Wine Welfare » Red

Wine Review: Layer Cake Malbec 2008

Wine Welfare — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:30:03 +0000

Listen, I know it’s hot as hell right now in most of the country, but there are still some red wines that work well in the heat. Anything from Layer Cake is fantastic. Malbec isn’t ideal for direct sun, so wait until that fireball goes down before cracking this open. Delicious with carne asada or some simple grilled steak. Dare I say it, throw a couple of ice cubes in it and some slices of apple, orange and berries for a makeshift Sangria.

$14.99 at Cork & Bottle Fine Wines!

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World Cup Wine: 3 South African Vinos Under $20

Wine Welfare — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:30:12 +0000

We’re a week into the World Cup and it’s time to pair some cheap wine with some football. In honor of the 2010 World Cup being held in South Africa, we’re doing some cheap wine reviews of only South African wines. We might even stick to South Africa only until the final match. Until then, pop one of these babies around 7 AM and enjoy the rare pleasure of being buzzed before noon. GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!

The Foundry Viognier 2006

Yellow-green and very bright. Looks very refreshing. Lot’s of honeysuckle and citrus with a strong burst of apricot. Good rockiness on the back-end that leads to a crisp finish. A good hot summer white to enjoy with the TV outside.

WHERE TO BUY: $8.99 at WineLegacy.com!

Fair Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Apple freshness with very bright acidity. Good creamy lime flavors come through once it’s not so chilled, making this great for grilled chicken or fish with lime and some salsa.

WHERE TO BUY: $7.01 at FineWineShop.com!

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz 2004

This is a weird one. There aren’t a lot of sweet red wines out there that aren’t fortified or taste like spiked Kool-Aid, but this one was actually pretty tasty. It fits into the summer heat thanks to the sweetness. But don’t let the name or my use of “sweetness” throw you. This isn’t sugary or syrupy, but only slightly sweet. Not a regular Shiraz, but not a straight-up dessert wine. Great juicy plums and maraschino cherries. Still a few tannins in there, but I would leave this for after the meal.

WHERE TO BUY: $11.89 at TheWineStoreRI.com!

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Memorial Day Wine: Jarhead Red

Wine Welfare — Fri, 28 May 2010 21:00:23 +0000

In the midst of the vacations to the beach or mountains, the family barbecues, and the huge lines in the supermarkets, we tend to forget that Memorial Day is a holiday to remember those we have lost at war in America’s brief history.

It’s also a holiday for drinking.

With both of those in mind, we’re reviewing Jarhead Red wine. Jarhead Red was created by Winegrower and former USMC Captain, Adam Firestone and Vineyard Foreman and former USMC Sergeant, Ruben Dominguez. All net proceeds go to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, a foundation that has honors the service of the Marine Corps by educating their children. Over 24,000 scholarships have been given to deserving students, including 1,405 for this past academic year.

So you can get a nice buzz going while knowing you’re helping some folks out.

Here are the notes from the winemakers: Jarhead Red is a robust, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged in French oak barrels for eight months. It offers flavors of plum, cassis and black currant with fine tannins on the finish. Jarhead Red is available in 750ml (the Rifleman) and 1.5L (the Sergeant). Occassional availability on larger formats including 3.0L (the Sergeant Major) and 5.0L (the Commandant).

COLOR: Like the man says above: “Robust.” The color kicks things off by being tough, rich, and dark.

NOSE: Great dark cherries on the nose with a hit of leather boot. There is also some vanilla coming through.

TASTE: Your mouth is Iwo Jima and this wine is the Marines. This thing is a delicious stomper. The initial onslaught is in the form of those leather bootstraps digging into mud. Then come the cherries (I tried to come up with a good analogy for Marines and cherries, but it just seems insulting no matter how you spin it). Ripe, juicy fruit combined with an insanely big mouthfeel. Reinforcements in the form of tannins come in to pummel your tongue one last time until you have no choice but to surrender. You’re finished and Iwo Jima has been taken.

WITH FOOD: I may be on a no-beef kick right now, but damned if this stuff wouldn’t be delicious with a rare steak. Not a cheese and fruit wine. Serve this with something tough enough to handle it.

WHERE TO BUY: $8.99 at FineWineHouse.com or at your local Henry’s Farmers Market!

WINE WEBSITE: http://jarheadred.com/

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La Vieille Ferme (Perrin et Fils) Cotes du Ventoux

Wine Welfare — Mon, 24 May 2010 21:31:59 +0000

This is another cheap wine from the Rhone Valley of France, and it’s a beauty. It is made by the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel fame. The blend is Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. With summer coming up, Rhone wines should be focused on more, as many of them (including the reds) can handle the hot weather and actually compliment summer foods beautifully.

COLOR: Fresh and dark. Nothing cloudy or thick, but very clean. A bit of Welch’s Grape Juice mixed with Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail.

NOSE: Black pepper that only presented itself after about an hour of decanting. Forest floor, leaves, and some dampness.

TASTE: Strong blackberry and prune flavors coat the tongue first. Then it moves into the Old World flavors of basement, wet leaves, black moist soil with a bit of saddle mixed in there. No tobacco on this one to be sure, and I was waiting for it. But you definitely get a major hit of the woods in this baby. Very good balance of the fruit and earthy tones. Tannins are present but nothing violent. Lengthy finish.

WITH FOOD: Honestly, this would work great with a loaded pizza. Apart from that, aim for something with some tomatoes. Though the wine has some big big flavors, they don’t knock the teeth out of your mouth.

WHERE TO BUY: $8.99 at SkyviewWine.com!

WINEMAKER WEBSITE: Perrin & Fils

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Elena Walch Alto Adige 2008 Lagrein

Wine Welfare — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:26:05 +0000

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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Edna Valley Vineyards 2006 Syrah Paragon Valley

Wine Welfare — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:00:28 +0000

We’ve done a cheap wine review on the Edna Valley Pargaon Chardonnays across two vintages, but now it’s time to move onto the reds.

COLOR: We’re back to boysenberry syrup. A nice rich purple with hues of garnet caught in the light. I’m telling you folks, pay attention to the color of your wine; it can tell you a lot.

NOSE: Here we go, getting into something interesting, and from a large, non-boutique winery. Cedar, forest floor and picture someone spilling a canister of cracked black pepper onto a basement floor.

TASTE: Solid fruit. This was not the fruit explosion I was expecting, but it was still jammy. Blackcurrant preserves, sour cherry and then comes the balance of all that black pepper. The only downside I could find is that the wine lacks backbone. Meaning absolutely no tannins. It’s almost like an octopus: brilliant, fascinating animal that can do so much, but with no bones, no solid support. The lack of tannins makes my brain assume that this is nothing more than juice, as though they didn’t even ferment it. Still, the lip-smacking tastiness of this wine cannot be denied.

WITH FOOD: Some would say the lack of tannins does not matter so long as the flavor is there, but when it comes to finding a good dish to go with it, we find this wine’s weakness. Because of that absence of “tannic tightness,” this wine becomes difficult to pair. So I would say that this is not so much a food wine as a wine to enjoy on its own. Perhaps as a go-to bottle, or maybe with a cheese and fruit appetizer.

WHERE TO BUY: $10.99 at Green Jug Fine Wine & Spirits

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Ravenswood 2004 Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel Wine Review

Wine Welfare — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:59:18 +0000

Ravenswood is a Zinfandel institution. They basically put California Zinfandel on the map and for good reason. Most of their fruit comes from the Lodi region and the Old Vine Zinfandel is no exception. They also put cheap Zinfandel on the map, which is why they are one of my Personal Hero Wineries. Cheap wine is what I live for. Hey, I think I just thought of a new section for the website.

COLOR: Cranberry juice cocktail with a little added thickness. This stuff even looks tart.

NOSE: Cranberries coming through along with a backbone of overripe cherries. Smells very fresh for a six-year-old wine.

TASTE: Those overripe cherries have corrected themselves and become stewed. We’ve also got some plums making an appearance, underscored by a nice shot of chocolate in the mid-palate. Since when does that happen in a Zinfandel?
This sucker is big and beefy. It’s like seeing a 5-foot tall 130 lb. dude walk into your garage and lift up your car. Then some black pepper finishes things off and lasts for days.
Come to think of it, this wine is pretty freaky. I’m going to stop talking about it now.

WITH FOOD: I’m too frightened at this point, so I’ll make this quick: Duck, steak, buffalo, venison and maybe even turkey (runs out of the room).

WHERE TO BUY: $13.99 at PacificWineClub.com!

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Hangtime Pinot Noir 2007

Wine Welfare — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:00:50 +0000

Lick A Mountain, You’ve Got This Wine

COLOR: Liquefied raspberry jam. A little darker than usual for a Pinot Noir, but at least you can still see your fingers through it.

NOSE: Wet rock, dark overripe strawberries and raspberry. Reminded me of something that I could not place until the taste…

TASTE: So, to preface, this is technically a Burgundy, so that explains a lot of what I’m about to say. Ok, this baby is pure rock. Some might say granite, but let’s not get all frutti-tutti-tasting-note here and just say rock. The scent I couldn’t place that arrived on tasting was a camping morning. You know, a stiff chill in the air, you dread getting out of the tent, much less the sleeping bag, everything shriveling, dead campfire smells with pine and a lot of dirt and rock. Very very interesting. Then the fruit comes through. Stiff cherries, which is rather odd for a Pinot since it’s meant to be lighter. Merlots, Cabernets, Syrahs, these are the wines meant to have strong cherry flavors, but Pinots are supposed to be more strawberry-focused. Weak acid and a somewhat short finish, but still, all in all, not bad for under $12.

WITH FOOD: Because of the rock flavors, it almost mimics minerality with red wine tannins, meaning this works very well with Ahi Tuna. I don’t know about pairing it with red meat, per se, so I wouldn’t go farther than pork. A little too much rock for duck or chicken.

WHERE TO BUY: $11.89 at RyeBrookWines.com!

WINERY WEBSITE: http://www.hangtimewines.com

Santa Ines Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc

Wine Welfare — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:00:01 +0000

Cabernet Franc: The Grape That Never Got Any

Guest Post by Brian Hedrick!

Cabernet Franc is like the elegant, elder brunette, thin-skinned and wisest of the Cabernet Family, one of the five varietals of Bordeaux. It’s often used in blends to cut at the tartness and tannins of a Shiraz or it’s more popular progeny, the Cab Sauvignon. Interesting fact you probably know: the Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc grapes met on some steamy night and passed along their DNA to the Cab Sauvignon, so we owe the Cab Franc quite a bit. Or so we think.

So in homage to this patriarch/matriarch, we present the 2006 Santa Ines Cabernet Franc (made in the Santa Ynez Valley and, one must deduce, named after the Santa Ines Mission there, not the Santa Ines vineyard in Chile. That was complicated! Whew! It’s made at the Kalyra Winery by the vintner Mike Brown). A pal said (paraphrasing), “this is my go to wine any time I’m heading off to drink other people’s more expensive wine at a party or something, because it’s good enough to make me feel like I’m not being cheap, and almost everybody says ‘huh. Cabernet Franc. That’s different.’”

COLOR: A dark cherry that wouldn’t concede a hint of purple, even if you took a spectroscope to it (that’s not true, but it’s a statement with conviction, so just go with it).

NOSE: All fruit and booze, but nothing overpowering. Blackberry and cherry, and a whisper of vanilla to make you want to wash down that first tri-tip/sauteed zucchini-combo bite. Has a hint of an alcohol kicker on the exhale (more on that).

TASTE: The mild fruity nose deceives, as the alcohol is heavy in the swish and the swallow. Wouldn’t hurt to decant this one to allow the flavors to pop a little and to give it some room to flower. Tannins are pretty light but the peppery texture rides the tongue through the swallow.You’ll enjoy the second glass more.

Gotta say. we’ve had three or four of these now and they’re inconsistent, but 3/4s of them have been worth finishing off so it’s worth a try.Bottom line is it drinks a little better than the nine bucks you spent on it would indicate and like we said earlier, it’s a little more interesting than you average Cab,(Sauvignon or otherwise).

WITH FOOD: This one works with typical appetizer fare or a low-brow steak and veg meal.

WHERE TO BUY: 8.99 at Trader Joe’s. Just about the only place we’ve seen.

Paso Robles Wine Country Conclusion: Restaurants, Pomar Junction, Wild Horse and the Best California Wine I’ve Ever Had

Wine Welfare — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:24:38 +0000

Sorry it’s been awhile but, heh-heh, life gets in the way you know? It’s not like I make any money off of this damn site. It’s about cheap wine for a reason, dammit.

So last week we left off at Ortman Vineyards in downtown Paso Robles, and for the conclusion of our little 2-day sojourn to Paso Robles, we’re going to get past the blur that was Saturday night (after Ortman) and jump straight into our Sunday tastings. However, I would be remiss not to mention where we ate dinner on that Saturday night, a fantastic place called Villa Creek, right in the heart of downtown. Since this is a wine review site for the poor, I won’t go into too much detail concerning the meal. I will only mention three things:

1. My wife had the rabbit, which was outstanding.

2. I had the brisket-stuffed poblano chile, which was for some reason even better than the rabbit.

3. I spilled an entire glass of wine on myself (If you remember where we left off last time, we were at Ortman and I’d lost my sense of taste. Add a visit to a nearby pub to that just before dinner, and it was really partytime).*

Cut to the next morning. A brilliant start at Margie’s Diner (also near downtown) with the biggest plate of breakfast I’ve ever seen, and it surely did the trick. This place was serious. There had to be like an entire bag of potatoes on that plate. Anyway, onto the wines!

Pomar Junction Winery

This was a great place. A former railroad junction (go figure) the place boasts a great old tasting room, and out back you can climb into an authentic caboose car and admire the view of what was once a fairly busy California crossroads of sorts. Besides Pomar’s awesome website, they had some pretty good stuff for a new winery. Their under-$20 standouts are as follows:

Pomar Junction Syrah Rose

COLOR: A nice strawberry juice. Dare I say that it looks like a hearty white zinfandel?

NOSE: Strong strawberry, metal, cheese rind. All good signs of a great rose. A good nose for a cool summer wine.

TASTE: Here come the strawberries again along with the the cheese rind. The metal dissipates among a strong mid-palate of hard candy and a hint of marsala. Absolutely delicious and unfortunate that this has to come in the form of a rose when such a wine is difficult to market to the general public with their current perceptions of rose.

WITH FOOD: Like I said, a good cool summer wine with barbecued chicken and a strawberry salad.

WHERE TO BUY: $12.00 from the winery itself.

Pomar Junction “Picnic” Chardonnay – Canvas Series

COLOR: Pale. Almost too pale. Usually I look for at least some semblance of straw color, but this looked like a Sauvignon Blanc.

NOSE: Green apple, caramel corn and a nice shot of minerality.

TASTE: Good mouthfeel. Rich for a Chardonnay at this price. Good acid, strong finish, a little empty on the mid-palate, but the green apple is there for the most part throughout the whole movie.

WITH FOOD: Honestly? Keep this solitary. No sense in pairing this with food that will most likely destroy it; even lemon chicken. It’s on the cheap side, so treat it as such.

WHERE TO BUY: $12.00 from the winery itself.

So we had soaked our stomachs in the first wines of the day with Pomar Junction, and now it was time on to some even more serious wines.

Wild Horse Winery

We were lucky to have stopped at mostly wineries I had never heard of before or seen on store shelves. Wild Horse was the only exception. You will recognize the label immediately and I think I have even seen some of their wines in grocery stores. While everything we tried here was absolutely delicious, take note of the “Unbridled” Merlot and the Cheval Sauvage, there were only a couple that were under the $20 mark, and among those there was one standout:

Wild Horse 2008 Malvasia Bianca

COLOR: Rich gold but not to the apple juice level. Looks very calm in the glass. What did that even mean?

NOSE: Strong, strong aromatics here, even though it was chilled. Once you plow through the initial honeysuckle smells, you get into some tangerine and cantaloupe and some ruby red grapefruit juice.

TASTE: The melon is strong with this (*cue Darth Vader breathing*). Great lychee flavors (go out and by some, their nuts) support a very rich mouthfeel and strong honey flavors. It feels like it would be too rich for even a hot day, but once you get to the finish, which stays but doesn’t really make it’s presence felt, you will know that this stuff will be good all summer long. Plus, I should point out that my brother bought an entire case.

WITH FOOD: This is a tough one, but I can’t see anything wrong with fish or even some spicier foods. It’s not going to really cut through the buttery dishes, since the acid is not the lead here.

$20 from the Wild Horse Winery

And finally, we reach the grand finale of our trip, wherein I experienced the best California red wine I have had thus far in my life. This will be a tough one to beat because the flavors were wacky and the varietal is Italian.

Bella Luna Winery

This place was the spitting image of an Italian home, right down to the half-dead dog in front and the custard paint. Run by two old fellas, both veterans of the Vietnam conflict, named Kevin Healy and Sherman Smoot. Kevin served us that day in the “tasting room” which was basically their enormous garage. The most interesting thing, other than the taste of the wine I’m about to go over, is that their Sangiovese vines are head-trained, meaning no trellises (those T-shaped things you normally see holding up the grapevines). this makes the vines grow, well, everywhere. Sort of like your lazy neighbor’s bushes. Also interesting is that all of their fruit is dry-farmed, meaning no water unless it rains.

Bella Luna 2008 “Lot One” Barbera – San Benito County

I’m not going to go through the whole spiel here since this isn’t an under-$20 bottle, so I’ll give you the gist of my thoughts on this wine.

BUY IT IMMEDIATELY, EVEN IF IT IS $38

Basically, if you like red wine or have even the slightest interest in Italian varietals, this is a wine worth checking out. The fruit is definitely there but it doesn’t explode, and there are strong vegetal characteristics like asparagus, broccoli, green beans, and green bell pepper. Great firm tannins that don’t muscle their way in. Everything is perfectly, PERFECTLY balanced. I can’t wait to open this thing again. I even asked Mr. Healy for another try of it at the tasting room, which I’m not used to doing.

$38 at Bella Luna Winery

So that concludes our little Paso Robles Wine Country adventure here at Wine Welfare. Other trips are coming, including a number of trips up to the Edna Valley region, Santa Ynez, including Los Olivos, and a trip up to Napa, so stay tuned. AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THIS SERIES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

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Cheers!

*My wife will probably repeat that I have obsessed over this embarrassing accident since it happened nearly three weeks ago.

Paso Robles Wine Country Pt. 2: Denner, Ortman and I Can’t Remember

Wine Welfare — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:10:31 +0000

Our next stop in Paso Robles wine country after Justin Vineyards was Denner, another spectacular winery and vineyard. There’s nothing like enjoying a buzz on a gorgeous mountain top.

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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Wine Review: Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra and Arizona Wine

Wine Welfare — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:06:38 +0000

And You Thought Arizona Was Just a Desert With a Giant Hole In It

Been meaning to write a post on this wine for awhile now. The Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra is made by Caduceus Cellars, owned and operated by Maynard James Keenan, lead singer of the bands Tool, Puscifer and (the now disbanded) A Perfect Circle. I’m going to just come out and say this to get it out of the way:

TOOL ROCKS

Tool is far and away my favorite band on the entire planet, so it was only natural that when I saw Mr. Keenan had started his own winery and vineyard in the stunning Verde Valley of Northern Arizona, I had to try the wine.

Note: While Caduceus Cellars is an Arizona winery, the Merkin Chupacabra is made from California Cabernet and Syrah (hey, he had to start with something, right?). But you can buy his 100% Arizona fruit wines online at the website.

Northern Arizona is the epitome of “burgeoning wine country,” and based on the the wines I have tasted from this region, Arizona is going to be a major, major player in both the High-End and the more vital “Value Wine” world. The flavors are as stunning and complex as any other wine region (maaaaybe not Italy, but that’s because I also think Italy rocks). Beyond all that, what will truly set this region apart for wine makers and wine lovers is that these flavors are NEW. Brand new. Like nothing you have ever tasted.

Cheers to Mr.Keenan and Eric Glomski (owner of Page Springs Cellars, one of the first Arizona wine makers to bring attention to the region) for the success of their vision, because if this California-fruit wine is any indication of their combined talents, we will be seeing quite a change in the U.S. wine world (now get going on the next Tool album).

So, let’s get into the juice:

Disclaimer: DECANT THIS WINE. We’ve said it before and we’re saying it again: IF POSSIBLE, DECANT EVERY RED WINE YOU DRINK, NO MATTER WHAT.

