This wine is a definite Best of 2010 contender, not just for the taste but for the ridiculous price they’re selling it at.

Okay, we’ve done the Liberty School Cabernet, the Liberty School Chardonnay and told you all about the Hope Family Wines story. These awesome people found the Cabernet review I did a couple of months ago and decided that in order to be revered as one of the most awesome wineries to ever exist, they had to get on WineWelfare.com. Rightly so. I even have a page for applicants!

That said, you all know the story, so I’m not going to go into it anymore. I just can’t keep explaining every little thing to you people. My time is far too valuable and there is just too much vino to drink out there.

The Liberty School Cuvee is a rock star blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenach, Mourvedre and Viognier. Just think about all of the possible combinations you can get out of those, then think about the resulting wine being under $15, and you can see what we’re dealing with here.

Color

Bright and not heavy. The nose and taste were rich but the color was not, despite the blend.

Nose

Very floral and bright. Every bright red fruit pops up here. Currants, cherries, raspberry, strawberry and smoke.

Taste

Far and away one of the best wines I’ve had in my life. I shared it out at dinner with my wife, step-dad and his wife, and let me tell you that I’m glad I did. For some reason, good wine just kicks more ass when you’re sharing it with people you care about. Bright red fruits and a real back-of-the-throat smoke come through, followed up by a stiff, velvety mid-palate with a shot of vanilla, finished off with firm but benevolent tannins, a little little leather, and a stewed prune notes. Out of this world structure, complexity and class. I still can’t believe the price.

With Food

As usual when I share wine with my family, we ate it with kabobs, gyros, hummus and the like. I’d recommend it with either nothing or a roast meat and game. Nothing else.

Where to Buy

$10.83 at GrapeDiscounts.com!

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Color

Not as dark as it should be. Petite Sirahs are known for their inky depths but I could see my fingers through this one.

Nose

Very floral with bubblegum. Some good dark blackberry and cassis.

Taste

Grape candy flavors and more bubblegum. It tastes a bit fake, as though it were dressed up. I get the sense that something is being masked. Some nice dark plum and blackberry again, but I can taste a bit too much oak, which I guess is what’s giving it the fake aspects. Weak tannins don’t help much either. The finish is pretty much non-existent. The wine just disappears.

With Food

While the dark fruit and candy flavors stand up at the beginning, the wine loses it pretty quickly, making it difficult to pair, so I would say stick with simple barbecued chicken. No red meat or red sauce. If anything, save this for the end of the evening when you’ve finished eating.

Where to Buy

$15.99 at TheWineCountry.com!

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$14.99 at Cork & Bottle Fine Wines!

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$14.95 from SFWTC.com!

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You can thank some God-forsaken summer bug for the delay in posts the past week or so. I was too busy hacking my lungs out and not keeping meals down to write any new gems of wine wisdom here at the old WW. But now I’m back and ready to dig into some bottles.

I should warn you though, the posts may come fast and furious at first. Eight days without wine for a guy who really LOVES wine is painful. Not heroin-withdrawal painful, but I still ended up yelling at everyone who offered me water or juice. Anyway, you don’t want to hear about my EPIC BATTLE AGAINST THE COMMON COLD so I’ll just move onto some wine:

P.S. The reviews are going to be pretty condensed since I want to plow through a lot in the next week or so. Don’t like it? Send me an email so I can curse at you directly.

Trinity Oaks Pinot Grigio 2008

Good sweating wine. Put this on ice, wait until you’re blazing hot after floating in the pool for too long, then pour yourself a glass of this instead of a margarita. The flavors are concentrated and well-wrought. Nothing goes by unnoticed in this Pinot Grigio.  Lime cream with good acid and some caramel. It’s still good even if it warms up a bit once you pass out on your raft.

$5.99 at MadWine.com!

Query Riesling 2009

White fruits, including some honeydew, with an explosive flavor. Solid sweetness that can push it a bit, but still very very good. Apple acidity and some great sort of almond aftertaste. I can’t wait to get sunburned pounding a bottle of this juice.

$14.99 for 2 at the BevMo 5 Cent Wine Sale!

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Elena Walch achieved my dream of marrying into a wine family early on before the Alto Adige region had really taken off. She took over this family’s two wineries in the region: Castel Ringberg and Kastelaz, and has been making delicious, world-class wines from the South Tyrol ever since. It’s a region not many people know about, much less drink wine from. I guess what I’m saying is, read this review and then buy the damn wine.

COLOR: Pleasing to the eye is what comes to mind. Great brightness and yet it’s dark. It’s strange. The stuff looks simultaneously tasty and teeth-staining-thick. It’s the T-1000 of wines.

NOSE: Brilliant dark plum and tobacco with that delicious basement must scent that is a prerequisite among the Italian wines.

TASTE: Not as thick or powerful as you would expect based on the clobbering your shnozz just took or the way it rolls around the glass like liquid metal. I was expecting a severe and delicious beatdown, but instead the wine was simply tasty. Great structure that doesn’t go overboard on the fruit (as expected) but also does not descend into the depths of fire-breathing heat. Chocolate covered cherries and plums, some hard candy, a bit of caramel. For some reason I’m reminded of when you mow a lawn and leave the clippings in a pile for a day or two. Great tannins, but not buff. Think tri-athelete, not bodybuilder. It’s a wine that makes you want to swish it around for a a few extra seconds just to taste the complexity.

WITH FOOD: This wine is made to be enjoyed with a meal, so don’t wuss out. It should definitely be paired with some sort of dead animal, or at least some sort of ancient cheese. Goat or lamb would be good, but I’m not sure how many Americans are firing up a Sunday afternoon goat. Steak would work, but it almost seems anti-climactic.

WHERE TO BUY: $16.99 MissionLiquor.com!

WINEMAKER WEBSITE: www.elenawalch.com

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While there is still a large section of the winemaking industry that produces wines minus organic or sustainable practices (mostly the larger, corporate wineries), the majority of boutique and smaller wineries have all adopted sound environmental practices.

What’s ironic (and great) is that many of the wines we have reviewed in the past year have actually been wines produced organically and sustainably. We’ve even tasted a wine whose winemaker used sheep to weed his vineyards (it was over $20 so we couldn’t review it, but it’s called Osso Libre).

But enough of that for now, on to the Barra Organic Pinot Grigio:

COLOR: A nice, off-clear white. Don’t know how else to describe it besides my favorite description: lemon water.

NOSE: Tight, a little lacking. Some sour green apple and, if you can believe this, green Sour Patch Kids. That’s what popped into my head. And I don’t even like Sour Patch Kids.

TASTE: Very crisp with a strong pear element. Good flowers breeze up to your nose through the mouth. The balance is there, but that’s about it. The wine is a big fat yawn for the most part. It’s attractive because it touts “Organic” on the label (something few wineries do, even if they are organic), but beyond eliminating the guilt you might have felt destroying the environment with every sip, the wine is pretty basic.

WITH FOOD: As Pinot Grigios go, it’s a great appetizer wine with some thick cheese or a shellfish starter. Not really a solid dinner wine.

WHERE TO BUY: $16.99 at WineMerchantCincinnatti.com!

WINERY WEBSITE: http://www.barraofmendocino.com/barra/index.jsp

I’m thinking about promoting a specific section on Wine Welfare for organic or sustainably produced wines. Let me know what you think in the comments section!

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The only problem was, Denner is not home to many cheap wines. Couldn’t find a single bottle under $20. Oh well. After eating a perfect homemade lunch (prepared by my sister-in-law), we went in to taste. Since the focus here is cheap wine, I’ll just briefly recommend two Denner wines that you should absolutely splurge on:

Denner Vineyards 2008 Theresa (Roussanne and Viognier)

Holy crap, it’s like a pina colada mixed with french toast. $27.35 at WebWine.com!

Denner The Ditchdigger 2006 (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault)

This wine will destroy your face. That is all that needs to be said. $39.90 at WebWine.com!

I cannot describe this country to you due to the overwhelming chances of my failure in doing so. My wife and I have now explored a great deal of California’s central region, and its landscape is always beyond jaw-dropping. Endless rolling hills, some clotted with gnarled trees while others are vast, brushed with wildflowers of orange, yellow, purple and support only one stoic, paint-worthy tree per hill every mile or so.

The landscape is so stunning that the one thing that keeps recurring in my mind whenever I see it is, “Is this really in the same state as Los Angeles?” The contrast is planetary in scale.

Then it was off to downtown and Ortman Family Vineyards, home of one of the best Pinots I have ever had: Ortman Santa Rita Hills 2006 Pinot Noir. My brother and his wife had given it to us for Christmas.

I will be blunt: At this point I could not taste anything. I was smashed. I remember tasting the wines, I remember them tasting like something, I remember asking/slurring a request for the 06 Pinot Noir I’d had a month earlier, but I failed to remember the name. The pouring dude took pity on me and poured me a reserve Pinot of theirs, which was almost as good despite being more expensive. I even remember buying a bottle of the Syrah after my wife’s emphatic endorsement: “And it’s only $22!”

Still, $22 is too high to do a somewhat more intimate review of a wine here on Wine Welfare, so I’m going to go with another wine I tried at Ortman:

Ortman Cuvee Eddy 2007 Rhone Blend

COLOR: Nice purple but with some clarity.

NOSE: This was what I remember most about this wine. Nice big blackberry and plum smells with a little bit of licorice. After a minute or so it started to give off some of that gold ‘ole grandma’s basement scent.

TASTE: Not the most balanced wine in the Ortman portfolio, but at less than $20, you could really enjoy this anytime. Good black fruit again and even more licorice, but it kind of lags towards the end, leaving you with only the heat. Just a good, solid Rhone blend. Nothing leaning too far one way or the other.

WITH FOOD: You could enjoy this on it’s own or with pizza, red sauce or even a steak. It should hold up fine. Don’t get to crazy with the fancy foods and multiple ingredients. This thing asks for you to keep it simple.

WHERE TO BUY: $15.99 at KLWines.com!

Denner Vineyards

Ortman Family Vineyards

Paso Robles Wine Country Information

Stay tuned for more wines from Paso Robles wineries!

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That’s right, it’s Valentine’s Day, folks. The reasoning behind this week’s wine and food pairing suggestion should be obvious to everyone out there. If it’s not, well, just buy a box of chocolates and whatever wine we tell you to because it seems like you will need all the help you can get. We’re asking you to step it up this year when it comes to choosing your gifts for Valentine’s Day. Leave the cards on the shelf and flowers in the…ground? Stick with wine and chocolate and possibly a reservation at Denny’s someplace fancy. Try a decent  bottle this year. Lift your gaze to that second or third shelf and pull out an extra five bucks. Strange advice for a site that looks for the best wine deals under $20, but we don’t want to see you sleeping on the couch come Sunday night. Do you hear me you schlubs (i’m including women in that insult, btw)?

Here are some cheap suggestions (Note: You may want to prevent your significant other from reading this, because then they will know just how much of a cheap b****** you really are, despite all three of these being delicious and under $20):

Fonseca 2003 Late Bottled Vintage Port (Dark Chocolate)

Whether Tawny or Ruby, Port might have been made for chocolate and cigars. This one will be a sure winner because of it’s rich fig, dark cocoa and leathery flavors. The sweetness and high alcohol content don’t hurt either. We’ve done a couple of other Port reviews in the past, and the Fonseca is another good one for under twenty bones.

Found in most stores

or

$16.89 at LowestWinePrices.com

$17.98 at WineLibrary.com (they can get it to you with 1-day shipping)

Altosur 2008 Merlot (Milk Chocolate)

Merlot is a great match with chocolate and fruit. The well-made Merlots (not Bordeauxs, we’re trying to stick under $20 here) tend to have a great shot of chocolate in the mid-palate. Unfortunately, a lot of the under-$20 California Merlots are lacking in the chocolate and cocoa aspects. You would want to hit up some smaller California wineries instead. No, we’re looking abroad for the chocolate flavors in Merlot. Specifically the Mendoza region of Argentina. The Altosur has awesome fruit (blackberry and cherry) with a nice punch of cocoa that should beat your tongue into submission. Great long finish and good tannin structure. A very focused wine that will easily impress even the snootiest woman.

Found in most stores

or

$9.99 at SaluteWineMarket.com

Sebastiani Zinfandel

A popular producer, the Sebastiani is a dark beast in looks but very smooth in taste. Great chocolate-covered cherries, some vanilla and very silky overall. It’s rare to have something this elegant from a producer this large. Also, though popular, odds are your partner has never seen the label and so might think you splurged on a pricier vino. Fools!

Found in most stores

or

$10.99 at WineLibrary.com (they can get it to you with 1-day shipping)

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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.

Sorry to jog down the memory lane of banality there for a moment, but the point is, that’s what this wine smells and tastes like. Read on, Brave Soul.

COLOR: A nice dusky red with flecks of amber. Great rich purple hues.

NOSE: And the pencil shavings have arrived in full force. Great musty basement, dark raspberries and a bit of the barnyard.

TASTE: Too young. This will improve after a couple of years, but it is drinkable now if you really want to have it. Not the best value at this price point. Complex except for one simple aspect: That handful of pencil shavings that were just shoved down your throat. Great fruit and a solid mid-palate. Syrah is always a winner, and this one brings those raspberries again and a delicious hit of vanilla-coated cherries. Enough tannins to balance the fruit with a real grip.

WITH FOOD: Quality red meats, but there are better wines we can think of around this price point to serve with a good filet or ostrich steak. Like the Peachy Canyon Petite Sirah.

SCORE: 6/10

WHERE TO BUY: $14.99 at WineLibrary.com!

Check out our other Rhone wine reviews!

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One of the fondest memories I have is of watching my grandfather eat chili. He loved a good chili the way most men love a good steak. It was one of his two favorite foods, the other being peanut butter. Needless to say, he never could find a way to combine his two favorites, but he certainly was able to ingest ridiculous quantities of each, separately. Many times when he would watch me during summer days or whenever my parents went out for a Saturday night dinner and a movie I would go to the pantry in his house (which was really a makeshift closet) and stare and shelf upon shelf of canned Hormel chili. There would literally be thirty to fifty cans at a time in there, next to which would most likely be a jar of Jiff Peanut Butter. Point is, whether it was a can of Hormel at home, or a homemade pot of bubbling goodness, when you have a favorite food, it should be indulged whenever—and however—you damn well please.

So it’s still winter time for much of the world (despite the 80-degree weather here in Los Angeles), and that means it’s one of the best times for that most American of dishes: Chili. There’s nothing like a hot bowl of tomato sauce, beef, pork, beans and spices all mixed together to warm you up on a freezing 60-degree night. There are three wine reviews today, and all of these go great with with this after-dinner-room-clearing classic. Sorry, but that had to be said.

Cardinal Zin Zinfandel – $11.69 at LowestWinePrices.com

Besides the kick-ass label created by the immortal Ralph Steadman (just think of Hunter S. Thompson), this wine brings serious fruit and kick with it. Chili, depending on who’s involved in the cooking, can be either wild or mild. This wine is equipped to handle both with big fat plums, fig, and syrupy black pepper, if that makes any sense.

San Simeon Syrah 2006 – $14.98 at FineWineHouse.com

With a sissy-ass label denoting the former regional home of overweight publishing maniac William Randolph Hearst the San Simeon Syrah packs enough of fruit punch to handle the spicier, Texas-style, four-alarm, melt your teeth, pants-dropping, blah blah blah my jaw is falling off-type of chilis with ease. Good acid that is surprisingly enjoyable after a mouthful of kidney beans and ground pork. Also, I have to point out how good this wine tastes with the flavor of onions.

Orfila Malbec 2006 – $4.99 at Hell If I Know

I’ve had this wine on multiple occasions at one of my favorite restaurants in Southern California, Inka Trails: a Peruvian restaurant located in the extremely dull town of La Verne. Just go eat there and leave quickly. Anyway, they always have this Malbec that I eat with my “Bisteak a la Pobre”, but I’ve never been able to find it anywhere else. I’ve seen other Orfila varietals, and I know that it is an extremely cheap wine (we’re talking like $4.99 here), but when I asked the owner of the restaurant about his distributor and how I could get my hands on some, he shrugged me off like I had just complemented the glass of water he handed me. Basically, the wine tastes like the perfect mixture of olives, spice, raisin, green pepper and gorgeous blackberry. This is a wine that was born for chili (insert lame “Chile the country” quip here). So we know it’s unorthodox to not give a link to where to find the wine, but it works so well with chili that we figured we’d mention it anyway. If you do find it, please let me know ASAP, as my life is not complete without it.

Check out our other Zinfandel wine reviews.

Check out our other Syrah wine reviews.

Check out our other Malbec wine reviews.

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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.

COLOR: Thick. Do things get darker than black ink? Oil? The ocean at night? Tiger’s marriage?

NOSE: Ok, this is where the real ridiculous aspects of this wine begin. At first it has absolutely no scent. Nothing. Then, after a few minutes, it’s like a hand holding a wad of blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, black preserved cherries and mushy figs comes rocketing out of the glass and smashes into your face.

Subtle.

TASTE: The hand with all that fruit is now punching you in the face repeatedly, particularly in the mouth region, thanks to all of this fruit. To top it off, it’s also on fire because there is a smoke quality to this that makes it even more enjoyable. You’re basically being destroyed. It is out of this world good. Despite your mouth being a WWI battlefield after drinking this, you should find a way to gum the following: “More, please.”

WITH FOOD: Uhhh, in case you didn’t read the above parts, drink this on its own. This stuff could overpower a raw buffalo. There’s no point in pairing food with a wine that is the equivalent of a baseball bat made of fruit bashing your face.

SCORE: 8/10

WHERE TO BUY:$16.98 at WineLibrary.com!

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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.

Neyers 2006 Zinfandel Pato Ranch – $17.98 at WineLibrary.com or available at most wine stores or BevMo!

The Holidays are not complete without a delicious California Zinfandel. Sure, you could go with a Primitivo (basically Zinfandel in Italy), but American Thanksgivings and Christmases tend to call for the big, juicy California fruit bomb that is Zinfandel.

Neyers is one of California’s best wineries, working out of Sage Canyon in the Napa Valley. They are consistently earning 90-point scores and astounding wine-lovers everywhere. Their Pato Ranch Zinfandel is no exception, with delicious tobacco and cherry flavors swirling around a foundation of moist, stinky soil. Sounds good, right? Trust us, this should be on your table with that turkey or prime rib, especially at this price.

Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend – $11.99 at WineAnthology.com or at BevMo!

Never even heard of this one before we tasted it, but the Marquis Philips Sarah’s Blend is both delicious and available in most wine stores. Deep, dark opaque color, like ink-infused Welch’s grape juice. The grapes keep coming as well, in the form of Nerds candy flavors. This is an Australian Bordeaux blend: Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Chocolate and plum jam come through like gangbusters, but the acid fights back to balance it all, leading to a cakey, long finish. Delicious with duck.

Big House White – $6.99 at WineLibrary.com or available pretty much everywhere!

Shockingly good for less than seven bucks. The Big House White is a rather odd blend of Malvasia Bianca, Muscat Canelli, Viognier and Rousanne. We’d never had any blend like it before, but this didn’t mess around. The funny thing is, you can taste elements of all of those varietals, but you taste more flavors of varietals that are not in the wine. Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay (big time, buttery and creamy) and the like. Big pina colada flavors and spiced apples. Serve this one only slightly chilled before the meal or with appetizers. Might not hold up to the likes of turkey, gravy and stuffing.

Fleur Des Pins Graves Sauternes – $12.98 at WineLibrary.com!

If you’ve never had a Sauternes, now is the time to try one. Holiday sweets go magnificently well with Sauternes, no matter if they’re cookies, cakes or candy. Sauternes makes everything better. We’ll go into more detail about Sauternes later on, but for right now, if you can’t find the Fleur Des Pins Graves, just pick up any one you can find. You may find it difficult to locate one under $20 (we did), but rest assured, even a $30 375ml bottle of this stuff will put a smile on your face. This is solid 50/50 Bar, with delicious lemon picking up as well. Very sweet, but with that smokey characteristic often found in botrytis wines (moldy grapes; again, more on this later). The result is you enjoying a magnificent flavor explosion and then passing out on the couch watching A Christmas Story. ‘Tis the season.

One last thing and, we didn’t really want to mention anything because we’re so embarrassed, but…well, this is post number 100 for us here at Wine Welfare. That’s all we’re going to say. Feel free to maybe, we don’t know, leave a comment, compliment or congratulate us. Whatever you like. Really. We don’t need validation or anything. But one last time, just to clarify:

100 POSTS!!! WOO HOOOO!!!!

So that’s it. We sincerely hope you check out at least one of these four bad boys, and slap some serious enjoyment onto that Christmas of yours.

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Happy Holidays and Cheers!

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Time to Let That Belt Out One More Notch

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.

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Port

The grand poo-bah of cookies works well with pretty much any dessert wine as well as some less-sweet wines. However this year we are going to suggest pairing your chocolate chip beauty with a vintage character port. Vintage character port is a style of port that is more sweet, fruity and ready to drink immediately than more traditional ruby or tawny ports. To learn more about what the hell port is, read this.

The Graham’s Six Grapes port is an amazing wine for the price. Deep, rich red fruit mixes with chocolate fudge, raspberry reduction and cream. Matches especially well with homemade chocolate chip cookies because most are made with semi-sweet chocolate chips and retain a bit of their saltiness, unlike their storebought counterparts.

Graham’s Six Grapes Port – $15.99 at WineLibrary.com!

Gingerbread Cookies and Gewurtztraminer

Nothing says “Holidays” more than making a beautiful, hand-crafted gingerbread house, and then tearing it to shreds, putting on five pounds in the process. We’re pairing a brilliant Gewurtztraminer with gingerbread cookies, thanks to the spicy, caramel-like nature of this varietal.

The Malivoire Gewurtztraminer explodes with ginger and citrus. The finish leaves a pleasing mineral taste on your tongue and the sugar stays with you long after you’ve mixed it with the gingerbread. Nearly impossible to find this wine anywhere, so take advantage at this price!

Malivoire Gewurtztraminer 2006 – $15.96 at WineLibrary.com!

Peanut Butter Blossoms and Tawny Port

This cookie is quickly growing in popularity and threatens to soon dethrone our beloved chocolate chip cookie as the go-to holiday cookie of choice. While we prefer a warm homemade chocolate chip cookie, we can’t fly in the face of the popular vote, so the peanut butter blossom must be recognized. We’re pairing this usurper with a delicious Tawny Port that is the stuff of legends.

The Warre’s 10 year Tawny Port Otima is a mind-blowing wine experience. This is toffee in a snifter (glass you’re SUPPOSED to drink port out of; requires a pinkie to be raised like a snob). Tawny port pairs surprisingly well with peanut flavors and chocolate. This wine is traditionally served with fruit, nuts, and a cheese called Stilton (more popular in the UK, kind of like a STRONG bleu cheese, delicious, smells like John Madden’s feet after calling a Thanksgiving Day NFL game), but it works well with the blossom. Delicious caramel and a slight spice.

Warre’s 10 Year Tawny Port Otima – $16.99 at WineLibrary

We hope some of these wines (and cookies, of course) find their way to your table this holiday season because you will not be disappointed. If you do try some of the pairings, or any pairing for that matter, let us know how it went in the comments section below.

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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.

Color

Golden. Go figure. Bit pale.

Nose

Apple, bit of vanilla oak hints, but mostly apple.

Taste

More apple, bit of green Jolly Rancher and some toastiness. The oak isn’t overpowering, which is nice, but the wine lacks chutzpah. The BevMo review says “alluring on the finish,” whatever that means. It kind of ended abruptly for us and left us more interested in the crab we were eating with it. ZZZZZZ

With Food

The usual chicken or white sauce. Be warned though, that this is not going to add much to it. Maybe keep this in the rack for that special moment when everyone at the party is wondering what happened to all the wine? Then present this as some big woopty-doo.

