A little while back we covered a story about not judging wine by its label, which we found over at Wine X magazine. Until then we hadn't been familiar with the publication and we liked what we'd seen so far, so we jumped on the mailing list for their weekly email blast to see if it was any good. Turns out we're glad we did, and we think you'll dig it too.
Some of the blast is pretty standard, with stories they've covered recently and all that, and that's cool. But where we found the most value was in the X-Rated Wines section, which has the tagline "Wines that normal, grocery-store going folk can actually find, buy and drink." Sounds like us, right?
They review five wines they've found in a week, rating them on a scale of X (Gets it Done), XX (Fo' Shizzle) and XXX (Da Bomb), and offering short tasting notes as well as the ability to save the information for later. Plus, every single wine they blasted about this week was $15 or less. We'll include a couple of this week's picks below so you can get the drift, and we recommend you sign up ASAP (check for "Blast X Me" at the top right of the page).
XXX. York Mountain
2003 Pinot Noir
San Luis Obispo County $15
Liquid love.
XXX. Babcock
2005 Pinot Grigio
Santa Rita Hills $15
Tastier than a food fight at the Playboy Mansion... and the best part is lickin' it clean.
XX. Courtney Benham (Martin Ray)
2004 Sauvignon Blanc
Napa Valley $14
On a hayride with the short shorts girls - crisp, smooth and long on the legs. Close to XXX.
Don't be surprised if you drink a glass of Pinot Grigio and a glass of Pinot Gris and you find them to be strikingly similar. Turns out the Grigio is what Italians call it, while the French call it Gris. All we know is it's generally a nice, light inexpensive wine, and its popularity is on the rise.
We found a nice article outlining a bunch of California Pinots for you to try. Included below is a partial list with prices; click through to find tasting notes on other examples of this varietal.
Looking for a good, solid inexpensive red wine to try? Get out of the California section of your local wine shop and head on over to South America, where you'll find a varietal that's quickly becoming our favorite. We've been delving into more and more Malbec, a grape primarily grown in Argentina that tends to make wines with a plummy, berry flavor. The bottles we've bought have been between $10 and $15, and we haven't been disappointed yet.
Q: I am really enjoying Malbec from Argentina. What can you tell me about the wine?
A: Back in the middle ages, long before the emergence of Bordeaux Malbec, there was a wine known as the Black Wine of Cahors -- a staple throughout Europe. In time this grape became a significant component in Bordeaux blends.
That changed with the arrival of phylloxera and the replanting that followed, as Malbec became a minor blending partner. It was a Frenchman who brought the grape to Argentina where it flourished in both quality and quantity.
We've been focusing on a lot of red wines lately, but we don't think you should neglect whites, especially during summer's heat. Chill them down and sip away - and we've found an interesting list of budget-conscious whites you should try. See some of our favorites below and click through to the story for more.
2005 Francis Coppola Bianco Pinot Grigio, California ($10.99) - The label is classy and cool but understated. The looks are pale yellow and silver, indicating youth and lightness of flavor. The aroma is mild citrus and kumquat. The taste is light, crisp and refreshing; just what it should be. This is no monster, but a good summer quaffer. 83 points.
2005 Zenato Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie, Italy ($9.99) - This wine is from Winebow, who was an early importer of Italian wine and can be counted on for great selections. If you're waffling in a wine shop, check the back label for Winebow or Leonardd Locassci Selections. If either of those names turns up, it's OK - buy it. This wine is a bright light gold. The aroma is mineral with lime and lemon oil. The taste is full of good fruit, citrus and warmth, with a clean refreshing finish. 86 points.
2004 Kenwood Vintage White Wine, California ($5.99) - The color is golden and shiny. The aroma has melons and soft ripe fruit with a little oxidation. The taste is soft and simple with a lingering creaminess. It's a good alternative to an inexpensive Chardonnay and better to serve at cocktail hour than with a meal. 81 points.
2004 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay, Sonoma County, California ($9.99) - This is a great price for a Sonoma Appellation Chardonnay from a reputable winery. The color is white gold. The aroma is wooded and toast with lush pear. The taste is crisp pear with structure from the oak and a smoky finish. It's a lot of taste for the money. 85 points.
