New and notable wine headlines, including top bargains and presidential matchups

Handpicked wine stories from across the Web…

Bargain wines: The list of 15 all-American bargains revealed
“I’m not going to play favorites with this list: If it’s on here, it’s an outstanding bargain.” Nuff said.

The top 10 wines of 2007: Edward Deitch names his top reds and whites of the year
Five whites and five reds, and all but two are under $20, “which reinforces the point that you can find superb wines at modest prices.”

A Low Profile, and a Price to Match
Singing the praises of pinot gris, from Oregon, “a wine of character and interest.”

Wine drinkers’ resolutions
“Resolve to make 2008 the year you start a wine collection, even if you don’t have a cellar.” Amen.

Wine Gone Bad
Actually, bad means good when it comes to the fortified wines described (along with food pairings) in this breezy backgrounder.

Pouring In: At a Raft of New Bars, the Wine Comes First
Not quite as ubiquitous as Starbucks, but “wine bars are enjoying an urban boomlet that has surprised even some of their proprietors.”

Red, white and blue wine: a wine lover’s guide to the presidential primaries
A hoot, with photos to illustrate the selections.

Thirsty for more news? Follow up by digging into continuously updated feeds from national and international news outlets: The focus is on red, white and organic wine bargains.

Weekend wine bargains: Thanksgiving edition, experts pick reds and whites

Comparing the picks: A special survey of Thanksgiving selections from popular wine experts and publications.

The spotlight in on bargains and best values ranging from an Italian bubbly to an “Old Vines” Beaujolais (with a couple California favorites to boot).

 

2006 Chardonnay, Justin Vineyards & Winery, Calif. Between $15 and $20
2006 Beaujolais “Old Vines” Jean-Paul Brun, France $14
Edward Deitch — Both red and white wines pair well with a Thanksgiving feast. “But which reds and which whites? That’s a somewhat tougher question…” This two-part series examines both, including the two picks listed here and several others in the linked stories: Part 1, whites. Part 2, reds.

Bisol 2005 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Crede Brut, Italy
Dr. Vino — A bubbly for starters. This dry Prosecco has been a sure hit at Dr. Vino’s wine classes. Along with other selections as the meal progresses. $15

Rodney Strong Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2001, Sonoma County, Calif.
Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher — The two Wall Street Journal wine writers serve up some favorites for the CBS News Saturday Early Show. $13

2004 or 2005 Zind Humbrecht Pinot d’Alsace, France
The Dallas Morning News — This Thanksgiving wine-tasting panel’s favorite … “rich and slightly honeyed, with intriguing spice notes.” One of several listed. $14

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to you local wine shop — even if a specific favorite isn’t available, ask the salesperson to recommend something similar. Or 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)
  • Organic (red, white, in between)

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 ‘peaceful’ to bubbly pleasure

Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular wine experts, ranging from a powerfully drinkable Cabernet and “peaceful” Chardonnay to a plentifully pleasurable bubbly and a black-cherry high-ender.

2005 Jacques & François Lurton Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon Mendozza, Argentina:
Natalie MacLean — combining “drinkability with power,” this Cabernet serves up “a whole lot of quality per cubic milliliter.” $14.95

2006 Buehler Vineyards Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver — a “peaceful wine” … the “gentleness of the ripe pear flavors, the soothing quality of the creamy texture and the homespun baked-cookie aromas just put me in an all-is-right-with-the-world mood.” $14

Alceño/Pedro Luis Martinez, Jumilla (Murcia, Spain) Crianza “Seleccion” 2004:
Michael Franz — “very well made from impressive material” and exhibiting complex flavors ranging from “subtly toasty oak … and light spices,” along with fruitiness. $16

J Laurens, Les Graimenous Brut 2005 Crémant de Limoux:
Jancis Robinson — “pleasure a plenty” seems to say it all for the dry bubbly from the far south of France that greets you with “deliciously inviting aromas of freshly baked apples and cream” when your nose first touches it. From £7.49 in the UK and also available in Europe and the US

2006 Colonia Las Liebres (bonarda):
Edward Deitch — a find from the Rivadavia and East Mendoza regions of Argentina, “a first-rate wine and an excellent value.” $7

2004 Corison Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon:
Lynne Char Bennett — seemingly the best pick from this group of high-enders (let’s put the WNR fairly frugal affordability index aside temporarily) with a nose that “shows black cherry, cola and baking spice amid toast and sweet vanilla.” $70

Whenever there’s an option, the more-affordable wine is spotlighted, focusing on possible choices for weekend purchases. Prices are approximate. Check websites for full descriptions and other picks

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to you local wine shop — even if a specific favorite isn’t available, ask the salesperson to recommend something similar. Or 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)
  • Organic (red, white, in between)

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: ‘terrific’ Riesling to ‘seductive’ Syrah

Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular 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:

2004 750 Langwerth Von Simmern Riesling Kabinett Rheingau, Germany:
Natalie MacLean — you’ll find it to be a “terrific, well-balanced riesling with refreshing aromas of lime and citrus,” goes well with chicken, pork, ham. $22.95

Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc:
Jerry Shriver — “hits you with a seductive flowery bouquet, which leads to faintly sweet and lush pear flavors and brown-spice notes” — recommended with spicy Asian seafood dishes. $12

Cockburn’s Ten Year Old Tawny Port:
Jay McInerney — “lighter and mellower than the Vintage Ports from this house and slightly drier in style than other tawnies.” $26.99

Etim Blanco 2005 Montsant:
Jancis Robinson — she calls this 100% Garnacha Blanca “a revelation and a bargain … a full bodied, flavour-packed yet refreshing dry white.” £6.99

Stefano Moccagatta 2004 Tannat:
Edward Deitch — “one of the best red wines I’ve tasted this year … elegant and refined, full of dark berry fruit — blackberry, blueberry and boysenberry.” $26

Colli Orientali del Friuli, Pinot Grigio ‘Ramato’, Visintini (2006):
decanter.com — “marvellous wine from Grave del Friuli breaks the Pinot Grigio mould,” with its pale copper colour and “lovely purity of fruit.” £8.95

2003 Goose Ridge Vineyards Columbia Valley Syrah:
Lynne Char Bennett — a “rewarding” wine whose aspects include “dark woody notes, peppery bacon, extracted blackberry,” among an ample list of Washington state Syrah and Rhone-style blends featured here. $20

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to you local wine shop — even if a specific favorite isn’t available, ask the salesperson to recommend something similar. Or 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 smooth Malbec to juicy Shiraz

Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular 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 Alamos Malbec Argentina:
Natalie MacLean — “full-bodied, smooth and supple” — her best value red. $14.95

2006 Hayman & Hill Reserve Selection Riesling, Columbia Valley:
Jerry Shriver — “full of pure, fresh-tasting fruit … an ideal partner for Asian-style seafood dishes.” About $15

Broadbent, Vinho Verde (Portugal) Broadbent Selections NV:
Michael Franz — “the ticket for a bracing, supremely refreshing glass of wine for a warm Indian Summer evening.” He calls it a “striking wine at a strikingly attractive price.” $8

The Little Penguin  Shiraz South Eastern Australia 2006:
Wine Spectator — “smooth and juicy, with pretty blueberry and plum flavors” — with a nice finish, but drink it now. $8

Les Fiefs de Lagrange 2001 St-Julien:
Jancis Robinson — “sappy, lively, very respectable Médoc which has quite enough fruit to counterbalance the ambitious tannin level,” but drink it from spring of next year until 2016. $24.99

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to you local wine shop — even if a specific favorite isn’t available, ask the salesperson to recommend something similar. Or 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!