Wine & Chocolate-A Winning Combination

I received an email from Cost Plus World Market about some chocolate that was created to accompany wine. It's called Brix Chocolate for Wine Lovers. There are two different types, one for white wine and one for red wine. Personally, I've found dark chocolate and Zinfandel or Port go well together. The thought of white wine and chocolate is a stretch. It will be interesting to try this product with my favorite red wine after dinner some night. The cost is $7.99.

Bodega Norton Malbec 2005

This is another Malbec from Argentina, but at a higher quality with a higher price tag. I found this wine at Costco in Palm Desert as a special promotion. It was $12.99, and well worth the price. What drew me to it was the Wine Spectator rating of 91 for the 2004 vintage. It's not often we can sample a wine that's rated 91 for under $20.


I found the Norton website, and it had good information on the this bottling. It comes from a vineyard that is 80 years old. It was aged 12 months in oak, then an additional 10 months of bottle age. There was a slight amount of sediment in the neck of the bottle confirming the bottle aging.

The wine is a deep red color with touches of purple. Considering the oak aging, there's very little oak in the nose or finish. It has ripe berry, violets, and a slight tobacco flavors. A very clean finish, especially with the alcohol level at 14%. It's one of the best examples of Argentina's Malbec, and you can't beat the price.

Rancho Zabaco Lodi Zinfandel

The latest zinfandel I've tried is from Rancho Zabaco. This label is part of the vast E. & J. Gallo wine empire. Gallo does a good job at making multiple brands of quality wines. This label was created to be a zinfandel centric brand, using the bull fighter motif.

Originally it included a Dancing Bull Zinfandel. But Gallo has decided to make Dancing Bull a separate brand and expand the line to include other varietals.

The Lodi AVA labeled version was a really nice example of a light Zinfandel. It's ready to drink, with great cherry and berry layers of flavor. So many of the Zinfandel's on the market today have a higher alcohol content which leaves a mouth burning feel. This one has a softer mouth feel with a clean finish. At about $10 its a good value. This wine pairs well with lighter meats, including chicken, turkey, and pork. It also goes well with light sauced pastas.

Holiday Sparkler-Prosecco

With the holidays here and many opportunities to share the season's joys with our friends, choosing what wine to serve can be intimating. The perfect, simple solution is sparkling wine. It turns any gathering into a festive event.

An interesting, different choice of sparkling wine is Prosecco. It's an Italian sparkling wine that is different than the spumates that most of us know. First, it's a dry sparkler, not sweet like spumate. That means it pairs well with a variety of foods, from appetizers to main courses to desserts. It has a slight fruitiness, which makes it different from french Champagne, and a delicate bouquet.

It might be a little difficult to find Prosecco. Most major chains carry at least one in their sparkling wine sections. The prices range from $10 to $20. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, they are featuring Zonin Prosecco at $5.99. Give it a try and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Fresh and Easy Markets

A new grocery store opened up in SoCal. It's Fresh and Easy Markets, owned by Tesco, a British retailer. It's very similar to Trader Joes, on a slightly larger scale. And it carries some national brands, not all private labels. Most of the packaging fits well with small families or empty nesters, as they serve 2 to 4 adults. There's a lot of freshly prepared ready meals that you can heat and serve.

Now you're probably wondering what this has to do with WineQuest. They have a good sized wine department. It's not as extensive as Trader Joes, but they have a good selection and fair pricing.

The item I want to highlight is one of their private labels. It's Recoleta, an Argentina wine. It's a blend of Malbec, the main red wine of Argentina, and Bonarda. It has a ripe cherry bouquet and a light body. Clean finish with little tannins. A good everyday red wine, especially at the price of $3.99. Much better than any of the reds I've tried from Two Buck Chuck. It's imported by Cornerstone US Wine Imports of Riverside, CA, exclusively for Fresh and Easy Markets.

If you're looking for a Fresh and Easy near you, they're currently in Southern California, Arizona, and Nevada. Check their website for locations close to you. It's always fun to explore something new and innovative

Another Thanksgiving Wine-Fetzer Gewurztraminer

Here's a real tongue twister of a varietal for you to wow all of your guest on Thanksgiving. Gewurztraminer is an up and coming variety that growing in popularity as consumers become more adventuresome in their exploration of the wine world. The white grapes originated in Germany and means spice grapes. It can be a dry or sweet wine, with floral, nutty flavors. If grown in a hot area, it can become bitter or grassy, which I personally don't like in wine.

The Fetzer version is semi dry, or slightly sweet, depending on your personal taste. It has a very floral bouquet, and you can sense the spiciness. The taste is smooth, with no bitter overtones, and a clean finish. It pairs very well with turkey, or on another occasion, Chinese food.

It's available at Costco, World Market, and most major chains nationwide. Let me know what you think of it. For more information, check our the Fetzer website

Another Red Wine Blend-Richardson Synergy

While waiting for my wife while she was shopping, I wandered over to World Market in Temecula, CA. I always enjoy exploring wine aisles looking for new or unusual products with a eye towards red wine blends, one of my favorite wines. There was a pre Thanksgiving sale in progress, and one of the wines featured was Richardson Vineyards 2003 Synergy, on sale for $7.99.

The wine is from the Carneros region of Sonoma, 66% Syrah, 27% Bordeaux Blend?, 4% Zinfandel, and 3% Viognier. It sounded like an interesting blend, and the price was right.

When I got it back to the motorhome, I opened it and noticed a slight bit of sentiment on the side of the bottle. This indicated that it was stored correctly on it's side, and that it was probably not filtered when it was bottled.

The bouquet was nice with a hint of blackberry in the nose. It was a deep red color in the glass. The first sip was mouth filling, with good tannins, but with no hot finish. I tasted cherry, berry, and a little tobacco overtones. Very nice with a clean finish.

I looked for more information on the winery, but their website has expired. The label stated that there was 840 cases of Synergy produced, so if you want to try a nice red blend that ready to drink, check with your local World Market. It's probably only available in CA.

Thanksgiving Day Wines

As we get closer to the big "Turkey Day", my thoughts turn to the Thanksgiving Day menu, and of course, what wine to serve on the big day. The scope of this website is great value wines, but if you've been saving a special occasion wine in the cellar, now is the time to get it out and serve it. There's no more special day than Thanksgiving, when we thank God for his blessings in our lives.

For your consideration for the turkey dinner, I would like to propose Columbia Crest Merlot-Cabernet.

This wine is available across the United States, with a price range of $7 to $10. It's a smooth, medium body wine with hints of raspberry, cocoa, and coffee. It has a smooth finish with a light oak touch.

If you're looking for this wine, check with the national chains, fine wine stores, and stores such as World Market, Target, and Beverages & More. To learn more about the Columbia Crest Winery, check out their website at: http://www.columbia-crest.com/

If you're in a reciprocal state, you can order from the winery directly. There's also a list of retailers by state, and city. They have an interesting Wine Club, which ships limited production wines. And it's a winery that gives you great quality for the price.