Recent Wine Reviews
Food and Wine Pairing: What Wine Goes With Pizza?
February 5, 2010No Comments
This one should be a no-brainer. I’m serious, if you’re reading this and you have never had a slice of pizza and glass of wine, you’re about to have your tongue rocked off (you should also be tarred and feathered for an incredible lack of experience). Pizza is one of the best foods to have with wine.
If ever a smell was evocative of school, it’s the scent of pencil wood. That earthy, dusty scent that lingers no matter what. That hand-cranked pencil sharpener with the adjustable wheel on the side. No one ever emptied that stupid thing, so eventually it would jam up, and you would be the lucky one to empty it and inhale a nice cloud of saw and lead dust.
Our Categories Page Is Finally Finished!
January 28, 2010No Comments
We finally have our “Categories” page up and running here on Wine Welfare! For months now the “Categories” page has only said, “working on it,” and so work on it we did. You can now browse through our entire list of categories. Simply click on the one you want and you will be taken to that category page.
Wolff Vineyards Riesling 2007
January 21, 2010No Comments
Every few weeks I start to get bored with the wines I’m tasting. It seems I keep coming back to the same descriptions of scents and tastes, finding nothing new to say and not much to proffer. This makes the wine reviews stagnant and lifeless. I don’t like that. Whether it is the fault of the wines (Under-$20 can be a tough category to find mind-blowing vino) or my own lack of creativity, tedium occasionally sets in. There is only so much you can say at times without trying to reinvent the wheel.
Food and Wine: What Wine Goes With Chili?
January 19, 20102 Comments
Yes, I realize it’s a Monday, and we were supposed to do this Friday, but we missed it. No big deal. Won’t happen again, hopefully. And if it does, well, it does. This isn’t the Wine Spectator.
Donate By Text to Help Haiti
January 14, 2010No Comments
Donate by text or clilck “Read More” to use the links to help disaster relief in Haiti
Wine Review: Peachy Canyon Petite Sirah 2005
January 13, 20102 Comments
The Peachy Canyon Petite Sirah is a beast. We’ve done our fair share of wine reviews here at Wine Welfare, but holy crap. This was like opening a can of blackberry jam. It’s not often that I need a sip of water between tastes, but my tongue felt like it had been lifting weights after this. There is so much fruit packed into this that it makes you never want to swallow. And at this price, you should not pass it up.
Basically, I’m saying it was good.
Wine Review: Montpellier Merlot 2006
January 11, 2010No Comments
The Montpellier Merlot was another find at Cost Plus World Market. We were trying to see if we could pick up three bottles for under $20, and we just about did it. The Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir was another of the three, and the third is still to come. The Montepellier Merlot is unlike any of the other red wines we’ve ever had for one reason: It gets worse with air.
That’s like saying raising a kid gets easier as they enter the teen years.
Wine Review: Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir 2006
January 5, 20103 Comments
Check out our review of Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir 2006, and find out why paying between $6 and $8 for a bottle of Pinot can still be a very satisfying experience.
Happy New Year 2010 from Wine Welfare!
January 1, 2010No Comments
Happy 2010 to everyone! Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has ever read a single word we have posted this past year. We may not always be 100% consistent, but we are 100% honest and we sincerely hope that we have enabled you to find some great deals on some great wines, thus making your 2009 a little better.
New Year’s 2010: Let’s Get Hammered
December 31, 2009No Comments
If you’re not still in that food coma thanks to that Christmas gut-busting, you might want to check out some good champagne and sparkling wines for your upcoming New Year’s celebration. We’ve got some great ones for you, too. These are guaranteed to not only please the palate, but keep you away from hangover territory (hopefully), unless of course you drink 5 bottles. Then you’re done for, and don’t come crying to us when you’re stumbling around for a bottle of water with your tongue feeling like a hot sock.
Merry Christmas from Wine Welfare!
December 25, 2009No Comments
We just wanted to take this time to thank you for reading, following and supporting WineWelfare.com throughout 2009. It was a great year for us as we launched back in March and have been working (and drinking) our butts off since. We’ve loved every minute of it. We look forward to giving you more of the best under-$20 wine reviews online in 2010. Hope you continue to come back and enjoy!
Christmas Wine and Post #100
December 24, 2009No Comments
Ahhh, Christmas time. When you’re a kid it’s all about presents. When you’re a teenager it’s all about presents and no school. When you’re an adult, it’s all about no work and food.
Which is where we come in.
That’s right, we’re reviewing some Christmas wines for you at Wine Welfare. These two reds and two whites are sure to pair perfectly with whatever fattening grub you’re throwing on that table this year. So light a nice warm fire, cozy up next to that Christmas tree, and enjoy your family becoming slightly blurry as you polish off a bottle of one of these wines with your favorite uncle.
Bizarre Japanese Remake of “Sideways”
December 22, 2009No Comments
We’re hard at work on our Holiday Wine posts, so we just wanted to share this video with you in the meantime. After all, haven’t we all wondered what “Sideways” would be like if the Japanese remade it?
(thanks to Jesse Porter of Young Winos for posting this on Twitter)
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Food and Wine: What Wine Goes With Cookies?
December 18, 20092 Comments
It’s the holidays. That time of year where we unconsciously say “Screw It” to all manner of diet and start washing down deliciously fattening foods with gallons of booze. What better time to learn about what wines go well with cookies? After all, cookies are enjoyed during the holidays more than any other time, as is vino. We’re going to give you 3 common cookies and suggest 3 wines that you can pair with them this holiday season. Oh, and if you aren’t having any of these types of cookies, it’s safe to say that our holiday will be better than yours.
Wine Review: Dancing Bull Chardonnay 2004 Review
December 16, 2009No Comments
We don’t normally give negative reviews here on WineWelfare.com, but in the case of the Dancing Bull Chardonnay we feel compelled to warn you. The label on this travesty said “Crisp green apple notes…”
“Notes”? This was pure apple cider, baby.
Wine Review: Charles Krug Chardonnay Carneros
December 14, 2009No Comments
Despite the name, there is nothing extraordinary or fancy about this Chardonnay. It’s your run-of-the-mill Napa Chardonnay sold at a pretty low price point. No odd flavors, no expressiveness, nothing to really excite the mouth or make you crave a particular food to match it with. Wines like this are entering our orbit more frequently these days, all of them inducing a mighty yawn from our little collective. Maybe it’s time to branch out and look for some more cheap Europeans again.
Gee, doesn’t that make you want to click the button below?
Food and Wine: What Wine Goes With Eggs?
December 11, 2009No Comments
That has to be what you’re thinking. Well, while wine and eggs don’t exactly mix, they do pair well together. Heck, egg whites have been used for decades to clarify red wines, so why shouldn’t the end product pair with its ingredients? In America, we generally eat our eggs for breakfast. To have them for lunch or dinner means that: A) you are either out of more traditional lunch and dinner foods or B) you need something that is fast and easy to prepare. However, in many other countries, particularly in Western Europe, “omelette” is a common lunch or dinner food, and it is usually enjoyed with wine. It’s high time we follow their lead. We’re going to give you a few wines that pair quite well with pretty much any type of egg dish.
We keep things simple here at Wine Welfare: