Prepared to Party

It has been a while since I've written. Things always get in the way - life, death, and the occasional casual detox period to remind myself that I love the flavor more than the buzz. But we are at the start of holiday season, so you will need to be prepared to grab that bottle quickly on the way to a party... or three!

Enter Monte Oton Garnacha from Spain, circa 2006.

I recently paired this yummy wine with a Thai dish because the store description promised a fruity wine. Yes, a succulent Reisling is an ideal match for Thai cuisine, but my heart belongs to red. PLUS, Thai and red wine both warm my soul on a chilled late fall evening.

I picked it up again when I planned another impromptu Thai night. This time I savored it. The nose is rich, spicy, and peppery. The flavor bursts on your tongue like a juicy berry... maybe strawberry, maybe cherry. There's a tiny hint of licorice, but not enough to throw off the fruity balance.

Strawberries, licorice... and Thai? Sounds bizarre, but it works for me. The spice matches the Thai and the juicy fruit is powerful enough to stand up to the strong flavors. And at $9.99, it's the perfect price-point for party preparation. Like the alliteration?

Oh, and the bottle is adorable. Covered in modern, colorful, polka-dots. Perfect to hand to your brave holiday host or hostess.

More to come...

$6.99 and Feelin' Fine

You might be thinking - $6.99? Gotta be crap jug wine or box wine (I'll save the rising quality of boxed wines for another day). But not so! I've had four different $6.99 wines in the last two days (hey, I had help drinking them, I swear!) and they were all better than expected.

Rising far above expectations were two of them - Osborne Solaz 2005 Tempranillo (Spain) and Fetzer's 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (California). Fetzer first, any wine that draw's my best friend to the dark side of Cabernet is a winner in my eyes. My BFF started her reds journey with Chianti after our extensive stay in Florence, Italy. Granted, nothing competes for a good pairing with Pizza ai Funghi. But I gradually drew her to Pinot Noir and now, with the help of Fetzer, to the grand world of Cabernet Sauvignon! Dark cherry, hint of chocolate and vanilla, nice level of spice... it was the chocolate that sucked in my friend and spice that secured me. Stable, rich, and worth more than every penny.

Now Solaz was a wildcard. I am not nearly as familiar with Spanish wines. My cooking buddy, The Muttering Chef, chose this one. I got a hint of oak, but she contested. We both agreed that it was tart and fruity from the beginning. Her reaction was "oooh, dry!" which led to a discussion on what is dry and what are tannins? I'll get into that more later, but suffice to say her accusation of tannins supported my theory of oak, because oaking a wine increases the tannins! What are tannins? If you ever drink a wine and all the moisture leaves your tongue and it sticks to the roof of your mouth, that is due to tannins. It gives the wine body and fullness. It generally comes from the skins of the red grapes.

So the moral of the story is... if you ever try to get your car inspected and there is no hope of it passing and you find yourself carless and not wanting to spend excess money on wine... do not despair. There are lots of quality options within your price range. Wine first, cars second.

Swinging on a Grape Vine

If you are looking for a fun wine with an artistic label, try Gala Rouge's Pinot Noir. I admit, it was the fifth bottle opened tonight at a dinner party. But I've had it before. I was first attracted to it at a wine expo at Mohegan Sun. At a wine expo you are thinking, or at least I was, "Oooooh , lots of free wine!" What caught my eye for Gala Rouge was the postcard they were giving away with a copy of their label art. It is a Moulin-rouge-style dancer flying gloriously on a swing. You look at it and think, "I want to be that carefree. I want to be on a swing. I NEED that wine!"

How much of wine sales are attributed to label design? Even with my VERY limited knowledge of wines, a good label will get me to try something new.

But can you trust a cute label? Are looks everything? In this case, yes. Easy-drinking, smooth, Gala Rouge (rhyme totally intended).

I'm sorry this is a short post, it was a fun dinner party, but Gala Rouge's Pinot Noir goes for around $9.99 and is definitely worth a try. If you don't like it, peel off the label and stick it on your wall.

Knock on Wood

I recently had a conversation with a fellow grape nut about why I hate Chardonnay. Okay, let me qualify that. I dont HATE Chardonnay. I can appreciate it under the right circumstances and paired with the right food. What I don't like is OAKY Chardonnay. For those of you who are new to the wine world, you may not know that wines, both red and white, are often stored and aged in oak barrels. This gives the wine a woody, vanilla taste that adds complexity. It's also more complicated than that, has something to do with the barrels letting in a certain amount of oxygen. But the gist is that when Chardonnay is stored in oak barrels, it takes on a buttery vanilla flavor. Blech! It can be California or French oak. French is more subtle, doesn't completely overpower the flavor of the wine. (Yay France!) But oak does have its place, and I can even appreciate it in a red wine. Unlike poor defenseless white, red wine has a stronger flavor and can stand up to pushy oak. The conversation about Chardonnay started because a friend had left half a bottle in my fridge after a girls' night. Now that I've knocked on wood (pun totally intended), I admit that the conversation ended with me saying "But I'm still going to drink it. It's still better than soda."

It's so hard to say "good buy"

What is a "good buy"? Ideally, you would think inexpensive. Unfortunately for my wallet, that isn't the case. A good buy means good value. Pricey or cheap, but worth every penny. But isn't that subjective? One of my favorite wines is Cline's Mourvedre. Cline Cellars, known for their "ancient vines", has resurrected or preserved the Mourvedre grape in California. Mourvedre is a key grape in France's renowned Chateauneuf-du-pape (which I've actually never had and am dying to try). But I looooove Mourvedre. It is rich and earthy with plum flavors, pairs well with herbed meats and dark chocolate, phenomenal with lamb roasted with Herbes de Provence. But back to the question at hand, is a good buy in the eye (or tongue) of the beholder? I love Cline's Mourvedre and the cheapest I've found it for is maybe $13 and locally for about $16. Okay, not a fortune for your standard wine connoisseur. But for a struggling twenty-something, it's more than should be invested in your average weeknight wine. I would classify it as a good buy - more than I should spend, but worth every penny. Perhaps it is the psych-major in me resurfacing, but it is it a good value because it is a great wine? Or is it a good value just because I like it? Who makes the call on what is a good buy? Something to think about... over a good glass of wine.

As easy as riding a bike

So I will introduce this fabulous blog with my newest favorite wine. Those of you who've seen Sideways may have heard of the finicky, but well-worth-it grape - Pinot Noir. Famous for its participation in the wine known as Burgundy in France, it has also found a loving home in Oregon. But enough history, I love Pinot Noir. Black cherry, lighter than Cab, lush, yummy! And my newest favorite is a French Pinot Noir (imported by California?) called Red Bicyclette, or as we crass Americans would say - Red Bike. The bottle reads "Delicate black cherry and rich plum, with subtle notes of cinnamon, wonderfully balanced and easy to enjoy, as easy as riding a bike." And it is easy, or it will make you easy after drinking a whole bottle, which I would never ever do, never.But aside from the fact that I managed to get a 2 for $16 deal, this wine is scrumptious. The perfect introduction to those of you girly white drinkers looking for the perfect "gateway" red. Enjoy!