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So Cheap I Felt Like I Was Stealing

Kamary, Indie Wino
I consider myself an ‘everyman wine drinker’. That is to say, I’m far from qualified to speak on the impeccable vintages out there being indulged upon by the upwardly mobile, particularly as I can’t afford the exorbitant prices. No, instead, I pride myself on finding impeccable bargains.

The dictionary defines BARGAIN as follows;

a thing bought or offered for sale more cheaply than is usual or expected : the secondhand table was a real bargain | [as adj. ] household and electrical goods at bargain prices.

I define bargain as;

A great tasting wine at a cheap price.

A Wonder Inexpensive Wine

The last few months I’ve had the pleasure of living in Europe. It’s been a pleasure for a variety of reasons but one
of the things I’ll miss most (I’m off to Cali in Feb.) and I’ve said it before, will be the great many wines they have here. Great wines at everyman prices.

If you’ve been with us here at Wine Time TV.net since the beginning, then you already know that I on occasion like to share the wealth of my worldly wine exploits. Or simply put, I like to brag about scoring killer wines at awesome prices.

Today I was blessed with another bottle of 2007 Toscana Rosso. A soft and fruity Italian wine with a tinge of tang to it. Sparkling rich in color and a friendly nose, this wine has a certain neutrality to it that I imagine it could easily appeal to those who don’t really dig red wine and those who do, will appreciate it’s taste and respect it’s origins.

Oh, and did I mention it costs a mere €1.99 a bottle? Wine on.

Thanks for reading.
A Year in the Life

Sommelier Jodi Fritch

One of the things that I love about wine is that there is always so much to learn.

This passion for learning (some may say obsession) contributes to the rather extensive wine library that I keep at home.

As I was putting some notes together for a presentation I am giving, I came across one of my favorite wine quotes.

“every single bottle represents a year in the life of somewhere.” (Matt Skinner)

In addition to being an insightful statement about terroir (more about terroir another time), this statement echoes some of my feelings about tasting and appreciating wine.

1. Be respectful of the juice

2. Give credit to the effort that goes into producing every bottle.

and, most importantly …

3. Slow down

Take the time to get to know your wine. Smell the wine. Really get in there, and not just once. Great wine will
Terroir
change dramatically the longer it is in your glass. Put away the gadgetry (specifically the Vinturi and other similar aerators) and let the wine do it’s thing on its own timeline. Enjoy this experience. It’s a new year, start it out just a bit slower and appreciate all the aromas in your glass of wine.
Play it Safe vs Trying Something New

Sommelier Jodi Fritch
When I am working on the floor at a restaurant, and I approach a table to talk about the wine list and their preferences, I have a very brief amount of time to determine a vast amount of information. However, perhaps of equal importance to what they are eating and what style of wine they prefer, is … do they want to “play it safe” or “take a risk on something new and different.”

At home, when I am entertaining and purchasing wine for a dinner or event, I have to make the same determination. If I play it safe, I can get something that I have had many times before that I know has the ability to pair with many foods and ‘plays well with others’ as well as having a general affinity for pleasing people.

As I stood at my local retailer and thought about my plans for the weekend, I decided to try a bit of both.

MY “SAFE” PICKS

Chateau Ste Michelle Indian Wells 2007 Chardonnay, Columbia Valley – Although I have had this wine before, it has been quite a while. Chateau Ste Michelle is a great winery and usually a very safe pick. I found this wine to be quite pleasant but it did not really excite me. I would definitely order it by the glass or drink it at a party if offered (as opposed to dumping in a house plant or empty sink), but I did not find it interesting enough to rush out for a case. I will say that they have done a nice job balancing the components in this Chardonnay, and it did have a pleasant finish.

Cline ‘Cashmere’ 2008, California – This wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (which you may know as GSM (Australia) or Cotes du Rhone (France). I am a pushover for Rhone varietals. This was a safe pick for two reasons – the first is that Syrah/Shiraz always comes across well with red wine drinkers. The second, is that Cline is an extremely reputable producer of Zinfandel in California. It is retailing for $21 from the vineyard. I picked this one up at $13.99 (if you are in the Tampa Bay area email me and I will tell you where). Although I purchased it at a great discount, I happily would have paid the $21. This wine offered the big ripe fruit and jamminess that made Cline a household name in Zinfandel. It had a beautiful, elegant finish. This all helped the wine to come off as very luxurious and the winery described the wine perfectly when they decided to name it ‘Cashmere’. The biggest problem with this wine, much too easy to drink and the one bottle that I purchased seemed to evaporate in record time. I definitely recommend this wine. I have just made a note in my new IPod Touch to grab some more today. Visit Cline’s website at http://www.clinecellars.com for more information.

MY “TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT” PICKS

Peter Lehmann ‘Layers’ 2009, Adelaide -In a word this wine left me “irritated.” We have all been to those movies where the trailer has promised us 90 minutes of action packed edge of your seat movie experience, only to realize that the best part of the movie was seen at home in your living room during the commercial trailer. This wine from Peter Lehmann (a solid producer of Shiraz from the Barossa), is a blend of Pinot Gris, Muscat, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, and Semillon. Sounds like a nice mix for a tasty wine. It promised “Layers” of complex tastes and aromas. Simply stated this wine did not deliver. We even aerated, which I don’t usually do for white wines. Nothing. It is possible that it may be going through some sort of ‘dumb’ period. So, to be fair, I guess I should give it one more try at another time. But, I will be doing so reluctantly. At around $14 a bottle, I have had better white blends.

