I haven’t had Malbec in a while, so I thought this bottle from Mendoza would be a good one to try.   When I first poured it, the deep purple color indicated that this is a young wine, no surprise given the vintage.  I smell blackberries and toast, and on the nose this definitely smells more tart than ripe.   The finish reminded me of the skin on a plum, and the tartness lingers – like drinking cranberry juice.   This does not have big tannins, but I still think this wine is not very approachable on its own and needs cheese or a light snack to pair with.  I am not sure if this is not ripe enough for my taste, or too young.   I’d like to try another 2010 Malbec from Mendoza to see if it is more palatable.    

$15/bottle

Single

Gewurztraminer is my favorite white grape…   fragrant, round fruit, spicy notes.   I’ve heard of some great Gewurztraminers coming out of Mendocino, so when this was recommended to me by the staff at Prima’s wine shop I couldn’t wait to open it.   This wine is very fragrant, almost perfume-like.   Lychee, grapefruit, and lots of floral notes.   Citrusy and spicy on the mouthfeel and finish, and the pineapple definitely stands out on the finish… lingers for a while.   This wine is like a tropical fruit salad with a kick!

This delicious Gewurztraminer may be difficult to find because Navarro Vineyards is a small production winery.   However, you can buy it at Prima in Walnut Creek or order at http://www.navarrowine.com/  

$19.00/bottle

Triple

I enjoy 4 Vines Zinfandel and thought it was pretty awesome that my dad picked it up to pair with the shrimp scampi he made for Christmas Eve dinner. On the back of the bottle, it says “Step away from the barrel!” – yes, this Chardonnay has not touched ANY oak.

No butter or vanilla on this of course… Just lots of apple and pear. Midpalate has lots of sour apple and even some pineapple and the finish is crisp but doesn’t make my mouth pucker much. This was great with the shrimp scampi, would also love to try it with dungeness crab cocktail.

$9.99/bottle
Double

France has some of the most strict wine laws in the world, and their wine is categorized in grades.   One of the “lower” grades is “Vin de Pays”, which translates to “Country Wine”.   I really do not think wines categorized as “Vin de Pays” are any lower in quality than the other grades, they just have less restrictions on everything from the winemaking practices to what they can put on the label.

This bottle was recommended by the staff at Wine Thieves in Lafayette – which is a great store I will definitely be visiting more often.  I was pleasantly surprised with the selection of wines they had under $20.   Awesome cheeses too!   

This Cabernet Franc with the very long name smells like fresh, ripe raspberries, a little pepper and rawhide.   The fruit is jumping out of the glass at me but this does not smell like a high alcohol fruit bomb.   Raspberry, pepper and some spicy notes come through on the midpalate but mostly raspberry.  I expected the finish to be juicy, but it is quite dry.   This doesn’t have the tannin of a Cab Sauv of course because it is a Cab Franc, but it is pretty rich and powerful.   For best results, open the bottle 20-30 minutes before consuming.

 $9.99/bottle at Wine Thieves 

http://www.winethieves.com/

Triple

A few weeks ago, I went to the Garagiste Festival in beautiful Paso Robles (http://californiagaragistes.com/).   All of the participating wineries were small producers, so there were quite a few I hadn’t tried or heard of.   One was Aaron Wines, and I decided to pick up a bottle of their “Swell” Petite Sirah.   Petite Sirah is full bodied, dark and bold in character, so I knew this would be a food wine.    The Swell smells like blackberries, black pepper and paprika.   This is dry and I can feel the grip of the tannins on the mouthfeel right away.   The fruit is bright, and then the tannin quickly evens out the juiciness.   Finish is spicy and bone dry.  

This is not a California fruit bomb that is easy to chug, this is a powerful petite sirah that is much better with food.   I wouldn’t have it with any meal with too much heat because this wine is so dry that you’ll end up drinking a whole pitcher of water just to counteract it…  but something a bit spicy and fruity at the same time would be awesome.    And I just need to smell this again.   This wine just smells HUGE and I’m liking that every time I smell it again, different spices come out.   

$18/bottle

Triple

I’ve had some feedback from followers on the East Coast lately that I keep blogging wines that no one can find there.    So for this entry, I am going in the extreme opposite direction.  I am blogging a wine that you can find EVERYWHERE.

This wine is purple in color of course, because it is as young as it can get.   It smells like a raspberry fruit roll up – juicy and candyesque.   And that is exactly how it tastes – like fruit punch and raspberry Jello.   Beaujolais Nouveau is not meant to be taken seriously, and I just like the tradition of the day – I’m a fan of any day that is dedicated to celebrating the release of a wine!    So this tastes fruity, fruity, fruity, and the finish is pretty much non-existant.   But – as promised – I’m trying it with turkey.

This wine actually was great with turkey, but hold the cranberry because if you have it with turkey AND cranberry you might as well just have dessert – sweetness overload.   If your turkey comes out dry, find this wine because this wine is nowhere close to dry.   In fact, just pour the bottle over the dry turkey!   Kidding.   But I think this wine would be great with those turkey sandwiches you will make from the leftovers.   Or some turkey pot pie.  Try THIS recipe with your leftover turkey – it is killer.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1148

$10.99/bottle

No score.  Just for fun  :-)  Happy Beaujolais Day!   

