Wine Category: Red
Type of Wine: Pinot Noir
Wine Name: La Crema Los Carneros
Producer: La Crema Winery
Vintage: 2007
Region: Windsor, California
Appellation: Los Carneros Hillside
Alcohol: 14.5%
Average Price per Bottle: $32.00; on sale for $19.99
Production Notes: The wine was aged for ten months in French Oak, 35% of which were new barrels
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Sitting at the southern most point of the Sonoma Mountains, where the Sonoma valley meets the Napa valley, is Los Carneros, one of this country’s oldest and most
Archive for Budget-Friendly Wine Review
La Crema Los Carneros Pinot Noir, 2007
by Shannon Cyr on February 21st, 2012 | California Wine, Wine
2009 Prince Valiant
by Shannon Cyr on February 15th, 2012 | Red Wine, Wine
Wine Category: Red
Type of Wine: Blend
Wine Name: Prince Valiant, an American Red Wine
Producer: Cellardoor Winery
Vintage: 2009
Region: Lincolnville, Maine
Appellation: Unknown. Currently, the winery does not grow its own grapes – they are sourced from vineyards across the country
Grapes Used: Zinfandel (46%), Mourvèdre (23%), Tempranillo, (23%), and Malbec (8%)
Alcohol: 14%
Average Price per Bottle: $18.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Cellardoor winery is located in Lincolnville, Maine on a 68-acre, century-old farm. Michael and I attended a wine tasting event at the winery in 2011
Type of Wine: Blend
Wine Name: Prince Valiant, an American Red Wine
Producer: Cellardoor Winery
Vintage: 2009
Region: Lincolnville, Maine
Appellation: Unknown. Currently, the winery does not grow its own grapes – they are sourced from vineyards across the country
Grapes Used: Zinfandel (46%), Mourvèdre (23%), Tempranillo, (23%), and Malbec (8%)
Alcohol: 14%
Average Price per Bottle: $18.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Cellardoor winery is located in Lincolnville, Maine on a 68-acre, century-old farm. Michael and I attended a wine tasting event at the winery in 2011
Columbia Crest’s 2005 Two Vines Shiraz
by Dennis Mayer on February 14th, 2012 | Budget-Friendly Wine Review, Red Wine, Wine
Just about everyone knows that wine improves with age, but exactly why is that?
Well, the fermentation process that makes wine (along with beer, and the foundation for liquor) produces more than alcohol (or ethanol, to be exact.) Trace amounts of other chemicals -- including methanol, acetone, and other lesser known compounds -- are created by the yeast. Those compounds are part of what give unrefined, unaged alcohols their rough kick and their harsh flavor.
Fusel oils break down over time, which help to mellow out the alcohol in question. In the case of wine, strong reds with distinct flavors and
Well, the fermentation process that makes wine (along with beer, and the foundation for liquor) produces more than alcohol (or ethanol, to be exact.) Trace amounts of other chemicals -- including methanol, acetone, and other lesser known compounds -- are created by the yeast. Those compounds are part of what give unrefined, unaged alcohols their rough kick and their harsh flavor.
Fusel oils break down over time, which help to mellow out the alcohol in question. In the case of wine, strong reds with distinct flavors and
2008 Rusack Anacapa
by Shannon Cyr on February 7th, 2012 | California Wine, Red Wine, Wine
Wine Category: Red
Type of Wine: Blend
Wine Name: Anacapa
Producer: Rusack
Vintage: 2008
Region: Santa Ynez, California
Appellation: Rusack’s Anacapa blend is sourced from three different grape varietals, including Cabernet Franc, which makes up a majority of the blend at 82%; Petit Verdot at 16%; and Merlot at 2%.
Alcohol: 14.7%
Average Price per Bottle: $40.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
While visiting Santa Ynez, California, last December, I had the opportunity to taste several memorable wines, and the Rusack Anacapa was one of them. I’m not usually a
Type of Wine: Blend
Wine Name: Anacapa
Producer: Rusack
Vintage: 2008
Region: Santa Ynez, California
Appellation: Rusack’s Anacapa blend is sourced from three different grape varietals, including Cabernet Franc, which makes up a majority of the blend at 82%; Petit Verdot at 16%; and Merlot at 2%.
Alcohol: 14.7%
Average Price per Bottle: $40.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
While visiting Santa Ynez, California, last December, I had the opportunity to taste several memorable wines, and the Rusack Anacapa was one of them. I’m not usually a
Big Fire 2009
by Shannon Cyr on February 3rd, 2012 | Red Wine, Wine
Wine Category: Red
Type of Wine: Pinot Noir
Wine Name: Big Fire Pinot Noir
Producer: R. Stuart & Co.
Vintage: 2009
Region: Oregon coast
Appellation: The grapes were harvested from several Oregon vineyards, including: Ana, Courting Hill, Daffodil Hill, Falcon Glen, Melrose, Temperance Hill, Tukwilla, Weber, Wells, Winderlea
Alcohol: 13.4%
Average Price per Bottle: $19.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Michael and I received a bottle of Big Fire Pinot Noir for Christmas and finally got around to tasting it over the weekend. I love getting wine as a gift
Type of Wine: Pinot Noir
Wine Name: Big Fire Pinot Noir
Producer: R. Stuart & Co.
