Get ready for summer with ‘young, fresh Sauvignon Blanc’ – and do it soon

Summer will never have tasted so good if you follow some simple advice from Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher: “Stick with young, fresh Sauvignon Blanc from just about anywhere and it will be hard to go wrong.”

That tip comes from their recent Wall Street Journal article about the Flavors of Summer. Spotlighted are the luscious offerings of France, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa and the USA (at times called Fumé Blanc, “quite sophisticated, sometimes with some weight and mouthfeel, but still varietal — a neat trick that’s delicious to try”).

The piece examines the characteristics of the various products. It lists approximate prices. It draws on these consummate reviewers’ drinking experiences over the past decade. And it offers some timely guidance:

The wines from the 2008 vintage in the Southern Hemisphere will be here before too long. When these are brand new, they are particularly exciting and vibrant. Grab the first one you see.

Want to find a perfectly priced bottle of wine? Give the Smarter Wine Search a try.

Latest Web wine buzz — from Spanish excellence to Bordeaux bargains

Tune in to what top wine bloggers and experts are decanting into cyberspace with handpicked highlights of their latest and greatest, ranging from “emerging excellence” from Spain and an un-frugal selection for the wine-lover in your life to Bordeaux strategies and South American bargains.


“Emerging excellence” is the theme of the latest column by Michael Franz at Wine Review Online — and decent prices might be a sub-theme — for what he calls remarkable wines from three Spanish areas.

Thirteen wines are listed, ranging from $12 to $30, and most are seen as terrific values, “balanced and packed with deep, satisfying flavors.”

There’s little doubt that Spain, of all the countries in Europe, is sending us the best bargains in red wine … The only bad news to be reported is that availability in North America is spotty from market to market … So, you may need to do a bit of searching to try these wines, but I believe they are well worth the search.


Warning: Utterly forget the Wine News Review fairly frugal affordability index with this item.

For Dorothy J. Gaiter And John Brecher at The Wall Street Journal, it’s that pre-holiday time of year when they like to recommend “one break-the-bank, you-shouldn’t-have bottle for the wine-lover in your life.”

This time around it’s the “lusty” Penfolds Grange, made from Shiraz and occasionally some Cabernet Sauvignon. They tasted 10 vintages, going back to 1971, and were blown away.

We have been writing this column for almost a decade now and have been drinking and studying wine for 35 years, but we have never had such a consistently exciting tasting. We expected to enjoy these wines, but we never would have guessed that five of the 10 wines would rate Delicious or higher.


Even the cost of Grange seems incredibly modest compared with Bordeaux prices, which as Joseph Ward at The Washington Post observes, have “gone mad.” Like, $8,000 for a case of wine?!

The good news is that Bordeaux lovers can continue to drink Bordeaux, and not go bankrupt — “with some adjustments.” Ward highlights five Bordeaux finds ranging from $20 to $120 dollars.

And he offers several strategies to help you latch on to other relatively affordable bottles, including:

Look for undervalued great wines from earlier vintages — another reason you’ll need a good wine merchant, although the Internet is useful, too. An outstanding vintage for the mainly cabernet-sauvignon wines of the M-doc is 1996, while 1998 favored the merlot communes of St. Emilion and Pomerol. High 2005 prices have put pressure on those earlier vintages, but there are still relative bargains. And those wines have several years of bottle age and are either close to or at their peak, so it won’t be long before you can realize a delectable return on your investment.


For more down-to-earth bargains, turn to Food & Wine, where Ray Isle serves up the “17 best values” from Chile and Argentina.

Isle starts us off with a little history lesson: Did you know that when the first Thanksgiving was being celebrated in Plymouth Colony in 1621, grapes had been cultivated in those two South American countries for nearly 75 years?

Not all of their wines today may be remarkable, “or even good,” Isle says, but “best bottlings” like those listed in this article, ranging from $9 to $20, are extraordinary buys that could easily grace a modern-day Thanksgiving table. A nice primer:

From Chile, look for crisp, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc from the Casablanca and San Antonio valleys, both located close to the Pacific Ocean, and reds made from Carmenère, a distinctively spicy French grape abundant in Chilean vineyards. In Argentina, the Salta province is known for Torrontés, a native grape variety with a distinctive, floral aroma that makes some of the country’s most interesting whites. But Malbec from Mendoza is unquestionably the country’s marquee variety—its rich blueberry and blackberry flavors, light smokiness and soft tannins lead to immensely appealing red wines.


Switching continents, Roger Voss at Wine Enthusiast tells us to prepare for another surprise from Austria.

That is, don’t just think of whites such as Grüner Veltliner and Rieslings when it comes to Austrian wines, because producers have been busily upgrading their red wine-making techniques.

Ten notable red-wine producers are spotlighted. But, as Voss explains, not all is rosy, at least from a pocketbook perspective:

There is, sadly, a downside to these deliciously fruity, sometimes complex, serious wines: price. High local demand has meant that for us—especially with the weak dollar—these wines are not cheap. The norm is $25 and up, although there are some wines under $20.

