Try it Tuesday

I found this at Safeway... and yes, bought it because I enjoyed the label and name.  For $8-9 at Safeway, I always appreciate a label that amuses me - as long as the wine inside is tasty.  I'm not sure that I will purchase this one again.  Not that it was bad, just a little too plum-y and raisin-y for my taste.  For an affordable table red, this one wasn't bad.  But, when I can get a decent Cabernet for the same price... well, this wine reminds me why I don't usually purchase red blends unless I know exactly what I'm getting.

I have heard great things about Rosenblum (https://www.rosenblumcellars.com/), and I can't wait to head out to their Alameda tasting room and try some of their other wines.

Just for fun a challenge: Try something new this week and let me know what you find!  I'd love to hear reports of other "new" wines you've tried this week.

Peju Harvest Video

Click here to see a great video of the night pick of Sauvignon Blanc grapes in the Athena block of Persephone Vineyards in the Napa Valley.

2013 wines are going to be fantastic!

Honig

I have coupons...

http://www.honigwine.com/index.cfm

Grifone Sangiovese 2011

Sangiovese, literally the blood of Jupiter, is Italy's most popular grape. I'm not very familiar with italian wines so I've been trying to explore( thanks Josh!). I really liked the Grifone Primitivo, both available at TJ's for $3.99. 

 The Grifone Sangiovese is okay. It seems a bit thin but is very drinkable, certainly at $3.99. It's cheap enough that you should try it. Ill try another bottle with company and find out what they think.

Cabernet Day is 8/29

In celebration of this year's ‪#‎CabernetDay‬ on August 29th, Duckhorn is doing an exclusive offer with a little twist! The 2010 Napa Valley Cabernet Franc is an amazing wine to enjoy! Buy two or more bottles of 2010 Cabernet Franc from Duckhorn - Get 15% Off!

Stay tuned for more great Cabernet Day Info!

https://www.facebook.com/DuckhornVineyards

Sunday Brunch

One of my first fully formed, coherent thoughts this morning (after..."day = sunday" and "coffee?") was, "we need brunch."  Then I saw the cheesy jalapeno biscuit and bloody mary post on our Facebook page and realized that while I do have CSB's home made bloody mary mix in the fridge, I am out of vodka.  Next I realized that while I do have a bottle of champagne, it wasn't chilled.  What is a girl to do!?!

So, as CSB was concocting an amazing "refrigerator omelet" I went snooping in the wine fridge to see if there was anything brunch flavored waiting for me.  I had completely forgotten about this fantastic bottle of Domaine Chandon Sparkling Red.  Admittedly, when I think champagne, I never think of red wine... even though I've enjoyed this particular sparkling red in the past, it just doesn't occur to me.  This one is 60/40 Pinot Noir & Zinfandel grapes, giving it a bold, hearty (if not slightly sweet) flavor, which stood up well to the bacony, sausagey, tomatoey, cheesy goodness of CSB's omelet.

If you are going to have red wine for breakfast (and hey, why not?), give this one a try.  You can only get this particular wine at the winery, but what a fantastic excuse to get out to Yountville/Napa and spend a day tasting amazing wines.  Now that my bottle is empty, I'll be heading out soon!  See you there! 
-Giddy

Grifone Primitivo

 As I was in the long check out line at Trader Joes, scooting my basket forward with my feet like some kind of soccer player with a red, rectangular ball, I saw the orange label on the Grifone Primitivo 2011. The sign said $3.99!

I’ve been trying to get out of my comfort zone by trying wines from outside the Napas. This fits so I got some. It says on the back label ” Zinfandel in America…Primitivo in Italy… Mali Plavãc in Croatia”. Lot of history there!

The wine is great! When you consider the price it’s even better! I’ll gladly drink this as a first choice any day. As a bottle to keep around as a second or third bottle, it blows most wines in its price range away. I found it to be soft with a long finish.

Bottle Sizes

 

Picolo/Split/Pony = 187.5ml
Demi/Half = 375ml; 1/2 bottle
Bottle = 750ml; 1 bottle
Magnum = 1.5Liters; 2 bottles
Marie Jeanne = 2.25 Liters; 3 bottles
Double Magnum/Jeroboam = 3 Liters; 4 Bottle
Rehoboam = 4.5 to 5 Liters; 6 to 6 1/3 bottles
Imperial/Methuselah = 6 Liters; 8 bottles
Salmanazar/Mordechai = 9 Liters; 12 bottles
Balthazar = 12 Liters; 16 bottles
Nebuchadnezzar = 15 Liters; 20 bottles
Melchior = 18 Liters; 24 bottles
Solomon = 20 Liters; 26.66 bottles
Sovereign = 25 Liters; 33.33 bottles
Goliath/Primat = 27 Liters; 36 bottles
Melchizedek = 30 Liters; 40 bottles

Fun Facts!

• Vines need 3 yrs to start producing and 5 yrs to be mature. They can produce for 30-35 yrs with full quality and quantity, but then quantity decreases even though quality can remain!

• There are about 50-75 grapes in a bunch ( more properly called a cluster).

• A pound of grapes contained 4-5 clusters, and thus there are 8,000-10,000 clusters in a ton.

• A ton usually makes about 2 barrels of wine, or 120 gallons.

• A barrel of wine produces between 23-25 cases or about 288 bottles.

• A bottle usually has within it about 2.75 pounds of grapes ( meaning about 11 clusters, or 550 grapes, give or take 50-100).

• There are somewhere between 500-1300 vines grown per acre. Each vine produces 5 bottles. Each acre produces 13-14 barrels, or about 312 cases, which equals about 3,750 bottles.

Box Wine

I don’t know how you feel about the new wave of box wines but I give them a “DPR says drink now!”. They are environmentally friendly and they keep wine fresh for a long time! Plus, you can’t beat 3 liters of wine for $15 bucks at target! Trader joes has a Syrah for $10! It’s a nice backup for that whole “one more glass” dilemma..

Apothic White

Apothic White…




A blend of as they say ” smooth Chardonnay, aromatic Riesling, and luscious Moscato which create layers of tropical fruit complimented by hints of honey and vanilla.” It is what they say. I don’t want to like this wine but I do! At $7.99 it is a good deal and it doesn’t disappoint! You will not go wrong bringing this to a friends house or drinking it at home. My team of expert tasters also gets vanilla from the Apothic red…

Welcome back my friends, to the bottle that never ends…

Hello everyone! Welcome to what probably should have happened a long time ago! As I sit here, way too late, listening to Warren Zevon, drinking wine, and finally writing… something I should have started doing a long time ago.. But that is the subject for another blog and some expensive therapy sessions!

This all came about because I love wine… And I love to talk about it! I love really nice wine, some is very costly, some is very inexpensive.. I ( and my cohorts) will share with you our thoughts on the wines we drink, where we taste, and anything related to that.

So until I finally get to try a ’53 Margaux, “the best of the century!”, chin chin!

Visit to the Right Bank

Anderson’s Conn Valley Right Bank 2010. 70% Merlot 30% Cab Franc Harvest Dates October 11-31,2010. Brix at Harvest 25.4° TA/ph at Harvest 0.66/3.61 aged 22 months in French Oak… So everything after the percentages of merlot/cab franc means nothing to me mostly.This wine is done in the style of the Bordeaux wines from the “Right Bank” of the Gironde River.

I find it to be very well balanced. A nice break from Cabernet Sauvignon. The franc gives the merlot some backbone and the merlot makes the franc a little more mellow. Parker gives it a 94 and says anticipated maturity 2016-2020… As if!

Wine Wednesday

Unfortunately, my “local” Trader Joe’s is 15-20 miles away in a neighborhood I tend to avoid.  When I do go, I try to pick up a few bottles of wine which look interesting, and that I don’t typically see at Safeway or BevMo.  Of course, BevMo has such a huge selection, I have a difficult time remembering what is there… on the plus side, I know I am paying less for it at TJ’s.

This afternoon I was in a “bubbly” mood, but didn’t feel like paying too much for a bottle of sparkling wine.  I found Albero Cava Brut.



If you are unfamiliar with Cava, it is a Spanish sparkling wine.  Because it isn’t produced in the “Champagne” region it can’t technically be called a Champagne, but it is made in the champenoise traditional method…  So yeah, basically Champagne.

For about $8 I found a light, crisp, slightly sweet sparkling white.  Although I had it on its own this evening, I can see this “champagne” as an excellent mixer for mimosas (or mimostleys depending on what you are looking for).  My preferred champagne for many years now is Domaine Chandon… but I always hate mixing it with anything because it is so tasty.  This sparkly wine is a perfect low-cost substitute.

