Kamary, Indie WinoI 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.
Kamary, Indie WinoThis year for Christmas I got a pretty cool hourglass wine decanter. And though I am no daily drinker of red wine, I can certainly taste the difference a little breath of fresh air makes. Usually I would just set an open bottle of red wine on the counter for a little while before finally drinking it. However, after having used a wine decanter, I’m hooked. Just when I thought swirling and sniffing were cool enough, now there’s something else I can do before finally drinking the damn goodness! I have decided that I will never go back to the old ways again and if there’s no decanter around, I’m having a beer.
Here’s a breakdown of what heck a decanter is and does; A vessel, often made out of glass or lead crystal which is My Hourglass Decanterused to separate sediment from another vessel of liquid, for example a bottle of red wine. In this separation process, the sediment is left in a small amount of liquid in the original vessel, and the clear/clean liquid remains in the decanter.
Decanting red wine, however, serves another important purpose besides the whole sediment separation bit and that is to oxygenate the wine. All the Winos I know call it Aeration so I’m rolling with that. Whereas every body outside of the Wine Blogosphere would likely call the process of adding oxygen to a liquid, Oxygenation. Whatever. I trust you’ll make the right choice.
Why do this in the first place, you ask?Well, pretend you did. Why are you so difficult? Since Wine has been sealed in a vacuumed bottle for years, its body and shape are compressed to some extent. Oxygenating wine opens it up by expanding it with air. That breath of fresh air takes the edge off and enhances the aromas and bouquet. Or not. Some Wine experts will disagree with Aeration completely but they’re not cool anyway, so let’s not even talk about them. 🙂 We’re the boss of us and we say Aeration rocks!
Okay, back to business. Decanting an old bottle of wine is quite simple if you keep in mind two steps. Firstly, it is important to stand the bottle of wine up for several hours to allow the sediment to settle to the bottom of the bottle. Why so long?! Because the big chunks of sediment will settle to the bottle quite quickly, however the finer sediment will take much longer silly.
Wine SedimentHere’s how; In a well lit room slowly begin to pour the wine into your awesome decanter. If your decanter’s not awesome, drink beer. Once you have roughly one third left in the bottle have a look at the neck of the bottle for the sediment. Continue but once you begin to see sediment in the neck of the bottle, stop pouring. The wine in your decanter should now be sediment free. If it isn’t it’s because you’re not very good at it. Practice makes perfect and it’s fun! Practice!
Some people say that it is not necessary to decant your everyday bottle of red wine. While this might be true, other people say there’s certainly no harm in it. I think those two groups should meet and duke it out sometime. I’m the kind of Wino that wants clarity. I need answers! LOL! Anyway, with your Average-Joe-Wine, there might not be as much sediment in the bottle to separate or any at all, but the aeration will still likely enhance the flavor and aromas favorably and besides all that, you need the practice going from bottle to Decanter. The easiest wine to decant will be your young bottles of wine sine the goal is to have as much of the wine come in contact with oxygen as possible. Just pour it in so it splashes a lot in the Decanter. Make sure you’ve got that new white Silk shirt on you got for Christmas! Finally, let the decanter sit for a moment to rest before serving. All that splashing about is tiring. 🙂
Kamary, Indie WinoOne thing I’ve learned about drinking wine is to ultimately trust your own taste buds, no matter what any Wine Pro attempts to tell you otherwise.
I’m famous for being in a setting where we’re all drinking a vintage that is supposed to be of exceptional taste and quality and I’m the one thinking, “Hm, this wine sucks…” whereas the others around me are seemingly orgasmic while drinking. Then I have to think, what’s MY problem anyway? “Did I just brush my teeth or something?” Is that why this glass doesn’t appeal to me?
Whatever the case, there is no WRONG in wine tasting, just differences of opinions. So with that in mind, I offer this general advice when it comes to Pairing your wine with a meal. Though many will agree with these generalities (even some Pros), it matters not to me as it’s my formula that I’ve found works for my tastes so far. Maybe it appeals to yours as well?
Salads with Sauvignon Blanc
Starters
If you are considering fresh salads of somekind, the appropriate wine may be a Sauvignon Blanc.
However, if you are serving cheese, the best company could be a Merlot. Works great with a cheese fondue as well. Been there, done that!
For pizzas, cold cuts or snacks in general, a great choice is a Rosé since they tend to be on the lighter side of the Winosphere.
Main Course
A general good choice for a main course, particularly when it is an important dish, a great wine would be a Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s an awesome ‘all around’, pair-able and certainly drinkable wine to have in the house at any time and for just about any occasion.
But, if the main course includes sour dishes such as seafood, then put your money where the Sauvignon Blanc is and I’ll bet you’ll have a perfect match!
Nonetheless, if you’re serving a red meat dish, you could stretch a bit from the norm and Malbec with Red Meatsurprise your guests with a nice Malbec wine. I recently went for an Argentinean vintage from a winemaker I met while producing their Ad spot for Wine Time TV. They gave me a few bottles as payment and I certainly couldn’t complain. Pretty sweet deal!
