La Valentina Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2008

   One of the friendliest and most widely planted grapes in Italy, Montepulciano from the mountainous region of Abruzzo is usually an easy drinking red wine that will pair perfectly with your Bolognese or roast chicken. This example is from La Valentina, one of the most important producers in the zone, whose higher end bottling called "Spelt", usually receives accolades from the top reviewers. It is indeed an attractive wine, with baked cherry, licorice and a stony minerality on the nose. Small wonder, as the vines here live in stony soils at 500 - 1000 ft. in altitude. And although it has wonderful up front dark fruit in the mouth and excellent acidity giving it lift, it finishes with a bit of drying tannins that make me wonder if this bottling is a bit too serious for it's $11.99 price point. It seems that it could benefit from a year or 2 in the bottle. Still, at an everyday price like this, it's definitely worth checking out for yourself. Imported by Dalla Terra, a company with a very nice looking portfolio, this is still a fine example of Abruzzo Montepulciano. Cheers.

Obalo Rioja 2009

   Here's a very fine little Spanish Rioja we tried tonight with some southwest style grilled shrimp that was very tasty. This 100% Tempranillo cuvee featured attractive blackberry and blueberry aromas along with a bit of spiciness. In the mouth it's quite fruity, round and nicely balanced without any trace of heat. It finishes smooth and lightly tannic. It's certainly not old school Rioja by any means and isn't especially complex. But it does make for a fruity, if somewhat simple quaffer that's a perfect weeknight accompaniment to whatever you're cooking....and it only cost me $12.99. One thing I really like about Spanish wines like this is that they are somewhat low-acid (a hot climate trait in general), and so they pair really well with some seafood as well as the standard meat dishes like grilled chicken, burgers or pork chops. Tonight it was great with the grilled shrimp but it would also go well with salmon or tuna, pan seared or grilled. Come to think of it, pizza's in play here as well. Cheers.

Palin Carmenere 2009

   One of the great things about studying wine is that there is always something more to learn. According to Wikipedia, the Chilean grape Carmenere was one of the original 6 grapes of Bordeaux even though only 5 of them are what we usually see associated with that region today. And what makes that association even more interesting is that Carmenere has aromatic and flavor similarities to good quality Bordeaux. It's dark in color and puts forth very earthy aromas of plummy fruit and a bell pepper quality often associated with Cabernet Franc, an important Bordeaux grape in St. Emilion and Pomerol. It has a fairly big, fruity palate and finishes with more of those earthy tones that make a wine worth talking about. It finishes smooth with no alcoholic heat. Produced by Geo Wines and imported by one of my favorites, Montecastelli, this $11.99 wine is a great value, and it's organic as well.  So even though I skew old world when it comes to the greatest beverage, there's always great stuff to discover from the new world as well, and the Palin Carmenere is a great example of that. Cheers.

Vacu Vin

For those of you who sometimes don't finish a bottle with dinner, a must have for your kitchen is Vacu Vin. This handy little item allows you to preserve the wine left over for 24 - 48 hours or so. You simply insert the rubber stopper, press down on the stopper with the pump and pump the air out of the bottle. The basic kit gets you a pump and 2 rubber stoppers and you can always buy more stoppers. It's a great low cost way to save what you've left in the bottle for tomorrow, either for drinking or cooking. Cheers.

Domaine de Villalin Quincy 2010

Quincy is a small Loire Valley appellation down the road from Sancerre that makes wines from Sauvignon Blanc only. I've mentioned in past posts that Sancerre is without a doubt my favorite Sauvignon Blanc and this version from nearby has a lot of the same qualities for a lower price. Yes the Domaine de Villalin Quincy is just a bit outside my everyday price range at $15.99, but this wine is really tasty. It's got all the grapefruit and lemon zest qualities that you expect from this grape and it has the same chalky minerality that really defines Sauvignon Blanc from this region in general. Imported by one of my favorites, Polaner Selections, this organically produced wine is a delicious selection to have with shellfish, cod or grilled trout. Cheers.