Wine #2 of my Thanksgiving turkey pairing series…   and I really hope I don’t get tired of stuffing and turkey before the real Turkey Day!

Zinfandel and turkey are a classic pairing, because the fruit and spices in Zin tend to pair well with turkey and all the sides.   Ottimino produces awesome single vineyard Zins and I was excited to try their Zinfinity which is a blend of zinfandel grapes from a few Sonoma vineyards.   Berries, vanilla, and a little smoke on the nose – this smells big and rich and lived up to the nose.   It tastes like spicy blackberries, and black pepper definitely lingers on the finish.   

I paired this Zin with turkey and stuffing, and loved the pairing.   The herbs in the stuffing definitely accented the fruit in the wine well, and the juicy berries in the zin complimented the turkey.    The Zinfinity is far from a lightweight, and definitely stands up to the richness of a Turkey Day dinner.  This wine belongs on the Thanksgiving table, or would be delicious with chili, burgers, or ribs.   Or pasta with bolognese sauce.   The possibilities are endless, this is a great food wine!

$16/bottle

Home run!

Lets give Thanksgiving turkey the attention it deserves for once!   For the next few weeks, I will be pairing my wine with turkey… and some of the other delicious Thanksgiving side dishes too.

Does turkey pair with white wine, or red?   The answer is – both!   I’ve enjoyed turkey with a Zinfandel (which many believe to be the ultimate Thanksgiving wine) and also a Gewurztraminer.   Tonight, I am trying a Pinot Noir and I do really enjoy Pinot with turkey because lots of Pinots have notes of cranberry.

The Don & Sons Pinot was no exception, I smelled cranberries and some strawberry too.   It also smelled a bit spicy – like the spices you would put in a pumpkin bread.   This Pinot was definitely more acidic and less fruit forward than I expected.   And those pumpkin bread spices lingered at the finish.   

And now to try the wine with the turkey and stuffing (I did not cook this myself – though I’d love to take credit, I got this from the buffet at Whole Foods!).   The tart cranberry in the wine allowed it to pair perfectly with the meal.   The spices in the wine also gave the pairing an added dimension.   My friend Heather was here as well and agreed that the wine was great with the turkey and stuffing.   So the ’09 Don & Sons Pinot definitely gets “Thanksgiving wine” status  :-)

$14.99/bottle

Triple 

You know you’re in for a fun evening when the checkout guy at Whole Foods smirks when he sees what you are purchasing.   In my case… two baby bottles of bubbly and a wedge of  Il Boschetto al Tartufo.   The bottles are literally pocket size – perfect to keep in your pocket on the train, at the movie theater…  but I just planned to bring them home.   You see, if I open an entire bottle of sparkling wine, I have to drink the whole thing in one evening.   Which results in a nice headache the next morning.   I’ll take the little single serving bottles, please!

The two choices were:   Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava – Spain at $3.99 for a 187 ml bottle and Anna Spinato Mini Prosecco – Italy at $5.99 for 187 ml.    Cava is made in the same method as Champagne (the short version – bubbles come from carbon dioxide in the bottle – which came from fermentation), and Prosecco undergoes fermentation in tanks and is bottled under pressure.   If you look at a glass of Champagne, you will see millions of tiny bubbles and Cava is the same.   Prosecco is more similar to a carbonated beverage…   not as many bubbles and they don’t last as long either.  

Maybe comparing Cava to Champagne and Prosecco to soda is bad, because I am already making it sound like I am biased towards the Cava.   But that is not the case  :-)   Cava is made in a more dry style, and this one is no exception… with a citrusy lemony/pear mouthfeel and sour apple and on the finish.   Prosecco is usually less dry and some are made in a slightly sweet style.   The Anna Spinato is made in that sweet style, but it is soft and fruit forward (peachy!) on the midpalate and finishes tart like a blood orange.  

I expected these sparkling wines to be pretty mediocre for the price but was pleasantly surprised by both.   If you prefer a more dry style of bubbly and want a Cava you can fit in your pocket, try the Segura Viudas…  especially if you like lots and lots of citrus.   Alternatively, if you like more fruit in your sparkling wine and can’t resist putting a strawberry in the glass… try the prosecco.   It would be great with a strawberry, and I didn’t have any!   

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava – Spain- $3.99 (187 ml bottle) – Double

Anna Spinato Mini Prosecco – Italy at $5.99 (187 ml bottle) – Double

When I was driving in Sonoma on a warm September Friday, I saw this sign on the side of the highway…

Of course, I had to stop.   The rose was nice, but I decided to pick up the Oakley fiveREDS blend.   This is a tasty blend of Merlot (47%), Syrah (13%), Barbera (12%), Alicante Bouchet (10%), Petite Sirah (10%).   It smells like crushed berries and something spicy.   On the mouthfeel, I definitely get the fruity qualities of the Merlot, and the finish is a bit black peppery.   Most of the fruit in this wine is cool climate and you definitely taste the acidity.   My friends and I popped this bottle open with some cranberry chili meatballs and it was a nice combo!

$11/bottle

Double