My Good Cheap Wine of The Week

GASCON MALBEC 2008 FROM ARGENTINA – My Good Cheap Wine of the Week
Thanks to all those visiting this site for the first time, and a special what’s up to those who have graced me with your presence in the past. I happen to be in a very good mood tonight, I feel as good as a 19 year old college boy finding out his girlfriend isn’t pregnant. The reason for the good mood, is the fact that I’ve just tried a wine that for most of you fruit forward tasting wino’s, you could grow to love. The Gascon Malbec 2008 from Argentina is definitely a wine that people who are big into the Australian wines can appreciate. Normally, when I deal with wines from Chile, Spain, and Argentina I tend to look for certain characteristics, such as soil and vegetation. What’s interesting about this wine is it plays around with a more fruity characteristic, also incorporating chocolate on the mid palate, with a strawberry finish. Because this wine is so young, the alcohol is apparent in the nose (because it’s young, you could let it sit for three to five years before consuming, the alcohol should digress by then), but if you know what to smell for, you’ll also catch Cassis, dark currant, vanilla, and a hint of leathery tobacco. Upon tasting, there is great transition from beginning to mid palate, which is definitely something to be desired in a 12 dollar bottle of wine. I don’t know about you, but I like anything that transitions from Cassis to chocolate to strawberry, and this wine does just that. This Argentinean Malbec is a good wine all in all, and for all of those who are looking for a pair with this wine, don’t look for seafood or steak, but maybe a prime rib or chocolate dessert. Lastly, to all of you wino’s, continue to love, live, eat and drink wine.

Carr Winery – Santa Barbara, nice escape for an enlightened soul

Hello all, for any of you who have been following me on this little journey of exploring wines who’s low price tags contradict the quality of it, here’s another little fun fact about me, other than wine, a secret passion of mine is music. I feel as if life is a soundtrack. Normally my day starts off with a little jazz, then transitions into hip-hop throughout the period of my nine to five, and by the evening my days long set is concluded with some smooth R&B. But when I’m in a total relaxed mood, meaning I’m away from work, and the day is ripe with sun, wine and a good cigar, for me, nothing is better than some soulful Aya, Dwele, Blue Six, or a Rebirth album. I know you guys could care less about my self-indulgent rumblings, you want to hear about the wines. … Continue Reading

Class of Wine: Have the Lines Blurred?

So with all the vices in the world that people tend to partake in, there is always the, so-called elite society, in which most opinions of this vice dictate a kind of guideline in which the majority tend to adhere to.

Wine isn’t any different, and I call this the class society of “old world” versus “new world.” Although wine has been made throughout the world for thousands of years, such as in original Greek and European lore as a whole, I think the classes of wine society is BULL…. you pick what follows.

Ok maybe 10 years ago, these class designations had truth in its merits but now, there is so much good wine out there for decent prices, I think it’s harder for these vineyards, who were putting out decent wines at astronomical prices to survive in the market we are in today. Now, don’t get me wrong, I do understand, vineyards, wine-bars and restaurants, needing to make money in the market we are in today, but what I love about what’s happening in wine today, is the fact that the juice has to measure up.

In the past, in most vintages, the winery just had to base their pricing on the name of their enterprise and place of origin if they were successful in the past. While there are still some who have that clout, many have been forced to either lower their pricing or actually stand behind their product, sales have shown that there is no longer a better choice in the matter.

So let’s get down to brass tax in the elite society of the wine industry; we have the royalty: France and Italy. And I must confess I love wines from the old country, for the simple fact that from the time of wines being produced in those areas all the way up til’ the last 10 years, wines have for the most part sat apart from most wines all over the world. I mean there are other places who have very old vines such as, Spain, Chile, Argentina and parts of Australia, but the consistency of great wines coming from these places were at a minimum.

Then after 10 years of the places, considered new world wine producers, stepping up their game, from wine making to distribution of brands throughout the world, we have the collapse of the economy. You may ask how does the collapse of the market effect the wine industry, well in my opinion it nullified it. The collapse of the market allowed Chile and many places previously mentioned in this piece, to showcase that their wines not only rival, but in many cases, surpass the “Old World Wines” at a lower price to your wallet. With these changes the category of good wines has more than doubled, and those brand drive wines who may have made great wines in the past, but make only decent to good wines now, have to reconsider their pricing structures.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I will still fork out cash for a great wine, but now as a consumer, I have a choice of paying more for a wine that is double the price of a bottle outside of the old country branded juice, and is equal in taste, but far less in pricing. Knowledge is the key to picking out good to great wines, some brands are not as strong as they once were, so in essence, the lines of class in the wine industry have, in the past, been based on have become blurred. I suggest you as a consumer, to initially drink wines from all over, not just the so called upper “echelon,” then remember the wines and where they come from. When you’ve found a few wines that tickled your tastebuds, do your own research, and if that’s too big of a task, or you don’t have the time in your busy schedule, continue to read blogs and literature like this, let us show you the way. Sorry for the soap box, just had some stuff on my chest, till next time, enjoy wine, food, pleasant company and life. SALUT.