Mumm Begins Harvest Tomorrow

 

http://www.napavintners.com/trade/tm_3_release_detail.asp?ID_News=400128
Photo is from the Mumm Facebook page, article is from the Napa Valley Vintners page.  Two-ish weeks early, Mumm is harvesting.  I can’t wait to taste 2013 wines.

Article: Early Harvest

Read about the harvest in the Napa Valley this year.  What does an early harvest mean for 2013 wines?

Cab Franc

http://www.steelewines.com/store/browse.asp?var=12&doFilter=true

Wednesday Wine Tasting

So it’s not every Wednesday you are asked by the ugly dwarf to accompany him and the Finn to Napa to go to Anderson’s Conn Valley! If you’ve never been you should! Our usual host Josh Luhn was on vacation so Alicia Williams was our host. She was awesome( everyone I’ve ever had there was awesome!).

We were early so while waiting we played a few games of bocce ball! Not a bad way to start!

Riding up to the cave in the electric golf cart we realized it wasn’t going to make it and had to activate the “all Steve drive”! It sure gets me thirsty being pushed up a hill!

We ran into Robert Hunt, Conn’s winemaker, who was working in the caves. I met him last year at their annual “Cave Dweller” party. More from Robert to follow…

We started with the 2012 Sav Blanc. It is the first wine that is 100% Robert’s since he became head wine maker. It is very crisp and one of my favorite whites. Then came the 2012 Chardonnay. It’s done in more of the burgundy style, not super buttery. I like it. This is when Robert ( what a great name!) came by with some 2012 that he has kept in the barrel! Mmmmmmm!

Part two to follow….

Thirsty Thursday

Toasted Head Cab is one of my favorite Wednesday wines. This evening it was the after dinner wine that paired nicely with watching my guys build a Star Wars model.

Wine Wednesday

Even though it is still hot outside, tonight’s dinner called for a glass of simple red wine.
I present to you: Unruly Red.

This red blend is one of the few blends I really enjoy.  Enough tannin on the back end to make it taste more expensive than it is, but not so much that it dries out your tongue. Bright jammy flavors make this wine fruity without being too sweet (though still a little sweet to my palate – I’m not a “sweet” person.  Yes, I know how that sounds…).  Dinner tonight had a lot of strong Mediterranean flavors (including feta cheese, kalamata olives, and sun dried tomatoes), this simple Wednesday Wine stood up and did exactly what I expected it to do.

http://www.unrulyred.com/

Also, I hear that my co-author spent the day in Napa today… I can’t wait to hear about the tastings he had… once he recovers…

Giddy Discusses Wine Wednesday

Even though it is still hot outside, tonight’s dinner called for a glass of simple red wine.

I present to you: Unruly Red.

 

This red blend is one of the few blends I really enjoy.  Enough tannin on the back end to make it taste more expensive than it is, but not so much that it dries out your tongue. Bright jammy flavors make this wine fruity without being too sweet (though still a little sweet to my palate – I’m not a “sweet” person.  Yes, I know how that sounds…).  Dinner tonight had a lot of strong Mediterranean flavors (including feta cheese, kalamata olives, and sun dried tomatoes), this simple Wednesday Wine stood up and did exactly what I expected it to do.

Also, I hear that my co-author spent the day in Napa today… I can’t wait to hear about the tastings he had… once he recovers…

Cat in the Hat

Rutherford Red (2009)

Barrel Tasting at St. Supery

DPR: Monday Wine

 

Bay Moon Savignon Blanc 2012 Monterey aromas are melons, pears, lemon grass and Meyer lemon with a hint of fresh dried herbs from the glass…( I wasn’t prepared and copied the notes from the bottle!)

Durian Wine: Next Big Thing?

Durian Wine?

According to this article, Durian Fruit is "described by the poetic Anthony Bourdain as the smell "if you'd been French-kissing your dead grandmother."

What do you think, would you try wine made from it?

Giddy's Monday Wine

Tonight’s featured wine is a typical Wednesday Wine around my house.  Bogle Cab. Sauv.  Found in the local Safeway for around $8-9, this is a simple red that has a fruity nose and isn’t too heavy on the tannins.  My recommendation is to open the bottle about 12 hours before you want to drink it.  It is fine right after you open it, but I’ve found that it gains flavor if you open it for a couple of hours, then cap it and let it sit overnight.  Obviously you’ll have to have something on hand to drink while you are waiting.  Cheers!

All About the Wine

From Wednesday Wine to the good stuff… and everything in between, friends travel from the local Trader Joe’s to Napa Valley and tell you about all the stuff they drink.