The summer heat has arrived early in Austin, making me think about the white wines of summer. This past Friday, the WineEnabler crew got together and put several white wines to the test.

The six wines we tasted were Michel Redde La Moynerie Pouilly-Fumé 2005 ($11.25!), Oro de Castilla Verdejo 2007 ($13.99), Pieropan Soave Classico 2007 ($18.99), Tasca d’Almerita Regaleali 2007 ($11.99) and Anselmi Capitel Foscarino 2004 ($8.75!).

Redde’s Pouilly Fumé and Anselmi’s Capitel Foscarino were purchased for half price on close-out. In fact, recently we have come across lots of French imports on sale considerably below their initial release price. It appears that some importers were speculating on the ’05 vintage and are now dumping the last of their ’05 stash for cash. [click to continue…]

Ridge wines are special to me. When I was first learning to taste wine about a year-and-a-half ago, I had my first a-ha moment with wine while drinking a wine from Ridge. Neil and Kathy had invited Rachael and I over to their house for a wine tasting party. To help us get a handle of the different styles of wine, we tried three white wines and three red wines that ran the wine style gamut.

Once we were finished tasting those, I remember them opening a bottle of Ridge 2005 Geyserville so (at least in my mind) we could see what a “real wine” tasted like. The 2005 Geyserville helped me understand why people get into wine. It was complex and layered, with aromas of berries and mild sweet oak, with what I now know to be typical Zinfandel spice. It was a rich wine, with an earthy feel and silky tannins. [click to continue…]

If you look around you can find a small group of American wineries that are not following the crowd or the critics. Instead, these wineries are following the grapes to produce individual, authentic wines. I really enjoy finding these wines and sharing them with friends. Recently, we received a sample of wines from Avanguardia winery, and I have to tell you about them.

Rob Chrisman, the owner, viticulturist, and winemaker at Avanguardia, seems to be driven to blend wines in an Old World kind of way. Starting with more than 20 varietals selected from Russia, Italy, France, and the hybrid gardens of the viticulture laboratories at UC Davis, Rob produces both red and white wines of very distinctive character and charm. [click to continue…]

It’s hotter than a “modie-fo” here in Austin, Texas, and it isn’t even EASTER for crying out loud. You may ask yourself what is a “modie-fo?” Well, it’s just a made up word of mine that I bet you can figure out all on your own. Anyhow, the point is that we have found a delightful pink (or if you want to be picky, Rose) wine to go with your Easter or Passover dinner, no matter what part of the globe you live in. We indulged in it several times last year, so the name may sound familiar — Bieler Pere et Fils, Coteaux D’Aix-en-Provence 2008. However, I like this vintage mo’ better and it is a hell of a deal, if you can find it. [click to continue…]

On Wednesday, Rachael and I visited Parkside, which is located on 301 E 6th St in Austin, right smack in the heart of the 6th Street district. Presumably, we were meeting Justin of ModernWino.com there to talk shop about wine blogging. But in actuality, I think we were all the most excited about the great deal that Parkside offers all day on Wednesday: half-price oysters and sparkling wines by the glass or bottle. Justin told us about this great deal, and I’m forever grateful to him for that. I love oysters, and we’ve shucked Gulf oysters and written about oyster and wine pairings in the past. [click to continue…]

As part of the continuing quest to find good wines at around the $10 mark, we’ve got a few to report back on. If you’re an Austinite, both of these wines are from the HEB at Red River and 41st, and both cost $10.

2007 Fog Head Pinot Noir

On recommendation from Steve, the HEB wine guy, I picked up the 2006 Fog Head Pinot Noir from Monterey, California last Tuesday. And I headed back for another bottle before the week was out. This is your characteristic California Pinot Noir, a very solid no-frills wine without distractions and a bargain for the price. Fog Head is on the mild side of medium bodied and not overly fruity, although the currant taste was a bit too strong for my liking. In the Fog Head, there was a hint of the cherry cough syrup flavor that can accompany the currant in Pinots. In our opinion, its acidity is this wine’s best asset, contributing to a nice mouthfeel for the pricetag. Overall, a versatile, unassuming bottle that isn’t filling, pairs somewhat easily, and is handy to keep around the house.

2007 Hess Chardonnay

We love a California Chardonnay that’s not overly oaked. Michael praised it as tasting “between a French and California Chardonnay.” Its blend of citrus and oak is well balanced. This is a good summertime bargain, with a beachy, sun-kissed California scent with pleasant hints of lettuce, butter, and petrol to add interest. We just may have found a fabulous picnic wine for those Austin afternoons in the park.

I moved to Silicon Valley in 1984 to work for Data General. It was an amazing time – the birth of both the technology age and the modern era of Californian wine. I spent my days making semiconductors and weekends visiting wineries and tasting wine with friends. The various wine producing areas of California were less well defined then. Appellations were a European thing. But certain areas were all ready recognized for their ability to produce grapes and wines of distinctive quality and character.

Howell Mountain was one of my favorite areas, and the fine wines produced by Ridge and Dunn from that region were among my favorite wines. So when Craig Camp of the The Wine Camp Blog asked if WineEnabler.com wanted to try Cornerstone’s 2004 Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, I was thrilled. [click to continue…]

St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow, and I normally think of this as a beer, not a wine, holiday. Though I don’t get giddy over the idea of drinking green beer like some people do, I still like to throw back a few Irish brews on this debacherous day.

