WineQuest

November Sunset Magazine Wine Awards

2010-11-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

In the November issue of Sunset they had an article called the 2010 Sunset Western Wine Awards. They mad a big deal out of starting with 250 bottles, 9 judges, and 8 hours. They then listed the top 40 wines.

What’s interesting to me, on my fixed income of $0 since I retired, are the pricing tiers. They listed steal of the year (under $15), Good Value ($15 to $30), special occasion ($30 to $50, and Deep Pocket (over $50). I don’t know about you, but under $15 is not a steal, and $15 to $30 good value? This is where the media looses touch with the average folks. There’s a reason that two-buck Chuck is the largest selling wine in the world, and it certainly isn’t quality. For most people a Saturday night wine for dining with friends around the kitchen table is still under $15. And the experts don’t seem to understand that fact of life.

They interviewed Eugenio Jardim, Sommelier of the Year, and asked what do you drink on a Tuesday night. For a white wine he choose Uvaggio Vermentino from Lodi California (about $14). Sounds good except when I did a search in wine finder it wasn’t available in Southern California. That’s about 300 miles from Lodi so it should have been available. His red wine choice was Handley Anderson Valley Pinot Noir (about $30). It was a numerous Gold Medal winner in CA, but I couldn’t find it in a southern CA store. The main fact is that Eugenio and the editors at Sunset thought that a midweek wine should cost $30.

Some of the wine descriptors are a little outrageous. I enjoyed what they wrote about good value wine Rulo 2007 Syrah. It had a punch of lush fruit-mulberry and plum-over dark intriguing notes of leather, tobacco, meat, and herbs. What else could it taste like?

If you want good recommendations for wine, look for the county fair tasting results, and other broad, recognized tastings like the SF Chronicle Wine Competition and the California State Fair. All of the results from these competitions are online.

Rant over!

Columbia-Crest Two Vines-Vineyard 10 Red Wine 2007

2010-02-28T13:03:00.000-08:00

I really like Columbia Crest wines. I think they’re well made and even the inexpensive ones have good layers of flavors. And this red wine is a nice blend of Rhone varieties including Syrah, Sangiovese, & Grenache.

I denoted some cherry and raspberry layers, with low tannins. So if you like a softer wine, this is a good purchase. It can pair with most any food, except a delicate fish. It’s also a great choice to drink before or after dinner. It doesn’t need food to bring out it’s flavors.

The really good news is the pricing. It’s usually under $7, and sometimes on sale it under $5. It’s a wine you can enjoy everyday. I hope you’ll try it and enjoy it.

Gascon Malbec 2007-86 pts

2010-01-21T19:57:00.001-08:00

Malbecs are the newest hot varietal in the US, but it is the national grape Argentina. It originally is thought to come from Hungary, it is widely planted in the Bordeaux region of France and used as a blending grape. It was brought to Argentina in the mid 1800s, and it has flourished in the warmer climate.

Gascon was established in 1884 by the Gascon family. In 1933 it was purchased by an investment group and has continued to make fine wines.

This wine is 100% Malbec. It was harvested by hand in the cool early morning hours. It was fermented at a controlled 82 degrees to maintain fresh flavors. It was aged in American & French oak barrels for7 months.

The wine has a deep dark color, with clean clear flavors of plum & cherry. There’s a touch of coffee, with medium tannins. I would suggest additional bottle aging of 1-2 years. When you open the bottle, decant it to allow it to breath for at least 45 minutes.

I would rate this as a good example of Argentinean Malbec and a good match for grilled meats and hearty dishes. It retails for about $10, and is widely available.

Castle Rock 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-11-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

I picked up a bottle of Castle Rock Cab, Columbia Valley, at Trader Joes recently. I had previously tried a bottle of their Pinot Noir and I thought it was a good value. It turns out the Cab is also a very good value, costing $5.99.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine had given the 2006 vintage a 87, and I think that rating holds for the 2007. The flavor was overwhelmingly plum, with some cherry and tart berry, with a hint of oak. The back label states that it has had 18 months in french oak barrels, but the wine wasn't overly oaky. As I normally due, I put a small amount in my wine glass to start, and gave it a sip. It was a little closed up with a hot finish, so I broke my Vinturi and gave the wine a little air. It opened up nicely, with a better finish.

The label states that the wine is cellared a & bottled by Castle Rock Winery. Usually that means that another winery produces the wine, either under contract, or as a bulk wine. That doesn't mean the wine is of lesser quality. In fact, if the buyer has a discerning palette, the wine can be very good. Just be aware that year to year consistency can be a challenge.

If you're close to a Trader Joes, pick up a few bottles. You won't regret it. Supplies are limited, so the sooner the better. They also have a Merlot and a Zinfandel available. I plan on trying the Zinfandel next.

Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red-2006

2008-07-02T18:56:00.000-07:00

Since we're spending the summer in the Northwest at Olympic National Park, I've decided to concentrated on local Washington wines. The local Safeway has a large selection of Northwest wines at good prices. Everything else in the store was higher priced, reflecting the isolation of our location. So the answer is to buy what's on sale and drink more wine.

Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot. When I sample different red blends, I find the ones with higher percentage of Cabernet have deeper flavors and more character. The predominately Merlot blends tend to be too soft and not distinctive. The grapes come from Eastern Washington in the Columbia Valley. The wine is named for the railroad tracks that run next to the vineyards. Maybe the vibration of the trains cause the grapes to ripen uniquely.

