Tag Archives: Experts’ picks

Weekend wine list — experts’ picks: From Vinho Verde to dry Riesling

Posted on by

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 Aveleda Follies Vinho Verde 2006 Portugal:
Natalie MacLean — marked by "enticing aromas of grapefruit and citrus" — made from the Alvarinho grape, considered the best for Vinho Verde. Her best value white. $15.95

2006 Forest Glen Pinot Noir, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver — nice "ripe black berry and cherry flavors" but too much oak and one-dimensional. Yet you come "away satisfied and that’s what counts in the end, right?" $11

2004 “Portal Roble” from Bodegas Vinos Pinol (in the Terra Alta region of northeastern Spain):
Edward Deitch — "unusually complex and interesting for the price and reminded me that Spain still offers some of the best wine values." $20

2007 Penfold’s Thomas Hyland Riesling South Australia:
Jay McInerney — "a terrific price-to-quality ratio" for this very dry Riesling "with lime and green apple fruit." $20

Churchill’s Tawny Porto 10 Years Old:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg — "aged tawny ports trumpet their maturity on their labels as badges of honor," but here’s one for "those of us looking for the biggest bang for our bucks." $29

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 Orvieto to Central Coast Syrah

Posted on by

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 Viña Maipo Carménère Reserve Rapel Valley, Chile:
Natalie MacLean — displays a “rich red with leather, black fruit, mint and earth notes.” She calls this a “fantastic value” in a full-bodied wine.” Her best value red. $13.95

2004 Paul Jaboulet Aine “Les Jalets” Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone Valley, France:
Jerry Shriver — “easy-going sipper from one of the Rhone Valley’s best-known and reliable producers.” About $18

Domaine de Saint Siffrein (Claude Chastan) 2003:
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher — a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is “nicely restrained, with surprising structure (and) clean, crisp tastes.” $29

Orovela Saperavi 2004 Kakheti, Georgia (Black Sea, not the southern American state):
Jancis Robinson — “the best Georgian wine I have ever tasted … worth a whirl by any truly curious wine drinker.” Apparently available only in the UK, at a low of £14.99

2006 Ruffino Orvieto Classico:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg — “dry yet fruity wine with the flavor of green apples and an almondy finish … an exceptional bargain.” $8

2005 Qupé Central Coast Syrah:
Lynne Char Bennett — “sweet fruit, licorice, pepper and bright acidity in this nicely balanced Syrah.” She calls it money well spent. $17

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 juicy Merlot to Muscadet

Posted on by

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 Domaine Dereskos Chardonnay Regional Wine Of Messinia, Greece:
Natalie MacLean — “strange but enjoyable take on chardonnay — sort of like when opera diva Sarah Brightman sings pop tunes,” her best value white. $13.95

2005 Chaddsford Merlot, Pennsylvania:
Jerry Shriver — “a symbol of America’s regional winemaking renaissance … nice structure, juicy black cherry flavors and a chocolaty finish.” About $20

Torres de Anguix ‘Barrica’ 2003:
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher — “a beauty: fascinating, earthy and filled with dark fruit … truly one of the best bargains of the year.”  $9.99

2006 Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore:
Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg — under the “Soft and Mineral” category … a “‘great match'” with creamier seafood dishes. $22

2006 Domaine de la Quilla Muscadet:
Olivia Wu — among the least expensive in the “The Great Oyster Smackdown” … read this entire article if you intend to encounter an oyster in the foreseeable future. $10

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 crisp Viognier to Veltliner

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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!