TAKING A BREAK

Hello,

It's been a while since my last post. Much has happended since then, the most significant being that my daughter, Caitlyn, died in a traffic accident early Easter Sunday.

Part of the effect of this in my life has been to re-order my priorities. Right now, this blog seems like something I should release, at least for a while.

For those of you who have stopped here, thank you. You might check back from time-to-time to see if I have resumed.

All the Best,
The Wine Saver

A BARGAIN BASEMENT SHIRAZ

Hello,

I've been away from blogging for a couple of weeks. Let my catch up by writing about a pretty good, very inexpensive everyday Shiraz.

Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz $7.99 (I got it for $4.99 at Bev-Mo)

Here are some British-based tasting notes:

Colour: This wine is crimson red in colour and shows excellent depth.
Nose: Aromatic varietal shiraz: fruits of blueberry and blackberry notes along with rich stewed plum are balanced with integrated vanillin oak.
Palate: A vibrant fruit driven style shiraz, which shows soft fruit flavours and a touch of liquorice and spice. Careful oak maturation adds structure and integrates balanced tannins with a subtle savoury oak finish.

I generally agree with the above notes - but I would not use the word "vibrant." I found the wine to be very smooth and mild with light tannins. The flavor was pleasant, definately fruity, with liquorice and spice.

This is a wine that will satisfy most wine drinkers. At this price point, it is a real bargain. The key to wine enjoyment is to find wines that you enjoy. Lindeman's is one wine that you can try without much risk - if you don't like it, you can always cook with it.

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

A SPECIAL EVENING WITH STAFFORD WINES

Hello,

At a birthday party for a dear friend on Saturday evening, we were treated to a Cabernet Wine Tasting followed by a delicious dinner featuring two wines from Stafford Premium Wines, of Camarillo, CA. Norm Stafford, the owner, was on hand to pour and talk about his wines and his new venture in blending premium wines.

Now, I need to say at the beginning that all of the wines that we tasted on Saturday, including the Stafford wines, retail for from $30 to $60 and are not what we usually blog about at Wine Saver. But since this was a special occasion, I thought I would take the liberty. Stafford does offer a number of wines for under $25. See their website at http://www.staffordpremiumwines.com/

Norm brought a Tempranillo - a truly marvelous wine, balanced, fruity, rich with a nice tannin structure and a great finish. The Stafford was the best version of this classic Spanish grape that I have had. It was, for me, the highlight of the evening. I see that it is not on his website yet, so it must be a new release (if he said that, I did not hear him). The second wine, a blend of Malibu grapes called Humaliwo, was also very nice, but not quite as good as the Tempranillo.

It was a wonderful evening, with eight couples celebrating a special event. The wine was a major factor in the enjoyment, the conviviality, and the connections established. That is the joy of wine - to share with people.

'Till next time,

The Wine Saver

BETTER WINE TASTE - RAISE THE PRICE

This article from Bloomberg.com says a lot:

Brain Scans Reveal Secret to Tastier Wine: Jack Up the Prices
By Tom Randall

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The best-tasting wines require perfect weather, seasoned vines, oak barrels and, according to a new study, high price tags.

Volunteers in California who were given sips of wines with fake prices said they preferred the cabernets they thought were more expensive to the ones they thought were cheaper about 80 percent of the time, according to the study published tomorrow in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers scanning the volunteers' brains while they drank confirmed they enjoyed the pricier wines more. The experiment helps explain how marketing practices can influence both the preferences of consumers and the enjoyment registered by their brains, said Antonio Rangel, one of the study's authors.

``The lesson is a very deep one, not only about marketing but about the human experience,'' said Rangel, an associate professor of economics at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. ``This study shows that the expectations that we bring to the experience affect the experience itself.''

People who enjoy pricier wines don't have to look far for them. U.S. wine sales, including liquor, at seven major auction houses totaled $208 million in 2007, up 25 percent from the year before and almost double the $106 million in 2005. The top sale of the year sold by Sotheby's was a jeroboam of 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, equivalent in volume to six standard 750- milliliter bottles, or 4.5 liters (1.2 gallons), which sold for $310,700 in a New York auction.

Twenty volunteers in the study were given five wines on 15 different occasions and asked to rank their preferred vintages. While they drank small sips from long plastic straws, researchers gave them fake prices for the varieties they drank. The wines usually cost $5 to $90 a bottle at stores.
Perceptions of Pleasure Researchers observed brain activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, an area of the brain that's responsible for perceptions of pleasure while listening to music, smelling flowers and tasting wines. Preference shown by the brain patterns were highest for wines with the most-inflated prices.