Casa de la Ermita Viognier 2007, Jumilla – Several of my wine “geek” friends have mentioned to me lately that thy have had an opportunity to taste Viognier from Spain. However, it seems to be absent from most retail locations in my area. I had just about given up hope when I came across this one. I may be slightly prejudiced because I LOVE Viognier. I love Viognier from France, California, Virginia, and Australia … and now I love Viognier from Spain as well. This was aromatically brilliant, had a great texture and overall was very tasty. If you love ripe luscious stone fruit (think peaches, nectarines, and apricots, with a slight scent of warm hay, and beautiful minerality (think clear stream water running over wet stones) then grab this wine. Don’t be intimidating by its deeper gold color. This wine was like taking a field trip out to a country farm. Under $15 a bottle. As a side note, Viognier can be a challenge to pair with food, but when you find that pairing that makes both food and wine “sing” it is worth the effort.

With 2010 literally around the corner, remember to get outside of your comfort zone and try something new whenever you can.

Cheers!

tampawinewoman
Holiday Stress

Sommelier Jodi Fritch

Dear Wine Stores:
It is with heavy heart that I write to you during this holiday season. I must request that you stop staffing your stores with employees who are completely uneducated about wine and have no desire to learn. Additionally, I must request that if you insist in continuing this practice that you have them refrain from distributing bad information to customers.
Sincerely,tampawinewoman

Dear Wine Consumers:
If I had only one wish this holiday season it would be that you re-evaluate where you are buying your wine. We are so lucky to have some really great wine shops in the area filled with both knowledgeable staff and knowledgeable consumers that it would only make sense to support such places. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, please email me and I will tell you where you can visit such a store close to your home.
Sincerely,tampawinewoman

I MUST RANT just for a second

So … here’s the deal … I had a fantastic wine dinner at my house this weekend. All Australian themed. My friend called me up and said, I would like to buy some wine for the dinner, can you recommend some bottles. Happily I responded with a list of bottles that I know are readily available.

As we were discussing the wine selections over appetizers I could not believe the ‘bad’ and ‘just plain horribly wrong’ information that she had received from the ‘wine person’ at the ‘big and large’ wine store. There are so many people out there handing out incorrect information about wine and confusing everyone, what’s one more, right.

During this holiday season find a wine store that you love, and a wine person you can trust. Let’s support the small wine stores, who staff their stores with love and passion and have in place a staff that can truly assist you with correct wine information.

FYI – they do make sparkling wine in Australia! and you do sell it – as I saw it on your shelf just two days before in large supply.
Merlot? Maybe.

Rachel From Loco Diner
Talk about a ghost of Christmas past. That was my first thought when I went into the cellar to pull out a bottle of red to go along with our take-out pizza the other night. This Christmas apparition, a 1996 Sterling Merlot, was still dressed in the gold ribbon it wore when it arrived at Club Loco back in the late 90s. It was dustier than I remembered.

Over the past decade, I’ve often thought of Merlot as a wine cliche, much like White Zinfandel was to the 80s. Like aphids among the vines, bottles of Merlot started to pop up everywhere. They appeared at weddings and restaurants and especially at our house during dinner parties and holidays as they arrived with guests eager to spread good cheer. Where there’s a party, there’s Merlot.

Eager to jump on the wine train, I poured and drank, and poured again. This went on for years. I just didn’t like it and I gave up. You can lead a girl to the tasting room but you can’t make her drink.

I tried to figure out what the big attraction was. I was left with the belief that it had to be the cool name. After all, it really sounds chic to say, “I’ll have a glass of Merlot.” Leaving that “t” off of the end makes the coolness official combined with the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit difficult to roll off your tongue after you’ve had a few glasses of it.

As a result, years have passed since my last taste of Merlot. That is, until this past Saturday night rolled around. You see, I really hate to go against the grape. In addition to my conformist tendencies, I have embarked on a recent journey to revisit wine that I have decided I don’t like. After all, tastes change, right? I was off to test the vintage.

Back to the 96 Sterling Merlot. I grabbed my favorite bottle opener and attempted to open it up. The cork broke. The first aphid in the grape pulp. With some assistance, I was able to remove the cork without any further incident and the wine made it into my favorite, stemless tasting glass.

If you look carefully, you can see the “ghost” in the wine.

I sniffed and swirled. Not bad. I liked the color, a deep garnet. The aroma was earthy and rich with a small bite but nothing discouraging.

I tasted. Better yet. I was greeted by a spicy and flavorful wine that had plenty of fruit and a punch of cedar. Ok. It was downright pleasant.

I’m not going to whine over spilt Merlot and will stand by my assessments of the other Merlots I have tried. They do pale in comparison to the 96 Sterling. As a result, I now find myself with even more of a dilemma.

Do I like Merlot after all? Is my new found affection exclusive to the 14- year-old bottle from Sterling Vineyards? I guess only time will tell. In the mean time, I will, once again, take my hat off to Sterling Vineyards. You really knocked this Merlot out of the Valley.