$5.99 at GetWine.com, but they really gouge you on the shipping.

$15.99 at your local BevMo store if you are willing to pick it up in person. Surprisingly, this is still cheaper than ordering online.

Check out our other Chardonnay reviews.

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Rioja is one of, if not the, principal wine making region in Spain. They make a huge variety of wines, from reds to whites to roses. Their flagship “Spanish Galleon” grape is the deliciously lively Tempranillo, which is growing in popularity in California these days. Rioja wines are always worth checking out, not only for their amazing range of flavors, but for their quality and always-low prices.

Color

Ruby red, with a nice velvety look to it. It actually looks like it tastes delicious.

Nose

Full and stiff. This smells like the tobacco I buy for my father every year. Dark, moist, sweet, with bits of vanilla and gummy colas. Very, very appetizing.

Taste

The nose came through here, with everything and more being matched on the palate. The wine is chewy and delicious, leaving your mouth watering. Being 8 years old also helps. The flavors mingle very well, with the cola-soaked wood and tobacco coming through, and the vanilla wiping out the obvious heat from the alcohol, leaving you to smack your lips. The tannins are balanced with the fruit and elements so they never turn your tongue into a saddle. The last thing that must be noted is the finish, which goes on and on and on. This should definitely be savored.

With Food

Thanks to the spicy yet jumpy flavors, this would work well with gamey meats cooked any way you like. Not really a cheese and fruit wine, but do what you like. A perfect dish might be buffalo steaks with some sort of peppercorn sauce.

Only $14.98 at Wine Library, so jump on it while you can!

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It’s Not On The Bottom Shelf For a Reason

This is a brand and winery that has been in the public view for quite awhile, though it is often seen as the “Oooooh, that’s a tad too much for tonight. Where’s an $8 bottle?” – type of wine. In other words, whenever you are at the store (most regular grocery stores carry this) or a restaurant, odds are you will see a bottle of La Crema Chardonnay, but the price point is always a bit too much for most pocketbooks.

This is the unfortunate downfall of many wines like La Crema.They have crested that $10.99 and left it behind by a few dollars, turning a lot of potential buyers off. But we’re here to tell you that even if you are picking up a ready-to-eat rotissiere chicken, some salad, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, the La Crema Chardonnay is well worth the extra few bucks.

So be brave, pull out a couple of singles, and try something new.

Color

Beautiful pale gold. Not too oily or apple-juicey. Looks light, crisp and refreshing.

Nose

Sliced green apple, lemon and orange zest, some butterscotch (we thought Werther’s Originals).

Taste

More of those apples, only this time they are in a pie with nice hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. Crisp and refreshing with little oak, if any. The butter is there, but it floats in and out pretty quickly, which means that if this was oaked, it probably wasn’t in there for too long. Good finish with the crunchy, tart fruits hanging on for a good while.

With Food

This might be the best seafood Chardonnay we’ve seen yet. Since the butter is barely there, but the acidity is in full force and tongue-tingling, this will cut through rich shellfish dipped in butter, lobster bisques, and even heavy cream sauces with pasta, mussels, shrimp, scallops, squid, etc.

$15.99 at WineLibrary.com!

La Crema Winery

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Our First Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is a noble grape variety used mostly in the creation of “The King of Wines,” Barolo. Barolos are required to be made of 100% Nebbiolo, which means that any wine, even if it is made up of 99% Nebbiolo and 1% Cabernet, cannot be a Barolo.

More often than not, these are simply called “Nebbiolo,” as is the case with the 2003 Ascheri Nebbiolo D’alba San Giacomo.

Nebbiolo grapes are very finicky and difficult to grow, so it follows that they remain difficult even once they are in the bottle. Barolos and Nebbiolos need a long time to mature (15-20 years in most cases) and even if you wait a long time, they still need to sit out for awhile once opened. Young Nebbiolo wines often taste far too tannic and have weak color.