Don't believe what your wine snob friends tell you - there's no shame in paying under $10 for your wine. Believe us...we stopped wearing the glasses and fake mustache to the liquor store years ago. We've found an interesting story with a list of 10 good wines for under 10 smackers and while the listed prices are for what this guy paid in Indiana, you should be able to find most of these wines in your area for a more or less similar price.
CA' DEL SOLO BIG HOUSE RED, $8.97
Long before the screw cap got sexy, this Santa Cruz, Calif., wine came cork-free. If you're still wary, read the bottle's label, which makes a good case for the cap.
CHATEAU GRANDE CASSAGNE ROSE COSTIERES DE NIMES, $9.99
Don't let the pink fool you. This refreshing wine from southern France is surprisingly not sweet.
CRANE LAKE MERLOT, $3.08
Don't be afraid of the price tag - this red is a great table wine because it's not too robust for the white zinfandel crowd or too weak for the dark red crowd.
DONA PAULA LOS CARDOS MALBEC, $7.49
"South American wines are hot," said Boise Co-op wine buyer Christian Robertson. Plus, malbec, made from black grapes, is Argentina's most popular red.
FAT BASTARD CHARDONNAY, $8.28
Three summers ago, some friends served this white wine at their afternoon outdoor wedding, and it worked well with everything from the buffet to the ice cream sundae bar.
Skip the Chardonnay and Get Some Austrian White Wines
Want to get a nice peppery wine or two instead of the same old oak-bombed chardonnays you get from California? It looks like Austrian wines are rising in prominence in the world of crisp refreshing wines. They apparently even have some interesting desert wines.
Here's what my travel editor friend Kim has to say about muscadine, that sweet southern wine with a name that I have been pronouncing incorrectly for the past few weeks. It's musca-dyne, which I failed to specify in my past ramblings on muscadine. Who knew? Anyhow, here are Kim's thoughts on muscadine and her comments on how hard it is to get your hands on a good bottle of it.
"Muscadines are higher in antioxidants than any other grape. Our wine
expert told me that sales of muscadine concentrate are skyrocketing in
health food stores because of this. With muscadine wine, you have the
added benefit that it reduces blood pressure (ok, so all alcohol does
this).
Sweet wines, and specifically muscadine wines, make up the vast
majority of what's sold in Tennessee. While many of them are toe-curlingly
sweet, a few are truly good. Highland Manor Winery in Jamestown, a small
town in East Tennessee, has a waiting list of ONE YEAR for a $10 bottle
of muscadine wine. It's worth the wait. I spent about a year and a half
picking up bottles here and there as I travelled through TN, and we
tasted about 14 different wines in our test kitchen (a very fun work day).
Highland Manor's was, hands down, superior to the rest. Unfortunately,
state liquor laws restrict sales to other states. You may or may not be
able to get a bottle. Call them and tell them I sent you, and see if
they'll sell you one ahead of the wait list.
Bottom line, though: If you hate sweet wines, don't go here. Most
dry-wine drinkers find them cloying and icky sweet. But if you're open to
something different, I recommend sampling with an open mind. What's truly
great about muscadine wine is that, unlike any other varietal, the wine
smells exactly like the grape picked fresh from the vine, and tastes a
whole lot like it, too. I remember picking these from a trellis as a
child. To eat them, you have to bite a little hole in the tough, rubbery
skin, then suck out the pulpy inside."
Kind of like the concord grapes I'd pick off the school yard fence when I was a kid. Yes, we did this - in between bouts of collecting caterpillars in coffee cans. These grapes were pretty gnarly. Best left for the birds. But we managed to eat a few if we could get beyond the sour skins.
Here's an interesting article about pairing wine and cheese from Wine Spectator that comes from my PIT (Partner in Tasting) by way of a friend of a friend. I am embarrassed to say that I know about as much about pairing as I do about the fine sport of cricket. This is perhaps because the PIT can't eat cheese, an unfortunate circumstance that causes me to sneak the stuff so as to not upset him. He takes my cheese eating personally.
Nonetheless, this article really boils it down to an easy science. Young and soft goat cheeses, which are my favorite, pair well with Sauvignon Blanc-based wines. (The PIT liked a $16 Mauritson's Sauvignon Blanc that we tried recently) Hard cheeses are good with leftover red from the main course. They also pair more easily with both whites and reds. Hmmm. A blue cheese should be eaten with a sweeter wine. These are only fundamentals. For the more complicated questions I've consulted my little book of cheese, which often only makes me more confused because I've not heard of half the cheeses the book covers and only have so much energy in a day, where I typically wash more sippies than I do wine glasses. (Thus the photo: Still life: Shiraz with a sippy.)
A friend told me about this winery called Obester in Half Moon Bay, CA., that will fill an empty wine bottle for you for under $10. In all the time I've lived here (Seven years, I think) I've never heard of this winery. Maybe that's because it's in Half Moon Bay, a quaint little seaside hamlet about 20 miles south of San Francisco that has a cracker pumpkin festival but isn't exactly known as a mecca of fine wine. Nonetheless, bottle filling is a cool idea and the winery, which crafts wines from grapes grown in the coastal hills above Santa Clara Valley, has a large picnic area and bocce courts if you want to make a morning or afternoon of it. Here's some more information about the next bottle event, which will be held April 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Obester, which makes reds, whites and sparkling wines and offers whites all priced under $20, will be pouring red that day.
Price per bottle of red (Information on the type of red isn't available yet) includes the cork and label and are as follows:
$4.45 for 750 ml, $8 for 1.5 L, $17 for 4L and just $18.50 for a gallon if you are really filling it up, but hopefully aren't planning on driving home.
The winery's website tells you how to clean your bottles before you fill them. You can also buy 750 ml bottles from Obester for $1 each. One note: don't even try to clean the inside of your bottles in the dishwasher.
A friend who is devoted to Bordeaux recently told me that he is crazy about an under $10 bottle of California Pinot Noir he bought last year from a small Anderson Valley winery called Lazy Creek vineyards. "Best bottle of $8 wine I ever had," he said. Unfortunately, Lazy Creek's wine is hard to find, unless you go to the winery or join their wine club, and its website is on holiday or just not live any more so I couldn't check out what wines they have make and how they make them. However, this website, which tracks wine releases, says Lazy Creek's next release is expected in April -- a 2004 Estate Pinot, along with a Syrah. So next month I will hopefully get to review a bottle or two.
Peter Marks, director of wine at Copia and "Wine Guy."
The non-profit Copia, (The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa, CA), which runs a restaurant and cafe and hosts food and wine classes, is featuring the wines of Spain this month. I've tried very few Spanish wines. But since there are many recommended on the Copia website for under $20, this might be an excuse to try some more. I think this might even make a great tasting list for the CheapFunWines gang's next monthly tasting. Here's the list, which sounds pretty interesting. The "wine guys" who picked these wines are Peter Marks and Burke Owens who together have over 50 years experience in the wine business and have won sundry prestigous tasting awards.
2004 Espadana Verdejo, Rueda
Bright and lemony, this Verdejo is refreshing, juicy and easy to love.
Pair with a simple tuna sandwich for maximum wine and food pleasure.
$11.95
Next up on the first Wine Tour of 2006 is Amphora Winery at 4791 Dry Creek Road. Amphora, like the other three wineries that share a block of nondescript buildings within the Family Vineyards compound, is nothing to look at from the outside. There's also nothing under $20 among their current batch of wine, so for our purposes, I won't cover any of them here. Their wines run between $24 for a 2004 Zin to $45 for a 2003 bottle of Jacob's Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, which won an SF Chronicle gold medal award. I did luck out though and get a few recommendations from Brigette, who poured during our tasting, for a few bottles that ARE under $20. I am starting to believe that anyone you ask up here has a few affordable favorites to share. Here they are and I hope to try and review them soon:
1) Noceto Sangiovese. I love Sangiovese, so this is definitely on the shopping list.
Here's something from the website about this wine.
2003 Noceto Sangiovese Shenandoah Valley, CA ($9 to $14)
The twelfth vintage, this is a fruit-packed, pleasant, easy-drinking Sangiovese. As usual, it’s 100% Sangiovese, with medium body, cherry-red color, and dark cherry flavors throughout, accented by subtle oak and a dash of peppery spice. Drink now to several years.
