Tag Archives: Riesling

Experts’ weekend wine bargains: From ‘succulent peach’ to French ‘gem’

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Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular wine experts, spotlighting bargains and best values among other choices at their websites.

Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Valley (Washington) Riesling 2007:
Paul Lukacs, Wine Review Online — An “amazing value,” it’s described as “off dry” but offering “succulent peach, apricot and citrus fruit flavors without ever seeming saccharine or sappy.” $10

Concha Y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Central Valley Casillero del Diablo Reserve 2006:
James Molesworth, Wine Spectator Online — “Soft, with a straightforward mix of dark cherry, sweet toast and herb notes.” $14-$18

2006 Domaine du Tariquet, Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne, France:
Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY — “The full name of this gem from southwestern France may be a mouthful but this graceful wine slips easily down your throat.” About $13

Inama, Vin Soave 2006 Soave Classico:
Jancis Robinson, JancisRobinson.com — “The nose is certainly vibrantly lemony but what really distinguishes it from more ordinary Soaves is its whoosh of real, ripe fruit concentration on the mid palate yet with no sacrifice of either delicacy or refreshment value.” $10.99

MacRostie 2006 Carneros Chardonnay:
Edward Deitch, MSNBC.com — Fresh and sophisticated, “a superb value, revealing lush fruit combined with exceptional balance.” About $23

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to your 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 Smarter Wine Search tool and see what wine finds 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 scroll down to the bottom of this page and dig into top wine lists from a variety of sources. You’ll also find links to everything from a food-pairing database to websites for comparative wine ratings.

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!

The Web’s wine buzz: Including tips to make Chinese New Year more festive

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Tune in to what top wine bloggers and experts are decanting into cyberspace with handpicked highlights of their latest and greatest. In this episode, we find advice for long-unopened bottles, tips for making the coming Year of the Rat more festive and a long list of reasons to think again about Merlot.

If you have a special bottle of wine gathering dust somewhere — the one that’s remained unopened through the years, perhaps with some fond memories sealed inside — start looking for the corkscrew.

Because Saturday night, Feb. 23, is Open That Bottle Night 9, as good an excuse as any to finally have a taste.

Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher at The Wall Street Journal explain:

Imagine if an evil genie took some of your very best memories and hid them in a wine bottle. That’s what so many of us do to ourselves. These dear bottles have a special way of retrieving warm and often-forgotten memories, but you have to pop the cork to release them. That’s why we invented Open That Bottle Night.

A nice read on what various friends of theirs have stashed and swear to finally open. You might be tempted to do the same.

You’ll also find a handy primer on the care and handling on what might be rather fragile vintages.

But that’s not the only wine-benefiting festivity on the horizon, as Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg at The Washington Post remind us.

The Chinese New Year (Lunar Year 4706) begins on Feb. 7, ringing in the Year of the Rat. This most important of Chinese holidays, celebrated by one-quarter of the world’s population, merits an extended 15-day celebration, and its time-honored food traditions are beautifully enhanced by the right wines.

Perk up the Chinese cuisine with their selections of fruitier wine, ranging from a “beautifully balanced, crisp, fruity and minerally” 2007 Rudolf Muller Riesling Kabinett ($11) to a 100-percent pinot noir-based NV Gruet Methode Champenoise Rose Brut ($16) from New Mexico, “with strawberry notes and a hint of vanilla on the finish … terrific with our Peking duck.”

The article includes a sumptuous pairing chart, to bring out the best in, say, those shrimp dumplings or whole steamed fish.

Meanwhile, at Wine Enthusiast, Tim Patterson offers a smorgasbord of reasons for reacquainting ourselves with that once top-selling red that has fallen from popular grace, Merlot.

A widespread urban legend says that Merlot was whacked sideways off its pedestal in 2004 by a certain movie set in Santa Barbara’s Pinot Noir country. In fact, according to industry insiders, the leveling off started two or three years earlier. Mark Pucylowski, buying director for Sam’s Wines & Spirits in Chicago, noticed that some of his California producers were grafting over to Syrah well before Merlot became a cinematic expletive.

In some cases, the fall from grace was well deserved, particularly the California Merlot that “was planted on marginal sites and/or asked to bring in too large a crop.”

But there are still plenty of good ones to be had.

And the Wine Enthusiast Tasting Panel brings us a long list of some of the best — originating everywhere from France, Italy and California to Washington State, Australia and New Zealand.

And many of them sit well within the Wine News Review fairly frugal affordability index, including the Banrock Station 2005 Merlot (South Eastern Australia)  at $5 (not a typo).

Experts’ weekend wine bargains: From hearty Cab to ‘Wasabi’ white

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Comparing the picks:

A survey of recent selections from popular wine experts, spotlighting bargains and best values among other choices at their websites.

This weekend’s choices range from an Argentinian Cab and a “Wasabi” white to a run-to-buy Montepulciano and food-friendly French Sauvignon Blanc.