Color

For only 6 years old, this wine is maturing quickly. Though not a Barolo, the color characteristics are unmistakeable. A fresh red, not too deep, but showing copper on the edges, a sure sign of a maturing Nebbiolo.

Nose

Explosive, but contained. The nose is full of brown sugar, some red currant, strawberry and dusty roses. Smells fantastic.

Taste

Very complex for an Italian Nebbiolo from Alba. The tart red fruit really comes through here, with the strawberries really standing out. Also, we have a flavor we haven’t seen yet since the site began: Marzipan. In case you don’t know, marzipan is a sugar and almond confection that is used to make little shapes that usually go on cakes. The wine brings marzipan on the finish, and it goes for quite awhile. There is not a single hollow point in this one. Delicious all around.

With Food

To put it bluntly, we suggest you enjoy this on its own. A wine this well-crafted should really be savored. If you absolutely HAVE to eat something with it, try a lamb, beef or ostrich dish made with a wine sauce.

On sale for $17.98 at WineLibrary.com!

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Color

Nice cherry red. Not overdoing it in terms of inkiness, but rather a very pleasing shade. Normally a Cabernet this young will seem rather light in color, but this one still looks sturdy.

Nose

Dark, bitter chocolate and prunes. This was unexpected being a 2006. Some fantastic pepper and ripe berries, help to muffle the heat that hits your nose upon first sniff.

Taste

A well-crafted Cabernet with great balance between the acidity and the tannins (remember, tannins are what give you that tongue-puckering sensation). While balanced, you will still be pulling a sour lemon face, bu then the fruit comes in to save the day. Very complex mix of dark bing cherry, blackberry, black pepper and loads of chocolate-covered prunes. The wine hangs on, too, with the dark chocolate really coating your tongue in the end.

With Food

Great with grilled lamb, ostrich or beef. Not sure if baked meat would do as well with these flavors. We’re tasting pepper here, so don’t overdo the spice rubs or whatever you do to dress up your meat. Hopefully it does not really have to be said (but we’ll say it anyway just in case): NO BARBECUE SAUCE WITH WINE.

$15.98 at WineLibrary.com!

Vina Robles website

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This is one we found while on a journey up north of Los Angeles to the Santa Ynez Valley. We stopped at Buellton and Solvang (made famous by the film Sideways). Normally we do not go for California Sauvignon Blancs in favor of the New Zealand efforts, but we were very surprised by this bottle.

We found it in the Danish village of Solvang, at a wonderful store called The Olive House. The store sells (you guessed it) a wide variety of olives, canned/jarred vegetables, dressings, condiments, oils, vinegars and wines. The special thing about the store is the wine selection. Owner/proprieter Jeff Feeley is a local winemaker and has put together a list of wines from up and down the west coast, including Washington and Oregon. These are wines that are not readily accessible without going to the actual winery or at least the area where the wines are produced. So you are given access to some fantastic wines that you otherwise might not ever know about.

The Trois Imbeciles is actually made by Feeley. While all of the wines we tasted at the Olive House were great, his was the only one we brought back with us.

Color

Clear, silver and metallic. Normally we would say light straw, but this wine just has a look of wet rock.

Nose

A little tight when chilled, but really opens up once a bit warmer. Tart apples, pears, some citrus and faint scents of fresh-cut grass. The grass is unusual for California Sauvignon Blancs. New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs often give that scent.

Taste

One word: More. Once you taste this, you will want another glass and something to eat with it. The wine is not too light and not too heavy. A perfect balance of fruit, minerality and alcohol. Tart green apples, pears, lemons and even some nectarine. The fruit is great on the front-end, with the apples and lemons coming through strong. The mid-palate is amazing with great mineral and wet rock flavors. The best thing about the wine, however, is the finish, which brings out the grass and lingers on the tongue. An absolutely fantastic wine.

With Food

Good on its own, but you will also enjoy it with some mild white fish, lemon chicken or some mild cheese and tart fruits.

About $14, but not available online. You can either call the number below or go visit The Olive House in Solvang, CA:

1661 Mission Drive
Solvang, CA 93463

805-686-5159
888-654-8347

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