However, as I read in the LA Times today, a small town called Murphys in Calaveras County in California thinks a little differently. This town that has 18 wine-tasting rooms within a few blocks of one another is making the ultimate for a wine lover’s St. Paddy’s celebration: green wine.  (And not necessarily the Earth-friendly type!)

With no end yet in sight for the falling economy, we’re always looking for more good wine values to help us through the hard times. Neil recently put up a great post on his favorite white and red house wines, which by his definition must cost less than $15 and preferably less than $10. Continuing this tradition, I want to tell you about a nice white and red I bought the other night that both cost under $15.

2007 Loredona Monterey Riesling ($10)

This nice buy was a California Riesling that had 13% alcohol, a semi-dry personality, and a nice touch of acid. This wine wore a complex tropical perfume, but in a nicely subtle way. Hints of lemon meringue, white peach, winter melon, and green apple were on the nose. In the mouth, there was a medium body, and the acid allowed this wine to be a nice aperitif or a dinner companion. I don’t drink many California Rieslings, but the higher alcohol present in this semi-dry wine was a nice change. For the price, I will definitely go to this wine again.

2004 Sella and Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva ($13)

When dinner was winding down, I switched to this very nice DOC red from Italy. On the nose, this wine had a typical Italian character of dusty earth, red fruit, and slight oak, but it also had a very distinct petroleum character which I adored. In the mouth, there is a fantastic amount of acid and nice fine tannins that perfectly balances the 13.5% alcohol. I find myself craving this wine on a regular basis now, and I have since reveled in its perfect match with a thin-crust sausage and peppers pizza from a favorite local pizza joint, Salvation Pizza. Though it costs a little more than the Riesling, I can’t help but drink this wine all the time as my favorite lower cost Italian red.

2007 Clean Slate Riesling Mosel

10% alcohol, Imported by Click Wine Group
Tastes: honey, peaches, a little tart, but good acid, semi-dry with residual sugar
Thoughts: Just as the name describes it – BOLD YET CLEAN SLATE

Clean Slate was an excellent accompaniment to the fantastic salad that Chef Manuel Labor whooped up in his spare time today. I refer to him as Manuel Labor because he was busy planting new transplants in the garden since we hit a record high of 91 degrees here in Austin, Texas, last week. Needless to say, our lettuce bolted and we had to plant some new plants. That being said – this is what I am leading up to — the salad is just about everyone’s favorite dish at our house because we grow our own lettuce. Today, Manuel (aka “Neil” aka “Bob” – a whole other story in itself) decided to carefully pick the different types of lettuce that we have, e.g. red oak leaf lettuce, red sail lettuce, salad bowl, arugula, and butter type lettuce, and placed them side by side along with a homemade large crouton topped with finely chopped sundried tomatoes, dried apricots, and currants all aligned in a row. Wow – what an incredible presentation and wasted on just two people – oh silly me – it’s never wasted – what am I saying? Shame, shame! How, I am looking forward to the next course, Bob, or is it, Manuel?

Once again, absolutely stunning! My Chef uses only the freshest ingredients this evening for our special dinner. I say special because he has been working on it off and on since this a.m. and it was evident from the outstanding white bean goulash which consisted of cannelli beans cooked in chicken stock, chopped, peeled and seeded roma tomatoes, finely chopped red onion, chard from your garden (of course), shrooms from your farmers’ market and a little bit of bacon (if you are vegetarian, skip the chicken stock with the beans and cook onion in the oil not bacon renderings and then add the already steamed chard to the onion.) This dish is a winner with Clean Slate, whether you make it clean (without the bacon) or not. To top this meal off, we had a side of proscuitto bundled steamed asparagus which was a delicious dish with the white wine all in itself.

2005 Les Bois Menestrel Vacqueyras

70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre

Don’t worry Meateaters, we have a plan to appease your appetite. We do, after all, live in Texas. We have a super Frenchman at our farmers’ market that sells meat which is all natural and delicious. Tonight, we splurged, and had the rack of veal along with mushrooms from our favorite vendor at our local farmers’ market in downtown Austin, Texas. Chef Neil/Bob/Manuel outdid himself sautéing the veal in little olive oil, prior to roasting the meat to perfection – crisp on the outside, yet pink on the inside. Of course, he made an outstanding sauce to accompany the perfectly cooked veal chops using pan juices and sautéed mushrooms. Perched on the side of the plate was pureed baked sweet potatoes flavored with roasted garlic. I know, at this point, you are thinking I am an incredibly spoiled BI…….., but I’m not. Anyway, that is what I profess, because I do cook around here too, just not to the extent of Chef N/B/M.

Oh, I almost forgot – the wine!!! Of course, this savory dish would have paired very nicely with a 2004 Chambertin, but we haven’t received our stimulus package yet, so we opted for a delightful bottle of Les Bois Menestrel Vacqueyeras 2005 Vin Emotion Product of France 14% alcohol (approx. $12 American Dollars these days - 3-01-2009) for Maestro’s Special Dinner. I would say that it was a helluva deal, and it went extremely well with the veal and shrooms - plenty of leather, cigar box, and dusty tannin. I do not want to go on to much about it because I don’t want you running out and getting it all – that’s what I think about it.