My husband and I have been on a search for a nice summer white wine (even though we are ½ way the summer now) that is priced under $11. So, we decided to have our own private tasting recently with a selection of 3 different wines ranging from the low end at just under $6 per bottle and no more than $11 a bottle. We tried 1 Italian, 1 French & 1 Portuguese. The first one was the least expensive from Portugal, a Vinho Verde – Sonalto Branco. It was pale yellow in color, light with a hint of green apple & a mere 9% alcohol so it would work fantastic on a picnic or at the beach. Shoot for roughly $67 per case and you can be in fat city all summer with this wine. Next, we tried a 2009 white table wine from Domaine de Pouy (Vin de Pays des Cotes des Gascogne) that retails for around $8 a bottle. Crisp, fruity and easy to drink, this wine from the south of France went well with grilled artichoke and aioli (I know from experience.). Last but not least, we tasted the most expensive of them all – an Italian - Principessa Govia. The 2009 vintage has 12.5% alcohol, is light yellow in color, dry, crisp and slightly fruity. It has a nice nose of stone, melon and steely fruit. It would go well with seafood, chicken or veal and it sells for under $10.50. You can’t beat this one for the taste and value. Any of these affordable whites would make a summer meal special.

Salud & Bon Appetit
K!

More than a month ago a bottle of 2009 Cornerstone Cellars Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc appeared on my doorstep. Craig Camp of Cornerstone Cellars sent the wine to me to try. I always leave wine in my cellar for a month or so after it arrives, so the delay gives the wine time to get over jet lag. I have a system that involves rotating the wine so I know when they are ready to taste. When the Napa Sauvignon Blanc came to the top, I hesitated. In general, most California Sauvignon Blancs are not my thing. They can be flabby or over oaked and sometimes both at the same time. Don’t get me wrong–there are good bottles from California, but I typically prefer Pouilly Fumé or Sancerre. However, when Saturday night rolled around and fish from the farmer‘s market was on the menu, I decided to put the ’09 Cornerstone in the fridge.

My wife opened the bottle and did not say anything as I drifted in and out of the house minding the fire. On one of my trips, I was given a new glass of white wine without an explanation. I lifted the glass and found a terrific nose of citrus, melon, white grapes, a hint of apple, and some wet rock. In short, it was simply lovely. By this time, I figured my wife was pulling a fast one and had opened the Cornerstone. I proceeded to give the wine a small sip and my mouth was filled with a rich well, balanced wine showing citrus, melon, wet rock and a surprisingly round, long finish. The 2009 displayed ample acid to pair with food and enough roundness to pair with a warm summer day. This is an exceptional white wine. It sells for $25, right at the top of what I will pay for most Sauvignon Blancs, but I found the wine to be worth every penny. Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Neil

I have always appreciated the wines from André Brunel. His wines from Les Cailloux in Châteauneuf du Pape can be outstanding. Brunel also produces a Côtes du Rhône from a small vineyard just outside the city of Orange. His Cuvée Sommelongue is 90% Grenache with 5% Syrah and Mourvèdre thrown in for good measure. For years this had been one of my go-to wines for inexpensive old world flavor and style. The ’06, however, left me wanting. Brighter and lighter than previous vintages, the wine was inoffensive, but not something that made me want to pour another glass.

Last night I tried a bottle of the ’07 ($15 and under). Darker and more tightly wound the ’06, this wine is bigger than it looks and it needs a little time to open up. Showing spice and dark fruit, with a medium long finish, this is a wine to pair with a pan fried steak or a roast chicken. This is not a wine for the cellar, but it is a wine for the glass.

Recently, we were lucky enough to spend a delightful evening with a couple of friends celebrating one of their birthdays, and we decided to celebrate with food and wine from France. So, we started out the evening with a delightful little white called La Poule Blanche 2008. The producer describes this blend of Chardonnay (45%), Sauvignon Blanc (29% and Viognier (26%) as: Fruity nose of peach, grapefruit, bananas and mango.?The palate is well balanced. A wonderful delicately wooded finish. Well, the winemaker’s description pretty much sums it up for me and for $11.99 a bottle – it is a wonderful chicken wine!

The other wine was a beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape Les Cailloux 2008, blanc. This is a wonderful white Rhone produced by Andre Brunel on the stony soil of Chateauneuf du Pape — a blend of 80% Rousanne, 10% Grenache and 10% Clairette. If you are not familiar with Rousanne, you owe it to yourself to save for this one. Full bodied, rich with an elegant mouth feel, this Rousanne delivers fruit, mineral, and pure joy. Only about 10% of the wine produced in Chateauneuf du Pape is white, so you may have to look around… but you won’t be disappointed.

Bon Appetit & Salud!
K

Yesterday, we were out doing our usual Saturday errands, so we stopped by our favorite local wine purveyor, The Austin Wine Merchant. It turns out Lady Luck was on our side, and the store was having a tasting of Pinot Noirs, one of our favorites. They had a selection of four different Pinots from around the globe – France, New Zealand, Argentina and California. The prices ranged from $10.75 to $19.95, which are incredibly cheap for Pinots.

The first one we tried was called Tortoise Creek which was from France, believe it or not – specifically from the Languedoc region. This region is located in the Southwest part of France and benefits from the cooler Limoux wine-growing area. The vintner describes it as “deep in color with delicious aromas of cherry and raspberry, while the palate is packed with fresh red fruit finishing smooth and structured.” The vintage is 2008 and has an alcohol level of
13.5%. You can read all about these folks at their website located at www.tortoisecreekwines.com.