Vitiano 2007 – A Little Blend of Italy in a Bottle

To all those new age drinkers of Italian wine, who go to their local Raley’s and buy the cherry based Chianti’s, who only carry one note, you may want to skip this entry.

I have just tried a gem of an Italian wine that’s complexity surprises me, especially for the price of this bottle. With that said, I’ll get right into the bottle I’m drinking
tonight: the Vitiano 2007, with is a nice little blend from Italy.

The nose of this wine is very interesting to me, it carrries blackberry, a little green herbaceous qualities, some chalkiness and a hint of Black cherry and Cassis. The mouth feel consisted of cherry, cranberry with a hint of Rasberry on the front end of the palate.

Some of the initial flavors on the front end, translate to the mid and the finish, for example the berries and cherry in this wine. Also on the back end, there are round dry tannins, which also puts this wine into the category of versatility, for not only can this wine be adored by the wine snobs because of the complexity, this bottle still has the sour cherry component that is a characteristic of most Sangiovese infused wines from Italy.

In closing, I think that those who love wine, but are not a fan of Chiante, should go and try this wine. On the flipside, I say, if you love those super-tuscans from Italy, you will also enjoy this wine.

I suggest to try it, and leave a comment.

Wine Filled Glass For Valentine’s Day

Love, love, love, Love is in the air, accompanied by tunes from Sade's "Cherish The Day."

So you might ask, what is a good pairing for a day filled with an abundance of love, other than just, great music.
I'm sure you already know the answer: WINE.

My question to you is, for your inevitable Big V-day, what will you be filling your glass with? If you aren't sure yet, I may have some suggestions for you.

Starting up my suggestions, I'm leading off with a white wine, and because Riesling
is considered one of the most flexible grapes in regards to pairings, I decided that Clos Du Bois Riesling (found at most supermarkets) would be a nice precursor wine to start the dinner, or your night in
general.

So on the nose, there is a spicy apple and blue-stone minerality. When consuming this wine the major highlights are the spicy pear, jasmine and lemon spritz. Look to pair with seafood: shrimp, crabcakes and oysters. After the Riesling, when the night starts to get a bit more serious, and you want to start turning up the heat, a great wine, and I've said it before in a former write up, seek out the Bruno Porro San Luigi Dolcetto di Dogiani 2007 (Trader Joe's).
This wine is just smooth and sexy, that's all that needs to be said.
For tasting notes, check out my blog, October 13, 2009 posting. Look to pair this Dolcetto with skirt steak, and herbaceous chicken dishes.
Now that the mood has been set, there are decisions to be made. For those looking for a serious bottle that's complex enough to enhance your dinner and also has enough structure and fruit to stand alone, you may want to check out the 2007 Juan Gill from Spain (World Markets).
On the nose of this wine, there are tones of earthy red plums, cassis, and vanilla. Also in nooks of this nose I pick up blueberries and tobacco. When tasting the Juan Gill, I taste mineral-laden strawberries and tobacco. Up the middle of the tongue there are also nuances of green herbs and vanilla with a nice backbone of firm tannins. If eating is done, and you are looking for a wine, that in my opinion, is better when not accompanied with food,try the Jade Mountain 2007 La Provencale. Warning, this is a Fruit forward and palate coating type of wine. When smelling this wine there is peppercorn, hints of broccoli, herbaceous red fruit, hints of cocoa notes and an interesting apricot thing going on. Tasting this wine, I enjoy black-cherry and black-berries dancing throughout my palate. There is
a enormous fruit in this wine, with some green herbs on the outsides of the palate and rasberries running up the middle of my tongue.

I even pick up some chocolate in the Jade Mountain from the mid to finish, and what a long finish. A beautifully complex fruit forward wine that I hope you get a chance to drink it, and enjoy. So there you have it, those are my picks for Valentines Day, for those who take my advice, thank you, for those who don't, whatever you are drinking with your special person that night, drink responsibly and be safe, I know I will.

Happy Valentine's Day.