Vintage: 2009
Region: Oregon coast
Appellation: The grapes were harvested from several Oregon vineyards, including: Ana, Courting Hill, Daffodil Hill, Falcon Glen, Melrose, Temperance Hill, Tukwilla, Weber, Wells, Winderlea
Alcohol: 13.4%
Average Price per Bottle: $19.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Michael and I received a bottle of Big Fire Pinot Noir for Christmas and finally got around to tasting it over the weekend. I love getting wine as a gift
2011 J.W. Morris Moscato
by Dennis Mayer on January 31st, 2012 | White Wine, Wine
Today's wine comes to us by way of one of the few enlightened supermarkets in Massachusetts that sells alcohol. I was shopping there a few weeks ago when I stumbled upon a promotional wine tasting. I've forgotten which vineyard or vintner, exactly, was being featured, but I remember selecting their moscato, since it was the only varietal I couldn't ever remember tasting. I almost started laughing when I knocked it back -- the wine was so ridiculously sweet, simple, and smooth. It tasted more like candy than wine.
Consulting my always-reliable source for wine knowledge, Wikipedia, I've learned that
Consulting my always-reliable source for wine knowledge, Wikipedia, I've learned that
Mulled Wine
by Dennis Mayer on January 27th, 2012 | Cocktails, Hot Drinks, Wine
Finding a good winter drink isn't too hard. Plenty of seasonal beers can be refreshing on a cold day. Any spirit, served neat, can help warm a body on a cold day. But finding a warm winter drink... that's a bit harder, if only because we're so predisposed to serving drinks on ice (and ice cold) these days.
There are a few hot drinks out there (the hot toddy, the Tom and Jerry, the blue blazer.) There are any number of punches that can be served warm (Esquire cocktail writer David Wondrich has done plenty of research on
There are a few hot drinks out there (the hot toddy, the Tom and Jerry, the blue blazer.) There are any number of punches that can be served warm (Esquire cocktail writer David Wondrich has done plenty of research on
2009 Jargon Pinot Noir
by Shannon Cyr on January 25th, 2012 | California Wine, Red Wine, Wine
Wine Category: Red
Type of Wine: Pinot Noir
Producer: Jargon
Vintage: 2009
Region: Napa, California
Appellation: St. Helena
Alcohol: 13.5%
Average Price per Bottle: $12.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Over the weekend, my fiancé, Michael, and I set out to dispel the myth that you can’t find a good Pinot Noir for less than $15.00. We ventured up the street to our local wine store and pored over their selection. We were both attracted to Jargon’s bright and playful label. The character on the front of the bottle caught our
Type of Wine: Pinot Noir
Producer: Jargon
Vintage: 2009
Region: Napa, California
Appellation: St. Helena
Alcohol: 13.5%
Average Price per Bottle: $12.00
Bottle Size: 750 milliliters
Over the weekend, my fiancé, Michael, and I set out to dispel the myth that you can’t find a good Pinot Noir for less than $15.00. We ventured up the street to our local wine store and pored over their selection. We were both attracted to Jargon’s bright and playful label. The character on the front of the bottle caught our
2009 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc
by Shannon Cyr on January 20th, 2012 | California Wine, White Wine, Wine
Wine Category: White
Type of Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
Producer: Star Lane Vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Region: California
Sub-region: The Central Coast
Appellation: Santa Barbara
Alcohol: 13.4%
Average Price per Bottle: $20.00
While traveling through the Santa Ynez Valley last month, we stopped off at the Star Lane Vineyard to check out some of their wines. The vineyard rests at the eastern end of the Santa Ynez valley in the “Happy Canyon” region. While we tasted several of the Star Lane wines, their Sauvignon Blanc was one of my favorites.
Appearance:
Type of Wine: Sauvignon Blanc
Producer: Star Lane Vineyard
Vintage: 2009
Region: California
Sub-region: The Central Coast
Appellation: Santa Barbara
Alcohol: 13.4%
Average Price per Bottle: $20.00
While traveling through the Santa Ynez Valley last month, we stopped off at the Star Lane Vineyard to check out some of their wines. The vineyard rests at the eastern end of the Santa Ynez valley in the “Happy Canyon” region. While we tasted several of the Star Lane wines, their Sauvignon Blanc was one of my favorites.
Appearance:
Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel 2008
by Dennis Mayer on January 17th, 2012 | California Wine, Red Wine, Wine
Zinfandel gets a bad name, mainly because its mother grapes are used to make the low-alcohol, lowly regarded rosé known as white zinfandel.
As you've probably noticed, all grapes, whether light- or dark-skinned, have translucent pink flesh inside. Red wines (and whites) get most of their color and flavor from the complex compounds in the grapes' skins. When the juice made from zinfandel grapes is separated from the crushed skins before fermenting, the result is white zinfandel -- low-voltage, simplistic, and quaffable. My unfortunate source on winemaking and wine history, Wikipedia, tells me that the modern method and recipe for
As you've probably noticed, all grapes, whether light- or dark-skinned, have translucent pink flesh inside. Red wines (and whites) get most of their color and flavor from the complex compounds in the grapes' skins. When the juice made from zinfandel grapes is separated from the crushed skins before fermenting, the result is white zinfandel -- low-voltage, simplistic, and quaffable. My unfortunate source on winemaking and wine history, Wikipedia, tells me that the modern method and recipe for