The wine opened up nicely in the glass with black cherry and oak in the nose. The tannin level was soft and supple. It has some complexity, and complimented the steak we had with it. It was smooth enough to stand on it's own before dinner with some tapas.

The best news was that it was on sale for $7.99. It's a great value, and really shows how great a blended wine can be.

Granny's Cafe

2008-07-01T18:41:00.000-07:00

While we're here at Olympic National Park we're trying some of the local restaurants. We almost exclusively eat lunch out, and enjoy dinner in our MoHo with our dog, Pearl.

On the way between Port Angeles & Lake Crescent is a small combination 6 room motel and cafe. There are perhaps 6 tables inside, and another 8 tables on the patio. There is a small menu with homemade soups, so-so salads, sandwiches, and great hamburgers. And the best side order, sweet potato fries. Now we're not big fans of sweet potatoes, especially at Thanksgiving with those yucky miniature marshmallows.

The hamburgers are a full 1/3 pound, with all of the fixings. There's also homemade chili made from scratch with 2 kinds of beans, which compliments the entrees. There's also a good french dip, and excellent fish & chips.

And they have soft serve ice cream to complete the feast. Usually we split a hamburger with the sweet potatoes fries, then finish with an ice cream cone.

So when you see a small cafe with a lot of cars parked in front, don't hesitate to stop. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Barefoot Bubbly-A Fun Sparkler

2008-03-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Barefoot Cellars is a fun line of wine with a footprint on the front of the label. And Barefoot Bubbly is the sparkling wines in their line. They currently produce 5 different versions. Besides the normal Brut & Extra Dry, they have added a Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, & White Zinfandel. You don't often have sparkling varietals, so this represents an extension of the varietal concept from still wines.

The French defined the degree of sweetness ages ago in a way that Americans have a hard time understanding. Extra Dry means a little sweetness. Brut is drier. And Natural is the driest.

The product I sampled was Extra Dry Chardonnay Champagne. The grapes are primarily chardonnay, and you can definitely get the grape in the bouquet. The taste is clean & crisp with some apple overtones. And it retails for about $5.00, a great value and much better than it's nearest competitor, Cooks.

If you go on the website, you'll see that Barefoot puts it money into a lot of great charities including the National MS society, and Beach Rescue Projects. So next time you want to turn a gathering into a celebration pick up some Barefoot Bubbly-And take your shoes off.

Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006

2008-02-18T15:28:00.000-08:00

I tried a new Cabernet Sauvignon I purchased at Trader Joes called 120 Santa Rita. It's a 2006 vintage from the Rapel Valley in Chile.

Chile has become a prime importer of red wine to the US. And the price was great at $5.99. In my retirement I'm always looking for good value. And Trade Joes is a prime outlet for good wine values.

I really enjoyed this product. It has a full body with reduced tannins due to the oak aging. The nose has cherry, tobacco, and plum overtones. It has a clean finish with a nice aftertaste. And the best part is that the cost is $3.99. Pick up a bottle and enjoy it with a good steak. In fact, purchase some rolled stuffed skirt steaks at Trader Joes at the same time. A perfect pairing. And let me know what you think

Good Food

2008-01-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't posted any places for good food, so I thought I would start with a combination post. We recently spent a week boondocking in Quartzsite, AZ, with friends from the Northwest. "Q" has a population of about 3500 people, but in January about a half million RVs descend on the vast BLM area around the town during the RV show and the Rock & Mineral show.

There aren't many restaurants in town and most of them are fast food or pizza. But we found one good family place, the Mountain Quail Cafe. It specializes in comfort food. Fried chicken, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, etc. Linda had the chicken fried steak and I had the special, chicken parmesan. Believe it or not, they were both very tasty! Considering where we were, this was a real find:

Mountain Quail Cafe, somewhere in Quartzsite, AZ. (Off on a side street from Main)

The other new find is the restaurant located in the Bristol Farms Grocery store in Palm Desert. Linda and I went to the street fair at the College of the Desert and decided to have a late lunch. We found the small cafe next to the deli in this fine food store. There was a limited menu, but every thing on it was interesting. I had the breakfast Quesadillas special, and Linda had a special chicken salad with pecans, gorgonzola cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette. Everything was excellent. The store had many gourmet items, and large fresh fish department, and a meat department that features prime beef. There might be a store near you, so check the website:

http://www.bristolfarms.com/home.html

The Palm Desert location is at 73101 Country Club Dr. in Palm Desert.

Martin Codax-Ergo Tempranillo 2005

2008-01-05T23:24:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are over, I'm back reviewing wines and giving you some info and opinions. My first wine of 2008 is a real winner.

Marin Codax Ergo Rioja 2005 is a red wine that's 86% Tempranillo & 14% Mazuelo. It's aged for 8 months in American Oak barrels. The initial bouquet is of oak, red berries & citrus. It has up front fruits with some cocoa, tobacco, and cherry. It has a medium finish with light tannins. It needs some aeration, so decant it before serving.

Tempranillo is the primary grape of Spain's Rioja region. It's also being widely planted in California, so look for some local expressions of this fine red grape. Martin Codax Ergo is $10 to $15 at larger stores, including World Market. It's well worth the money.

Wine & Chocolate-A Winning Combination

2007-12-20T18:39:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-10T23:18:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-15T23:10:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-14T22:40:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

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.