia: “This winemaker works very hard to create set, consistent flavor profiles. It’s a quintessential California wine.”
• Silkwood Red Duet from Stanislaus Co., California: “This 50/50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon offers a unique, different approach. Blind tasters usually can’t differentiate a Chardonnay and this particular red, and gives tasters a change of perception of typical red wine characteristics.”
• Anything from Burgundy, any day: “You simply cannot go wrong with any choice from this region!”

----

Neil Dundee, director of wine and spirits for VOLT restaurant, makes these suggestions while recollecting personal favorite memories:

• Bucklin Zinfandel: “This is a great, balanced and well-structured wine. I have great memories of working with Will Bucklin at his vineyard and picking grapes. It’s a fantastic, unique wine.”
• Firefinch Ripe Red, South Africa: “This is a Cabernet/Merlot that’s simple, great, comfortable and offers easy drinking. It’s one of the first wines I enjoyed with my girlfriend.”
• Tattinger Rose: “This is a beautifully put together sparkling wine. It tastes wonderful and is very pleasing to the palate.”

----

Wine industry expert Pascal Salvadori jokes that it’s extremely difficult to select just three, as he feels he can’t choose favorites from among his “children.” When asked if he were on a deserted island and had three bottles to take with him, he said he’d pack these choices:

• Champagne Krug 1964 magnum: “This is a very enjoyable beverage, and this specific house is the most complex. It is absolutely stunning and is versatile, pairing nicely with Asian cuisine, salads or tapas.”
• Chablis Grand Cru, William Fevre Les Clos, 1998: “This wine offers an amazing minerality. The chalky, flint soil characteristics carry nicely from the vines to create the purest expression of Chardonnay.”
• Brunello di Montalcino, Soldera Case Basse, 1998 Riserva: “This Tuscan wine is made from Sangiovese. This vintage offers the purest expression of this particular grape and shows elegance, complexity and raciness.”