Before the study began, each of the volunteers said they enjoyed red wine and sometimes drank it. When researchers replicated the study with ``mild experts'' at the Stanford University wine club in California the results were the same, Rangel said.

In a follow-up experiment eight weeks after the original study, patients were given the wines to taste without any suggested prices. Most chose the $5 wine as their favorite, Rangel said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net .

FOR THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING . . .

From Neatorama.com:

Vertical Limit Champagne Storage Rack
Champagne maker Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin commissioned Porsche Design to create this eye-catching storage rack called "Vertical Limit." The 6-feet tall cabinet holds 12 magnums of Clicquot champagnes and keeps them chilled at 12° Celsius - the same climate as the company’s cellar in Reims, France.
Only 15 Vertical Limits were produced. If you want it, it’ll set you back $70,000! Anyone got one of these?

"Till Next Time,

the Wine Saver

GIESEN SAUVIGNON BLANC - MARLBOROUGH, NZ

Hello,

Happy New Year!

My friend Steven and I shared a very nice New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on Saturday. We were returning from a memorial service of a friend and colleague who was a wine afficionado - so naturally, we stopped for a toast. We stopped at City Grille on Ventura Blvd at Laurel Canyon Road in LA. We selected the Giesen, which neither of us had tried, from the modest wine list.

The 2006 Giesen Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) has a grassy, lemony nose, and a medium-dry gooseberry/citrus flavor with hints of herb. It went very well with my Manhattan clam chowder and crab cake (a nice imitation of a Maryland crab cake for a California restaurant).

The next day, I saw the 2007 vintage at Whole Foods in Thousand Oaks for $11.99. I recommend this wine with seafood or just with cheese an crackers - I will definately purchase more. What do you think?

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

HAPPY HOLIDAYS WITH WINE!

Hello,

Happy Holidays from the WineSaver!

Our family holiday dinner on the 24th included several nice wines -

Gloria Ferrer Brut Sparking Wine - a wonderful winery that I have visited in Sonoma. Gloria Ferrer wines are an excellent value, beginning around $14.00 and going up into the $35 range.

2004 Arbor Crest Malbec - a nice Washington State wine. I purchased the Arbor Crest during a 2006 visit to Spokane - they have a tasting room in a downtown mall. The Arbor Crest Malbec was a favorite of everyone with the roast beef dinner. It held up well with a rich berry nose and flavors.

2005 Dover Canyon Reserve Zinfandel - a decent Zin - I was less impressed with this one than some of the other Dover Canyon Blends that I have tried. We visited the Dover Canyon Winery in the Paso Robles-Templeton area this past summer.

The Zin did lead to a great story by Steve, my step-brother-in-law (isn't family great?), who shared a story of a Vietnamese restaurant in Paris that he frequently visits. He and some friends wanted to take some wine that the owners (with an 18,000 bottle cellar) might not have much experience with. So they took a case of moderately-priced California Zinfandel (he did not share the winery). In gratitude, the restaurateur brought a number of amazing bottles from the cellar which were shared all around. A great wine story.

Last night with a prime rib dinner, Dorianne and I opened a 2002 Jordan Cambernet Sauvignon ($50), which is out of the WineSaver's price range, but a very nice special-occasion selection.

I truly hope that your Holiday was and is wonderful.

'Till Next Time,
The Wine Saver

LOOKING FORWARD TO THE 2006 VINTAGE OF MY FAVORITE RED

Hello,

The initial reports on the 2006 Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet ($13.99), are very promising. It is rated from 90 to 91 in the reviews I have seen so far. You can look of the reviews of its predecessors in the archives of this blog.

This from Wine Enthusiast (via Gary's Wine and Marketplace Website):

Jay Miller, Wine Advocate: 91 points The Cabernet and Shiraz blends begin with the 2006 Shiraz (70%) - Cabernet Sauvignon (22%) 'Koonunga Hill". Purple-colored, the wine offers meaty black currant, blackberry, and blueberry aromas. On the palate the wine exhibits remarkable focus and structure for its humble price. The fruit is grapy and primary as well as intensely flavored. It should evolve for several years and drink well through 2022 if not longer. It is a fantastic value.

So far, the 2006 vintage has not shown up in area stores (Thousand Oaks/Westlake area), but I am sure it will in time.

In the meanwhile - if any of you have tried it, please comment!