2006 Terrazas De Los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon Mendoza, Argentina:
Natalie MacLean, Nat Decants — A hearty Cab that boasts dark berry fruit, earth and spice. “Fantastic red for the money! Full-bodied with delicious aromas of black plums and chocolate.” Her best-value red. $13.85

2006 Now & Zen “Wasabi” White Wine, Alsace, France:
Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY — The headline on this selection basically says it all: “Ohmmm ahhhh.” It’s a “touches-all-bases blend” with a remarkable range of characteristics from Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc to Riesling and Sylvaner. Worth getting if only out of curiosity. About $11

Valenosi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo, Italy) “Quattro Mani” 2006:
Michael Franz, Wine Review Online — “Run, don’t walk, to buy this wine! I can’t remember a better $10 red.” Especially if you’re looking for fruity opulence. $10

Domaine Galetis 2004 “De La Clauso”, Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de Pays d’Oc:
Beverage Testing Institute — The “best buy” selection among a tempting list of French whites, it presents a “dryish medium to full body of tart, tangy, Meyer lemon, melon, and ruby grapefruit flavors with a long, mouthwatering finish.” And food-friendly, too. $11.99

Banrock Station Sémillon-Chardonnay South Eastern Australia 2006:
Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator — “Light, dry and fruity” … and you may pick up some grapefruit tones “as the wine lingers.” $6

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to your 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 Smarter 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 scroll down to the bottom of this page and dig into top wine lists from a variety of sources. You’ll also find links to everything from a food-pairing database to websites for comparative wine ratings.

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!

Experts’ weekend wine bargains: From ‘fantastic’ Chilean to ‘expressive’ Aussie

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Comparing the picks: A survey of recent selections from popular wine experts, spotlighting bargains and best values among other choices at their websites.

2005 Viu Manent Reserva Chardonnay Casablanca Valley, Chile:
Natalie MacLean — Winner of the Gold Medal at the 2006 Concours Catad’Or Grand Hyatt Wine Awards, it’s a “fantastic value” from Chile’s cool Casablanca Valley region … “with ample oak and aromas of ripe apples and pears.” Her best value white. $12.95

Château Les Tuileries 2005 Bordeaux Rouge:
Beverage Testing Institute — Sports a garnet violet color with “spicy plum pie, sandalwood, and floral talc aromas.” A best-buy selection. $10.99

Cape Mentelle, Margaret River (Western Australia, Australia) Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot “Trinders” 2003:
Michael Franz — You will not have expected to have paid $18 for this “very concentrated and intense” Australian. “Extremely expressive aromatics start with a big shot of eucalyptus up front.” $18

2006 McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Shiraz, South Eastern Australia:
Jerry Shriver — Another Australian, this one is a “pleasant, no-brainer burger wine that delivers spicy blackberry flavors and an earthy finish.” Though you might quibble with the body. About $12

Göttelmann, Münsterer Pittersberg Riesling Kabinett trocken 2007 Nahe:
Jancis Robinson — The low-price winner among three (non-Burgundian) 2006 Pinots. “… promises well for the crystalline qualities of the latest vintage.” £9.69

López de Heredia’s Viña Gravonia (white):
Edward Deitch — “Beautifully complex with aromas of cut flowers and butterscotch that are joined in the mouth by pear and lime, vanilla, honey and minerals.” $19

Tip: Print out this list and bring it to your 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 Smarter 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 scroll down to the bottom of this page and dig into top wine lists from a variety of sources. You’ll also find links to everything from a food-pairing database to websites for comparative wine ratings.

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!

Need help picking a Thanksgiving wine? These top experts make it easy

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You haven’t yet decided what Thanksgiving wine to serve. Or you’re unsure about the selections you’ve made. And time is short.

The anxiety!

At The Washington Post, wine writers Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg know full well the pressures we’re under choosing wines for this annual feast.

“Even avid wine lovers can be struck with a temporary case of oenophobia — fear of wine — around Thanksgiving,” they say, with the wisdom of being award-winning wine authors. “The prospect of choosing a bottle that will please all of your guests and complement all of your dishes can perplex the most confident holiday host.”

But don’t despair. There’s a rich bounty of tips and picks across the Web, just waiting to be harvested.

Page and Dornenburg, for example, serve up a batch of ideas “to help calm any oenophobic tendencies.”

Among their several selections, a couple that caught my eye were the Australian sparkling Shiraz “bursting with berries and bubbles” and the Napa Valley Merlot that’s sure to come alive “with impressive blackberry and tart cherry flavors.”

Meanwhile, at epicurious, Natalie MacLean follows up on her earlier suggestions for Thanksgiving pairings with a list of “10 Top Thanksgiving Wines,” ranging from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a German Riesling to a French Pinot Noir and an Italian Valpolicella.

All chosen because they’re “generous, juicy, fruit-forward wines that will both moisten the turkey and complement many of the side dishes on the table.”

Several full Thanksgiving menus accompany wine selections at Bon Appétit, leaving little guesswork about what goes along with everything from a country-style menu to a vegetarian feast.

For example, the Prosper Maufoux 2005 Beaujolais, Burgundy, a “food-friendly” wine boasting “plum and cherry flavors” seems a nicely priced country crowd-pleaser at $12.

Even Martha Stewart has some advice — a pocketbook-pleasing tidbit from bygone years: “Mid-priced is best. It’s not necessary to splurge on wine for Thanksgiving. That’s because the traditional menu has a lot of sweet elements, such as cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes, that aren’t flattering to complex and subtle wine. A well-made wine with more straightforward character will likely taste better.”

And the best advice of all comes from Page and Dornenburg: “After all is said and done, don’t sweat it. Thanksgiving ultimately is not about the wine, but about being grateful for the love of those you’re with.”

Let’s drink to that.