COLOR: I’m not sure if this is filtered or not, but this looks like tomato juice on an iron binge. Seriously deep, dark, rich burgundy colors. You’ll be smacking your lips right away.

NOSE: Black stewed cherries and grandma’s basement. An odd, yet delicious combo.

TASTE: Every summer when I was a boy I would go to visit my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in tiny little Munich, North Dakota (population approx. 350). Those days spent there were some of the best in my entire life. The flatness, the quiet, the landscape, the farm, the machines, the people and of course, the food. I basically loved everything about the place (of course, I’ve never experienced a winter there, but that’s another post on another site). Now this will sound strange, but it’s the one thing that popped into my mind when I tasted the Merkin Chupacabra: This wine reminds me of North Dakota.

I know, I know. I don’t understand it either, but it did. The smell of basement, the flavors of dark cherry, the slight mint, the brief and out-of-left-field-flavor of baked bread. It reminded me of a dessert my grandmother used to make that I am going to spell wrong called “Cherries Jus” or something like that. Basically, it was sweet, creamy cherry soup, served warm. It was delectable. This wine’s structure is solid, with awesome, awesome fruit and good balance of tannins to the sweetness. It’s not too dry in the least. The alcohol is there only to support and intoxicate, and believe me, you will be intoxicated by this stuff.

WITH FOOD: While it seems almost sacrilegious not to savor this on its own, I am a firm believer that food came before wine and so all wines should be able to pair with foods. In this case, you could do worse than a traditional filet mignon, roast lamb, ostrich steak or even buffalo.

BEST PRICE: $19.98 at WineLibrary.com!

Further Info on Arizona Wines/Wineries:

http://www.arizonastrongholdvineyards.com/

http://www.doscabezaswinery.com/

http://www.arizonavinesandwines.com/wineries.html

Wine Review: Harding Merlot 2007 Napa Valley

Wine Welfare — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:42:00 +0000

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

COLOR: Well, it’s nice, but nothing to write home about. It’s the color of red wine. Maybe I should just get rid of this category.

NOSE: Tart, tart red fruit on this Merlot. Almost unripe. It isn’t very pleasant. After decanting for about an hour it began to give off more ripe cherry and perfumey smells.

TASTE: Good attack at first with the tart fruit coming through and melting into a nice shot of dark chocolate. However, the bitterness/unripe flavors are a bit off-putting, to the point that my jaw was screaming for me to spit it out or swallow. Still, it lingers a bit, and the alcohol is not setting everything on fire, which is always nice.

But we have to call a spade a spade here: This wine is DU-HU-HULL. Not exciting or enticing at all. A giant nap of a wine. You may find yourself thinking, “Well, it’s open, and I wanted wine, so I guess I’ll drink it.” Still, this is $9.99 Merlot here, folks. You should at least give it a try and see what you think.

WITH FOOD: Nothing says dull and boring like a rice cake!

WHERE TO BUY: $9.99 at BevMo!

Chateau Ballan-Larquette Bordeaux

Wine Welfare — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:00:03 +0000

I Think They Forgot the Grapes

NOTE: We decanted this for about an hour before tasting.

COLOR: Deep musty red. Looks lighter than most Bordeauxs.

NOSE: Even with decanting, this is a tight nose. You can pick up some cherry and a bit of wet earth, but that’s it.

TASTE: A little flat upon intake. No explosion of anything here, which is expected for Old World wines like Bordeaux, but come on, Ballan-Larquette. This should taste like something fruit-related. I mean, we’ve got the dirt again, some good tannins, but nothing else. No real structure. The finish would be good, if there were something to finish. I guess I’ll admit that there were some faint cherry flavors, but nothing I could describe as delicious. To manipulate one of my favorite phrases from the 80s: “Where’s the fruit??”

WITH FOOD: Well, based on the lack of fruit, how about a nice bowl of steam? Perhaps leaving it out and enjoying it with a steak would wake things up.

WHERE TO BUY: $19.99 at Bevmo, though you may find it cheaper in local shops.

Check out our other Bordeaux wine reviews! (There’s really only one)

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Valentine Wine: What Wine Goes With Chocolate?

Wine Welfare — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:48:51 +0000

Honoring Martyred Saints Through Greeting Cards, Flowers and…Underwear?