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

A NICE DOLCETTO D'ALBA

Hello,

As I have noted before, my first introduction to wine beyond white Zinfandel was a Dolcetto d'Alba. That was over ten years ago, but I have never lost my taste for "the little sweet one," as it translates from the Italian. Made from a "secondary" grape in the Piedmot region of Italy, a region better known for its Nebbiolo wines Barolo and Barbaresco, Dolcetto often get lost in the background.

I was recently stuck in traffic on the way to LAX (not an unusual experience), and I exited the 405 freeway and entered The Wine House on Cotner Drive. The Wine House is a wine lover's dream, and the back-up gave me just the excuse I needed for a visit.

After perusing the aisles and their abundance of wines from every corner of the world, I settled on the section devoted to Italy's Piedmont region and zeroed in on the Dolcettos. I bought two and just consumed the first.

It is a 2005 Giacomo Grimaldi Dolcetto D'Alba ($14.00). It is drinkable now, or it could be laid down for a year or two. The wine gives aromas of cherry, blackberry, earth notes - terroir, and peppery spice. Dolcettos tend to be lighter than a Cabernet, and this one was no exception - it did have a nice balance of tannins - a very pleasant wine.

I am not sure how generally available this wine is - there are quite a few Internet hits, so it may not be too hard to find. I have found that Dolcettos in general are hard to come by in most retailers.

Let me know your experience with Dolcettos -

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

ALEXANDER & FITCH CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Hello,

The 2005 Alexander & Fitch Winery Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a bit of an anomaly. I get it at Trader Joe's for $5.99 - and I have not seen it anywhere else, although one wine blog I saw did mention that it was otherwise available, but did not indicate where.

The few reviews of this wine that I could find ranged from very positive to very negative. I my recent ratings of the Top Ten Everyday Reds, I had it at #10. Actually, since then, I would move it up the list a bit.

The wine is of mysterious provenance if you go by what is on the bottle - no contact information. Apparently, it is made by Bronco wines, a purveyor of "manufactured" wines and a provider of a number of wines found at Trader Joe's. Regardless, Dorianne and I drink it quite often and find it to be a nice everyday red for an amazing price.

There is no doubt that it is not a high-end wine in any sense of the world. That being said, it does have a nice cherry nose and soft fruit flavors - mainly berry, with a hint of leather that might be called terroir in a more expensive wine. The tannins are balanced and it has a relatively low alcohol percentage (13.6) for a California Cabernet.

Naturally, all wine tasting is subjective - so you may or may not like Alexander & Fitch. My recommendation is to try a bottle - at this price, you can just use it for cooking if you do not find it to your taste.

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

HAPPY THANKSGIVING - WHAT TO DRINK?

Hello,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So what wine to serve?

My good friend Steven Brabant just stopped by to gift me two bottles of wine - a 2004 Gainey Santa Rita Hills Limited Edition Chardonnay and a 2004 Tobin James Silver Reserve Zinfandel. Despite their high quality, neither one will be on our Thanksgiving table.

I've been scanning the wine experts and experimenting over the past few years. Here is what I've come up with:

1. There is no "perfect" choice for a traditional turkey dinner.
2. The main issue is the sweet dishes, like sweet potatoes with marshmallows, etc.
3. Turkey is not the easiest food to pair a wine with anyway.
4. You want wines that do not fight the foods served - no big fruit bombs.
5. If you will be drinking much of the day, you want wines with lower alcohol.

So there are my recommendations - not specific wines or vintages, but types of wine.

Dry sparkling wines are excellent, both with dinner and before with appetizers or munchies,

With the traditional dinner -
Reds - Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz, Tempranillo, Malbec, Barbera, Bordeaux - Cabernets and Zins are generally too much.

Whites - Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Grigio - oaky Chardonnay is too much, most Fume Blancs are too little.

Roses - a nice dry Rose is fine, but not one that runs sweet or semi-dry.

We will be serving the following wines for our guests - our red will be a 2003 Latetia Estate Pinot Noir; the white will be a 2005 Conundrum White Table Wine. We also have some bubbly available for the morning preparation time (maybe some Mimosas).

Whatever you decide, enjoy your holiday, and remember to be wise and safe when it comes to driving - whether for yourself or your guests.

'Till Next Time,
The Wine Saver

A WINE BAR & GOOD RESTAURANT IN NoHo

Hello,

Dorianne and I found a nice wine bar and restaurant in NoHo - The Eclectic Wine Bar and Grill - http://www.eclecticwinebarandgrille.com/ on Lankershim near Magnolia.

The place has a modern look with banquets and some tables with chairs (the cushions are a bit sparse, or am I getting old?). Lots of blue neon out front. The crowd was generally young (20's - 30's) with a few older folks mixed in.