But it is worth seeking out a selection of the best (see sidebar). Austria has not yet reached the world league for its reds, as it has for its whites. But the producers are moving fast. Ten years ago, this article could not have been written.

Weekend wine list — experts’ picks: From crisp Viognier to Veltliner

Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from top wine experts. Whenever there’s an option, I highlight the more-affordable wines, focusing on possible choices for weekend purchases. Check their websites for full descriptions and other picks:

2006 Anakena Single Vineyard Viognier Rapel Valley, Chile:
Natalie MacLean — “crisp, well-balanced Viognier,” her best value white. $15.95

2005 Jekel Pinot Noir, Monterey County, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver — “beautiful, soft and light sipper,” not to mention: “Love, love, love this price.” $15

Casa Silva 2005 Carmenère Los Lingues Estate:
Robert Parker — “superb aromatic array” with lots of structure. $7

Domäne Wachau (Freie Weingärtner) ‘Terrassen; Federspiel’ 2006 (Wachau):
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher — “simply couldn’t believe” the price for for this “fascinating and fine” Austrian Grüner Veltliner. $11.99

2006 J Pinot Gris (J Vineyards and Winery in the Russian River Valley of California’s Sonoma County):
Edward Deitch — “lush and beautiful,” with notes of pear, white peach and strawberry. $20

Gruet Brut NV New Mexico:
Jancis Robinson — “refreshingly zesty and dry,” tastes as though it should cost at least twice its price. $13-$15

2006 Cono Sur Casablanca Valley Sauvignon Blanc:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg — “a perfect match of soft, creamy flavors, making it difficult to tell where the oyster ends and the wine begins.” $12

2004 Benziger Family Winery Sonoma County Merlot:
Olivia Wu — “easy to like and easy to drink … it hits all the right Merlot notes” $19

Nothing tempting? Or maybe just not available at the local wine shop? Try browsing the latest wine reports from this custom collection of hundreds of news websites — filtered for bargains, continuously updated, and quick and easy to scan:

  • Reds (from Beaujolais to Zinfandel)
  • Whites (from Chablis to Sauvignon Blanc).

To hit closer to home, try WNR’s Advanced Wine Search tool and see what wine finds local columnists and wine experts may be writing about in your area. Once there, just type in your city and state (within quotation marks, as in, “Napa, California”), to get results ranked by relevance.

Or dig into some perennial standbys at SFGate.com’s Top 100 Wines of 2006, the Top 100 of 2006 list (PDF download) from Wine Spectator and the list of 50 Wines You Can Always Trust from Food & Wine.

Attracted to a bottle that’s advertised in the local paper or sitting on the local wine store shelf?

Do a little background research with Wine Enthusiast’s free, searchable Wine Buying Guide—either with a specific name or by types and price. For a little extra info, try Robert Parker’s handy Vintage Chart. Or see what the online wine community says about it with the search tools at cork’d, snooth or Wine Log.

Once you’ve selected the wine, you naturally want to decide what to eat with it. For some savvy guidance, try Natalie MacLean’s Wine & Food Matcher, which boasts a database of 360,000 wine-food pairings.

The Web is about community. So take a moment to comment about your experience with a particular wine — to help steer others to or away from it. And of course, have a great weekend!

Weekend wine list — experts’ picks: From Cotes du Rhone to Mendocino

Comparing the faves: A survey of recent selections from respected wine experts. Whenever there’s an option, I highlight their more-affordable picks. Check out their websites for background and other picks:

2006 Anakena Single Vineyard Viognier Rapel Valley, Chile:
Natalie MacLean dubs it the best value among her recent white-wine selections, a “gorgeous Viognier!” $15.95

2005 Jean-Luc Colombo Les Abeilles Cotes du Rhone:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg describe this as slightly lighter than California pinot noir, with “more earthiness than fruit.” $10

Saint André de Figuière “Cuvée Valerie” Côtes de Provence 2006:
Dave McIntyre finds in it a “sunny, rejuvenating acidity and slight, enticingly herbaceous flavor.” $14

2006 Husch Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver describes it as “crisp and focused,” with melon and grapefruit flavors that should make it “perfect for Indian summer sipping.” About $13

2006 Castello Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio:
Peter M. Gianotti calls it a “refreshing Tuscan, with citrus notes.” $20

Nothing tempting? Or just not available at the local wine shop?

Dig into some perennial standbys at SFGate.com’s Top 100 Wines of 2006, the Top 100 of 2006 list (PDF download) from Wine Spectator and the list of 50 Wines You Can Always Trust from Food & Wine.

Attracted to a bottle that’s advertised in the local paper or sitting on the local wine store shelf?

Do a little background research with Wine Enthusiast’s free, searchable Wine Buying Guide—either with a specific name or by types and price. For a little extra info, try Robert Parker’s handy Vintage Chart. Or see what the online wine community says about it with the search tools at cork’d, snooth or Wine Log.

Once you’ve selected the wine, you naturally want to decide what to eat with it. For some savvy guidance, try Natalie MacLean’s Wine & Food Matcher, which boasts a database of 360,000 wine-food pairings.

Feel free to share your experiences. And of course, enjoy!