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

$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

$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

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

Wine Review: Bocage Merlot 2005

Wine Welfare — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:00 +0000

It’s French for “Badly Drawn Label”

A MUST BUY. Though the label may look like it was drawn by a 14-year-old girl, this wine kicked serious ass (and it’s $13!). We stumbled upon the Bocage Merlot while traveling through Salinas and the Monterey area, home of John Steinbeck. We realize that you readers probably have absolutely zero interest in John Steinbeck, or the museum we visited in Monterey that bears his name, so let’s just pretend we didn’t mention it at all.

COLOR: Inky purple with a blue tint to it when you tilt against a frosted lamp with a 60 watt bulb. I’m serious, you need to follow those instructions exactly.

NOSE: Crack open a can of black olives and throw some dried blueberries and chocolate on them. Shake it up and take a whiff. If you don’t throw up, that’s what the nose is like.

TASTE: Absolutely scrumptious. We don’t use that word too often, but this wine is very complex and very satisfying. We didn’t finish that first day and came back to it 2 days later, and it had taken on even more flavor. Silky and balanced, this wine brings seriously ripe fruit that conjures leather, blueberry, big black olives (which I hate, though they were good here), with a great shot of dark chocolate in the mid-palate. The finish is bland at first, but give it a moment and you will be rewarded with an aftertaste similar to finishing a pizza with only black olives. Something about the finish made me think of browned mozzarella, pizza dough, tomato sauce and black olives. Who knows why I think of these things? Stop staring at me!

WITH FOOD: Great pizza wine, let me first say that, but we had it with mushroom ravioli and spaghetti bolognese. I see no reason to suggest anything other than those items.

WHERE TO BUY: $10.99 at CAWineClub.com or $12.95 direct from San Saba Vineyards OR $13 from A Taste of Monterey!

SPECIAL NOTE: Thanks to the dude at A Taste of Monterey who suggested we shouldn’t pass it up at $13. Despite it not even being on their tasting menu, something told me that it would be good, that something being that dude.

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Wine Review: Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds Cotes Du Rhone 2007

Wine Welfare — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:37:16 +0000

Did Someone Empty the Pencil Sharpener Into My Glass?

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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Food and Wine: What Wine Goes With Chili?

Wine Welfare — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:03:49 +0000

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.

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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Wine Review: Peachy Canyon Petite Sirah 2005

Wine Welfare — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:57:55 +0000

I Can’t Feel My Tongue…

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!

Check out our other Petite Sirah reviews!

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Wine Review: Montpellier Merlot 2006

Wine Welfare — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:00:41 +0000

The Backwards Merlot

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.

We always recommend that you decant every single red wine, no matter how cheap. Two Buck Chuck? Throw it into that decanter and you might get an extra two bucks worth of flavor out of it.

But not the Montpellier Merlot. This wine actually increased in bitterness and lost all of its fruit once it had been opened and decanted. The reason I know this is because we popped the bottle, and enjoyed a taste. Delicious. We were looking forward to the fruit blooming even more and the earthy tones becoming more pronounced once it had sat in the decanter for an hour.

Our mistake. Here we go:

COLOR: Fair but still enticing. The wine exudes a kind of unfiltered quality and deep burgundy in the color.

NOSE: Blueberries with red sour gumballs. Sugar and earth. The dirt is palpable.

TASTE #1 (Just opened): Beautiful, ripe blueberries with sour blackcurrant and a good shot of milk chocolate right in the middle. Good finish with structure and tongue-drying tannins. Soil flavor left as a delicious reminder of the varietal.

TASTE #2 (Decanted): Vinegar and figs. Honestly, that’s all I can say. This wine lost its oomph through decanting. WTF? The structure was gone, the fruit withered and the finish was like a spoiled white wine. Obviously drink it immediately after opening.

WITH FOOD: Well, seeing as how you need to drink it right after popping it, we would suggest you wait until your appetizer of grapes and hard stinky cheese is ready. For a meal, try a decent pizza with some linguica or salami on it, or pair it with a good cut of lamb or perhaps even a nice duck with field greens and some orange peel.

WHERE TO BUY: $6.19 on sale at LowestWinePrices.com!

About $6.99 at Cost Plus World Market (In store only)!

Check out our other Merlot reviews!

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