They have a pretty nice wine list - not really extensive, but a good mix of choices. There were two wine flights offered the night we went - so we ordered one of each to start, along with some stuffed mushroom appetizers and garlic toast.

The first flight was from Tevenot Winery http://www.stevenotwinery.com/, a prolific winery from Calaveras County, CA. Their web site lists no less than 23 wines from the current vintage. The flight we ordered included a Danza Roja (Tempranillo/Garnacha/Mourverde/Graciano blend), which was very nice, rich and fruity; a Cabernet Sauvignon, which was smooth with nice hints of spice and fruit; and a Tempranillo Gran Reserva, a velvety Roja style that was the best of the flight. I am going to see if any of the Stevenot wines are available at local retailers.

The other flight was a Coppola Director's Cut flight from Niebaum - Coppola Winery http://www.niebaum-coppola.com/ in Napa. The flight included a Chardonnay, a Zinfandel, and a Cabernet. All were OK (the Zinfandel had the most character), but nothing stood out.

We both settled on seafood pasta for our main course, so we switched to a 2005 Jewel Viognier http://www.jewelwine.com/ The wine was very light and smooth, but with a nice lemongrass bouquet and a fruity- citrus flavor that was a nice complement to the seafood pasta in a white wine & garlic sauce.

Our waitress, Jessica,was knowledgeable and just attentive enough. She easily answered questions about the wines and the food. We also met David, who was either owner and/or manager, who gave us some information about the Stevenot Winery and the wine bar.

We will definitely return to the Eclectic. Our bill was $95.00, including 2wine flights, two glasses of wine, and appetizers, so not bad at all for the quality of the experience, the food, and, of course, the chance to enjoy and learn something new about wine.

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

A WINE BAR & A GOOD RESTAURANT IN FT. LAUDERDALE

Hello:

This past weekend, I was in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida visiting my daughter. A friend and I went to THE GRAPE, a wine bar on Las Olas Blvd - the upscale shopping and nightlife street between downtown and the beach.

The concept at The Grape is that they categorize wines into ten categories - from light bodied whites to full-bodied reds, plus sparkling and sweet wines, and a category of premium wines. The menu has a dozen or so wines in each category.

We ordered reds from the medium and full-bodied categories. I had a 2004 Four Sisters Shiraz ($12.99 - retail), with a deep color, and nice fruit forward flavor. The wine is actually a blend of Shriaz, Sangiovese, and Viognier - with a very satisfying result. If you can find this wine, I recommend it.

And if you are in Ft. Lauderdale, try The Grape - I'm sure there are plans to franchise the concept.

Another stop in the beach town - Season's 52 - a wonderful place with 5 Florida locations and 2 in Atlanta. The menu at Season's 52 changes seasonally, is very eclectic and reasonably priced. The wine concept is very nice - glasses cost 1/4 the bottle price, and the pour is 1/4 of a glass - so there is no penalty for drinking by the glass. When the restaurant opened in the Galleria Mall in Ft. Lauderdale a few years back, a number of my good wine friends were in town for a conference. Many of us spend several meals at Season's 52 during the week - mainly trying wines.

On this trip I had lunch - a blackened grouper sandwich with a salad and a tomato and cheese flatbread. With the meal, I enjoyed a single glass of 2006 Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - Marlboro, NZ ($12.99 - retail). This is a nice, crisp, light wine with nice fruit components, and a grassy-green color. It was excellent with the fish.

It was a nice visit to an old home town - I took my daughter to visit colleges in Tampa and spent some time with friends in Cape Coral.

'Till Next Time,

The WineSaver

CHARLES SHAW CHARDONNAY

Hello:

Been away for a while - so to get back into things, let me begin by jumping into the "Two Buck Chuck" controversy. As you probably heard, it was judged Best Chardonnay from California at the 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition.

Since then, there have been a lot of back and forth comments on various wine blogs and in wine publications. These have ranged from "the judges were drunk" to "it's really a decent wine." One thing that can't be denied is that the outlet for this wine, Trader Joe's stores, can't keep it in stock. When I tried to buy some, it took three trips to the Thousand Oaks Trader Joe's before I could get any - then it was the last 3 bottles. I subsequently went back and secured a case ($23.52!!!!).

Dorianne and I had the first bottle with shrimp and pasta. The wine is very good cold - it depreciates quite a bit as it warms up. (The Wine Goof suggests putting a couple of frozen strawberries into the glass to keep it cold, then enjoying the wine-soaked berries). There are hints of oaky butter (although Charles Shaw does not use oak) which get there God knows how. We have had several bottles since, and I must say, it is decent and drinkable and would be a value at 4 or 5 times the $1.99 (in CA) price.