Next, we tried a lovely Pinot called “Mud House” from the Central Otago region of New Zealand. This is another 2008 vintage that sells retail for $17.50 and has an alcohol content of 14.0%, a hair higher than the French Pinot. The producers describe this bottle as “Nose – A vibrant nose of dark berries, mocha and thyme; Palate – Maraschino cherries, plums and crushed herbs; and Food Match -pork loin & pomegranate jus.”

The third choice for the tasting was an Argentinean Pinot which I liked okay, but I didn’t buy a bottle, so I can’t really give you the fine details on the vintage, etc.. For the most part, I think they have “potential” but aren’t quite there for me yet. I’ll keep trying them to see how they progress in the future.

The fourth and final bottle we tried was the crème de la crème of the bunch – a Saintsbury Garnet 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir. It sells for $19.99 a bottle and has a 13.5% alcohol content. The producer describes this bottle as “our Pinot Noir proprietary wine Garnet, named after the semi-precious gemstone.” I have to admit that they are right – it is quite a GEM! I highly recommend it, particularly at such a bargain price.

Bon Appetit! K

I am always on the lookout for a house wine. You know, the bottle you open on Tuesday night or maybe it is the second bottle you open when company stops by. A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me home with a bottle of 2005 Chateau Greysac. I like the wines from Médoc; they express plenty of flavor without overpowering. I had avoided buying many ‘05s because they were simply out of my price range. Chateau Greysac, however, is priced under $15. The bottle that came home with me cost $13.75.

Showing spice and dark currant, this wine has a pretty nose. In the mouth, the wine is medium-full bodied with a fine tannin structure and enough acid to go with food, but enough interest to stand alone. This is not a wine for the ages, nor is it a wine that I would store for years. However, for Bordeaux under $15, this is a bottle of wine that I will be drinking this spring.

I like sparkling wines. Bubbles are fun. Sparklers are made in just about every wine producing region, however, when they come from the Champagne region they come with a lot of history, tradition, and excessive profit margins! I love Champagnes, but with the price for most cuvees starting north of $30, they are not the kind of wine that you can have every day. Here is where Cremants, Proseccos, and Cavas, step up to the plate. With many offers under $25, these sparkling wines can bring the bubbles to the party without emptying your wallet.

Last night we popped the cork on a bottle of Cava Reserva Brut Rosat from Avinyó (~$23). Cherry-copper in color with medium fine bubbles, this is a pretty wine. The nose reminded me of sparkling cherry candy. With just a slight hint of residual sugar and plenty of acid, the Avinyo was a very satisfying drink. This wine works well as an aperitif or as an accompaniment to salty cold cuts or a plate of boiled shrimp. We found that it paired particularly well with caramels coated with dark chocolate and a little gray sea salt.

With the holidays ahead, folks will start to think about the sparkling wines. In years gone by Champagnes has ruled at Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve celebrations, but this year consider bubbles from the other great wine regions. There are some excellent wines out there, and the money you save can be used to buy presents.

Since we are not going to make the European Wine Bloggers Conference, we have been trying Portuguese wine – not that it will make-up for the fun we will be missing, but we had to do something. This weekend we tried a couple of bottles of Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde is a light, semi-sparkling wine from the Minho region of Portugal. The name translates literally as “green wine” and these fruity low-alcohol wines (typically 9% to 11%) are to be drunk within a year of bottling.

The first wine we tasted was produced by Santola. Santola’s Vinho Verde ($7) is a very pleasant lemon/citrus “beach wine” – you can drink during the day, not get too bombed, and still pair it with shell fish that evening. Quite fitting as the label of this delightful light wine has a crab on the front, which just happens to be the name of the Vineyard – Santola: aka spider crab according to Google language tools.

Casal Garcia produced the other Vinho Verde($7) that we slurped this weekend. Again with lemon, citrus and refreshing bubbles, the Casal Garcia showed just a little more finesse and a slightly smother finish than the Santola. This was my favorite to the two, but whichever offering you can find, give it a try. They are easy on the wallet and good to drink.

With the economy continuing to struggle, interest in wines under $15 has exploded.

WineEnabler.com has tried to keep pace with this trend, so we were thrilled when I was asked to meet winemaker Adam Richardson, International wine director for Underdog Wine Merchants. Adam was in Austin to promote his latest venture with Underdog, Cupcake Vineyards. Launched in 2008, Cupcake Vineyards offered a Chardonnay, a Merlot, a Cabernet and a Petite Sirah.

I had the chance to taste the 2007 Chardonnay at the First Annual North American Wine Blogger’s Conference as part of the speed blogging round. The WineEnabler.com crew liked the wine. It was well packaged – sort of feminine with nice balance, and we thought it was an excellent buy for about ten bucks. Apparently we were not the only ones. Later that year, Wine Spectator awarded Cupcake’s ‘07 Chardonnay a score of 88. [click to continue…]

This is our new favorite house wine for just about any dish! You know, I always only thought of Beaujolais Nouveau, which is produced once a year in France around October or November and is generally associated with Thanksgiving here in the U.S. But low and behold, I was missing out. Beaujolais is a highly drinkable wine made from the Gamay grape and is most flexible for lending itself to any food that you may want to eat, like chicken, turkey, fish, veggies, etc.

In fact, when we were in California last year for the Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa, California (which I must admit was AWESOME) Alice Feiring ended her speech by saying “DRINK GAMAY.” I HAVE TO ADMIT, I AGREE WITH ALICE!!!

I don’t remember what I paid for this bottle, but I believe it is under the $15 mark, so I would say it is a helluva bargain. If you can find it, buy it.

SALUD Y BON APPETIT!
K