As any Wino would agree, there’s sort of a standard rule when it comes to fish as a main dish. White wines are the ticket in that department and I definitely agree. So far in my limited Wino-ramma lifestyle, I have to say there’s nothing better than a nice buttery Chardonnay. Then again, if it’s a greasy fish dish (say that 10 times fast…I dare you!) try a dry one on for size. Hm, that whole paragraph seems like it belongs in a Rap song. See what I mean? 🙂
Alternately, If you don’t like white wine at all, besides being weird you can also pair fish with a nice Pinot Noir. No worries, no one will think any less of you. If they do, their snobs and you shouldn’t be hanging out with them in the first place; Let alone cooking them dinner!
Lastly, spicy dishes can sometimes be tricky. I’m going to suggest a Syrah simply because I can’t think of anything better. I’ve had the experience and was quite pleased with the result. The only problem I found is, Syrah vintages aren’t often available in your basic shopping location. Maybe you’ll have to go to a real wine seller. Maybe not.
Desserts with Sweet Wine
Desserts
Taking into account that desserts themselves are sweet, it’s a logical pairing point to go for a sweet wine as well. Any other choice of wine can and will likely be succumbed by the desserts sweetness. Does that make sense? Admittedly, I’m totally NOT a dessert dude so I have little to offer on this point. However, my friend the Internet suggests a Chenin Blanc, which is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France and as we all know those Frenchies sure can make pretty happening desserts! If I’m wrong, blame the Internet.
Rachel From Loco DinerTalk 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.
This weekend our mission was clear: navigating grey skies and a slippery highway with the ultimate intention of pleasing our palates. Cautiously traipsing through the torrential downpour hammering San Luis Obispo County, a fellow wino and foodie friend and I arrived safely at our Paso Robles destination. Rain-spattered, we slogged our way through the parking lot of an industrial center to the home of Barrel 27 Wine Company, welcomed by blustery winds and the pungent scent of fermenting grapes emanating from 800 barrels of their ageing wine.
Entering the tasting room, beset by a high backdrop of round wooden vats, one of Barrel 27’s partners, Jason Carter, soon greeted us in the cool 56?F cellar atmosphere. Over the course of the next hour, not only did he guide us through a flight of several lovely wines, but also graciously allowed us to explore their barrel room, adorned with stainless steel fermentation tanks and splendid French oak casks stacked loftily to the ceiling. Our expectations for their wine already high (as we had both recently stumbled upon some of Barrel 27’s well-balanced creations), we earnestly sipped, swirled and unlocked the nuances of more of their fragrant wines.
Some of the highlights included their beautiful white Rhone blend, 2008 High on the Hog ($15), a balanced blend of creamy Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Roussane, and splash of Marsanne. Possessing a light golden touch and fresh floral and citrus nose, this silky white left splendid traces of honey and lemon zest, and finished with a hint of mineral essence. Their caramel-blushed 2005 Central Coast Rosé of Syrah ($13) exuded light berry aromas. Our first sip produced a dense acid feel, soon toning down to allow the spicy layers to unfold. Smoky orange and berry undertones brought this food friendly wine to a balanced close.
Our next splash brought us their 2007 Rock and a Hard Place Grenache ($23). With captivating fresh garnet and violet affects and a dense blueberry nose, the flavors changed as our hands warmed up the glasses in this cellar-like temperature. Alluring notes of chocolate, blueberry, and charcoal warmed our palates, leaving a rich finish of orange rind and citrus. Their complex 2006 Right Hand Man, Central Coast Syrah ($18), exuded a deep, luscious plum tone and wafted of dried cherries. Possessing smooth notes of toasted vanilla, plums, currants and mocha, their signature wine left a light peppery and raspberry finish.
The nuances of their 2007 Hand Over Fist ($30), a sophisticated Rhone-style blend of 52% Syrah, 29% Grenache, and 19% Mourvedre, resulted in a beautiful shade of intense black plums, with a light jammy nose hinting of lavender and plum. This lovely fruit medley boasted currants, cherries, orange and chocolate, with a lasting mineral finish. This new release of their first Rhone-style blend proved dense and bold. Their 2006 Bull by the Horns ($32) also attested to Barrel 27’s ability to construct unified, intense blends. This concoction of well-tamed Petite Verdot, Syrah, and Tempranillo grabbed us with its concentrated dark cherry tones, its spicy nose of currants and cocoa, and its perfectly blended layers of chocolate, blueberry, cloves, and vanilla yet peppery finish.
At the end of the day, my fellow wino (who happens to be a former Southern Wine and Spirits executive and has been involved in the wine industry for twenty years) declared Barrel 27’s wines stunning. I couldn’t agree more. In spite of the ghastly weather and feeling stuck between a rock and hard place, we found our right hand man, sipped hand over fist, rode high on the hog, grabbed the bull by the horns and discovered more outstanding well-crafted SLO County wines. Mission accomplished.
their signature wine left a light peppery and raspberry finish.