I should note that I am not a big Chardonnay fan - I prefer Fume Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, so I may not be the best source for those who are really into big buttery Chardonnays. But then again, the judges at the CA State Fair found it the best among those tasted - including many of the traditional top-shelf California producers.

My advice - for $1.99, buy a few bottles and try it. The worst case scenario is you have some cheap cooking wine (which is what I do with the Charles Shaw Merlot, by the way).

What do you think?

'Till Next Time,

The Wine Saver

WINE'S CONVENTIAL WISDOM QUESTIONED

Hello,

I want to recommend Eric Asimov's "The Pour" article in today's New York Times -
You can use the link below.

Taking a Closer Look at Wine’s Conventional Wisdom
By ERIC ASIMOV
Published: October 10, 2007

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pour.html?ex=1349755200&en=8a5bc99d1ebe5f6b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

'Till Next Time,
The Wine Saver

WINESAVER'S FAVORITE EVERY DAY REDS

Hello Everyone:


Here is a list of WineSaver's top ten everyday reds. In order to make the list, a wine has to meet the following criteria:


1. Retail for under $25

2. Be generally available

3. Be something that I purchase again and again.


So, here, from #10 to #1, are the favorite reds:



10. Alexander and Fitch Anderson Vallen Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ($6.00)


9. Bogle Old Vines Zinfandel 2005 ($12.00)


8. Beckman's Le Bec Red Wine 2005 ($18.00)


7. MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir 2005 ($16.00),


6. Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawara Shiraz 2004 ($24.99)


5. Los Vascos Cabernet Sauvignon Colchagua 2005 ($12.00)


4. Qupe Syrah Central Coast 2005 ($16.00)


3. Greg Norman Estates Limestone Coast Shiraz 2004 ($13.99)


2. Penfold's Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet 2005 ($11.99)


1. Murphy-Goode Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 ($24.00)

What do you think?

'Till Next Time,
The WineSaver

AUSTRALIAN WINES AFFECTED BY DROUGHT

Hello,

The news about the projected effects of a massive drought on the Australian wine industry can be found at the following link:

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jy9-bOBDGwUFk3nl7iVak-Xf7hCA

As a big fan of Aussie wines, I trust that the effects are less than projected!

'Till Next Time,
The Wine Saver

THE TOP TEN WINE MYTHS

Hello:

A quick link to a great article on Pinotblogger - the Top Ten Wine Myths - enjoy!

http://www.pinotblogger.com/2006/07/29/top-10-wine-myths/

A RELIABLE RED

Hello,

Yesterday, I opened a bottle of a favorite Syrah.

The 2005 Qupe Central Coast Syrah ($16.50), is a very nice product. (label shown is from 2002).

From the Qupe website: The wine is: 93% Syrah, 4% Grenache, 2% Mourvèdre and 1% Counoise. The grapes come from 16 different vineyards in the Central Coast – 55% from Santa Barbara County; 39% from Paso Robles and 6% from the Arroyo Grande Valley. The most significant vineyard components in order of percentage are: Bien Nacido in Santa Maria, French Camp and Lonesome Oak in Paso Robles, and Chalbot Vineyard, a cool climate vineyard near Los Alamos in Santa Barbara County. Some of the other vineyards included in the blend are Vogelzang, Alisos, Stolpman, Colson Canyon, Black Oak, Windmill and Ibarra-Young (all Santa Barbara County).

It is generally available and is a very good value. I find it the equal of their single vineyard wines such as the Ben Nacido, which costs quite a bit more.

Look for spices, vanilla, strong fruit and great mouth feel - all at less than 14% alcohol. This is a nice wine to drink now or over the next two years.

Qupe's web site is: http://www.qupe.com/default.htm. They have tasting rooms in Solvang and Los Olivos.

Let me know what you think of Qupe wines.

'Till Next Time,

The Winesaver

MacMURRAY PINOT NOIR

Hello,

I enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir with dinner the other evening while attending a meeting at the LAX Hilton.

The 2005 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir ($16.00), from the Sonoma Coast, went well with a Caesar Salad and a wonderful Cioppino. The wine can be had for $13.95 or so. It cost $45 at the restaurant. (I know.)

The wine has nice forward-fruit, black cherry and berry flavors, along with a sense of vanilla from the oak storage. You get a definite sense of an earthy terroir as well.

All in all, this is a wine I recommend.

'Till Next Time,
The Wine Saver