I think it's finally time for me to invest in a few wine aroma wheels. It can be particularly difficult to nail down what I am tasting in a glass of wine aside from the obvious stuff (oak, butter, cherry, berry, poop, and yes, alcohol!). Was that cat pee or a Salem light? HMMMMM. Time to get a wine wheel, I think, the equivalent of the wine world's Cliff Notes. The wine aroma wheel was developed during the mid-1980s by Ann C. Noble, a professor at UC Davis, Emerita. Noble is a Sensory Scientist/Flavor Chemist who today travels around the world as a wine judge, attending meetings about sensometrics, wine, sensory science and such. In 1997, Jane Robichaud, director of sensory research at Napa Valley's Beringer Vineyards, updated the wheel. Here's another site that offers a sensory user's manual.
You can buy a wine wheel on Noble's site for $6 (.75 shipping) Here's a food and wine wheel that promises to link a wine with any food "from Chinese to chocolate." It costs $4.99. Maybe I'll order one of those, too.
So we're all looking for a bargain, particularly if we find a bottle of wine we really like and want to get it by the case. And don't you hate it when you buy a bottle for $20 and turn around and see it somewhere else for $14.99?
Here's a website that tracks the prices of different wines from places around the web. Forbes picked this site for its Best of the Web feature.
Here's some info from the website.
The largest and most up-to-date resource for wine availability and pricing.
An impartial medium independent of any retailer, wholesaler, or distributor.
The site answers questions like:
Where can I buy 1990 Cheval Blanc, and at what price?
What DRC vintages are available in; Europe, USA, or anywhere.
Which wines from 1956 are selling now?
Here's an interesting article about tasting for beginners from the Houston Chronicle. It's a bit dated (from 1998, eek! Holy Clinton Administration) but has some interesting tips on wine basics and tasting. As an aside, I bought a few Chardonnays that I will be reviewing over the next few days while my mom visits. (I'll let her chime in, too) My mom, like many moms, is a big Chardonnay fan and has become a bit of a Chardonnay snob, though she will not admit it. She won't drink red, so I need to stock up on the whites before her visit. Her favorite is Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay, which I couldn't find at the Whole Foods. (A bottle of 2003 Chalk Hill costs $16.99 at Wine.com, not on the cheaper side of the wine scale, but hey, mom likes it.)
Instead, I bought a 2003 Calina Reserva from Chile ($10) and a 2004 Yelcho Chard,($6.99) also from Chile. So we will try the Chilean chards and pass on the results.
Here's a list of some cool affordable wines from the SF Chronicle (from freelancer and wine writer Leslie Sbrocco, the author of "Wine for Women: A Guide to Buying, Pairing and Sharing Wine" Here's her recommendations, some whites and some reds, for under $20. Other than the Barefoot Cellars, I've not tried any of these (Barefoot Cellars is a Trader Joe's staple) but will try to hunt down a few for a future review.
NV Korbel California Brut Rosé ($11)
NV Lorikeet South Eastern Australia Sparkling Shiraz ($10)
2004 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d'Asti ($9 for 375 ml)
NV Pommery Pink POP Champagne Rosé ($12 for 187 ml)
NV Segura Viudas Aria Pinot Noir Cava Brut ($12)
Whites
2004 Oroya Tierra de Castilla ($8)
2005 Yelcho Reserva Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($9)
Reds
NV Barefoot Cellars California Cabernet Sauvignon ($6)
2004 Five Rivers Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir ($12)
My local wineshop, Plumpjack, which is co-owned by San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, (he of the shellac-headed cuteness) puts out a newsletter that I've just started getting. The recent issue had a list of some juicy romantic wines for Valentines Day. I figured it might be well worth trying some if they weren't so darn expensive. Just two were under $20, recommended by Plumpjack wine expert Debbie Brown. The 2003 Fresh Oyster Sauvignon Blanc ($12.99) and the 2004 Miner Rosato ($14.99). But since it's a special day and you might want to splurge on a more expensive bottle here are a few others on the list - 2004 Foxen Chardonnay, Tinaquaic Vineyard ($25.99 )and the 2003 Cascina Val de Prete, Barbera d'Alba "Carolina." ($29.99)
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