Weekend wine bargains: “soft and round” tops experts’ picks

Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular wine experts, spotlighting bargains and best values.

2006 Ironstone Vineyards Obsession Symphony Sierra Foothills, U.S.A. – California:
Natalie MacLean — “soft and round with a touch of sweetness” and the brand’s typical fragrance, her best-value white. $14.95

2006 McManis Family Vineyards Syrah, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver — serves up tones of black cherries and blueberries … “I could quaff this by itself or with a nice pork roast.” About $11

Tahbilk Marsanne 2005 Nagambie Lakes, Victoria:
Jancis Robinson — she calls this quite a rare variety, “pale gold and has an attractively wide range of aromas and flavours – ripe apricots and peaches, ripe apples, something slightly floral, maybe honeysuckle, and just a little bit of honey.” Under £7 in the UK

Banfi, Toscana IGT (Tuscany, Italy) Chardonnay & Pinot Grigio “Le Rime” 2006:
Michael Franz — “tasty little wine is fresh and pure and very usefully balanced on the line between light and medium body,” offering pear and white-melon flavors. $9

Yellow Tail Chardonnay South Eastern Australia The Reserve 2005:
Wine Spectator — neither heavy nor sweet, “soft and fruity, with spice and floral character piling on.” $11

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 cheerful Pinot Noir to Syrah

 

Comparing the faves: A survey of recent selections by respected wine experts. I highlight their more-affordable picks (unless there’s a good reason to do otherwise), focusing on possible choices for weekend purchases. Check out their websites for background and other picks:

2005 Conundrum Napa Valley, U.S.A.:
Natalie MacLean says it’s her favorite white pick—with “stunning aromas of white flowers, orange blossom, lychee and honeysuckle.” $28.95

2006 Oyster Bay Pinot Noir New Zealand:
Richard Kinssies describes it as “fresh and cheerful with hints of spicy black pepper and a whiff of red cherry and raspberry fruit.” $19

Viña Tabali Late Harvest Muscat 2005 Limarí, Chile:
Jancis Robinson calls this a “sweet marvel…invigorating and explosively grapey mouthful!” Around $12 a half

2005 Concannon “Selected Vineyards” Syrah, Central Coast, Calif.:
Jerry Shriver says that while it misses the “meatiness of the best Syrahs,” it does a good job compensating with a helping of “sweet blueberry and blackberry flavors.” About $10

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 last but not least, enjoy!

 

Weekend wine picks—experts’ picks: From Sauvignon Blanc to Merlot

Comparing the faves: A survey of selections made over the past week by respected wine experts. Whenever there’s an option, I highlight their more-affordable picks, focusing on possible choices for weekend purchases. Check out their websites for background and other picks:

2005 Babich Black Label Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand:
Natalie MacLean touts the “grassy herbal aroma.” $14

2003 Copain Wines Saisons des Vins Syrah l’Hiver:
Robert Parker calls this Copain’s “finest value.” $20

Dom Gayda, L’Archet Maccabeo 2005 Vin de Pays d’Oc:
Jancis Robinson says it’s “much more serious than the price suggests.” £8.49

2005 Veramonte Merlot, Casablanca Valley, Chile:
Jerry Shriver says that the price “is about the only thing that’s subtle about this luscious wine.” About $9

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 last but not least, enjoy!

 

Web sips: Wine headlines, 8/21/07

Handpicked stories from across the Web…

To Screw Cap Wine Bottles or Not?
Quick answer: Like everything in life, it’s not so simple, according to this informative Q&A that explains the differences and why you have to match the wine with the stopper.

Reader mail meets impossible food wine pairings: nori!
Hint: It has something to do with dried & seasoned seaweed, and a French boyfriend.

‘Pretty fantastic’ grape harvest underway
Some positive but counterintuitive news from California’s North Coast: A smaller than average harvest is predicted, but that typically means “well-developed grapes and good prices.”

Wine as a health drink
Wine has now been officially declared as being good for your health, says a high-ranking official in the Indian federal state of Maharashtra.