"Steak House" Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

One of my biggest pet peeves is Cabernet that doesn't taste like Cabernet. Cabernet Sauvignon, along with it's plummy, black currant like fruit, is supposed to have an herbaceous characteristic. But when the grapes get too ripe and your end product is an everyday Cabernet that is now 14.5% alcohol or above, it ends up tasting more like Zinfandel....all jammy fruit and none of that herbal nuance that is endemic in good Cabernet. You've now ripened the complexity out of the wine. Well the Magnificent Wine Company's "Steak House" Cab from Washington's Columbia Valley was a pleasant surprise when we dove into one this week. It smelled like cab and tasted like cab and that me very happy as good Cabernet, even in the lower price points, is one of the greatest grapes. A project of K Vintners Charles Smith, the "Steak House" Cabernet has plenty of medium-bodied plum and black currant flavor as well as that tell-tale herbal quality. It's a very balanced 13% alcohol and it cost me a very affordable $12.99....and the package is certainly eye-catching and fun. Burgers, steaks and chops are all in play with this tasty wine. Cheers.

No Power, No Water Get Out the Corkscrew Pt. 2 - Ch. Helene Corbieres

Climate Change who? I'm getting tired of this people. Another freak storm, another 48 hrs. without juice. You can't tell me there isn't weird stuff going on, I live it. And the guys who work for our power company, they're wondering too. Time to spring for that badass generator putting out 10,000 watts or so. Anyway, enough whining, let's talk the good wine. Tonight's power restoration celebratory bottle was a 2009 Corbieres from Chateau Helene, courtesy of top notch importer David Bowler. Corbieres is one of those practically unknown AOC's from the Languedoc in southern France. But instead of being dominated by Grenache or Syrah, the wines of Corbieres are defined by Carignan, a grape with it's own unmistakable characteristics. The quality that stands out most to me with a typical Corbieres is a spicy element, both in the aromas and the flavors. Yes, the Chateau Helene Corbieres has attractive plummy fruit with a note of coffee, but the spicy element really adds complexity and interest. As we tried to figure out which spice it might be, my wife came up with bay leaf...and I think she's right. Add to that a soft, lush mouth feel with excellent fruit and a very smooth finish and you've got a great $10.99 value. Cheers.

Di Majo Norante Sangiovese '09

Here's a lovely Sangiovese, the grape of Chianti, from a very good producer in an area not usually associated with this varietal. Di Majo Norante is located in Molise and is every bit a modernist producer in terms of their packaging and their marketing. Yet they still take as traditionalist an approach as possible in the vineyards. Sangiovese from southern Italian climes such as this makes very different wines than it does in Tuscany. No it does not have the delicacy or complexity of a good Chianti, but this version is a perfectly good every day wine, a perfect fit for a Wednesday night pasta or a grilled chicken panini....and it cost me a mere $8.99. This version is darker and riper than the Tuscan versions, with more blackberry rather than cherry and leather notes rather than floral notes. It's very soft, round and up front fruity and is another winner from Winebow, an importer whose portfolio you should seek out. Cheers.

Off the Beaten Path; Spanish Albarino from Mardevinas

I like Albarinos, and it's not the name that rolls off your tongue when somebody asks you what your favorite white grapes are. Not many folks know about them, as evidenced by the fact that your local store no matter how big it is, will have 2 on hand, maybe 3 at the most. Albarino is a grape grown mostly in northwest Spain in the Rias Baixas (ree-ahs buy-shuss) DO. It is thought by some to be a clone of Riesling that was brought to Spain hundreds of years ago. It's name actually means "white from the Rhine". Anyway, this 2009 version from Mardevinas is typical Albarino. It's very aromatic with pineapple, pear and distinct floral elements on the nose. In the mouth, it's loaded with white fruit, a note of honey and excellent acidity and despite the sweet flavors, it finishes dry. These are great food wines that should not be overlooked. Fermented entirely in stainless steel at cool temperatures, this great little wine really lets it's varietal character shine. I've tried the 2010 vintage from Mardevinas and it is just as good as the '09. Imported by Grapes of Spain, this delicious white cost me $12.99. Cheers.

Domaine Boisson Cotes du Rhone '09

Yes, I sometimes sound like a broken record (you remember vinyl don't you?) but I can't help it. Cotes du Rhones are hands down my favorite everyday reds. For me, no other wines give as much complexity and pleasure in the low end category. 2009 was a fantastic vintage in the Rhone Valley and the CDR from Domaine Boisson is an absolute steal at the $9.99 my local shop is charging for it. This beauty is a blend made up of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan, and 5% each Cinsault and Mourvedre. It's got all the stuff I love; big aromatics of bing cherry, pepper and Provencal spice and a big bold mouthful of dark berry fruit. It has excellent structure and finishes lightly tannic with note of minerality. I could easily go through a case of this over the next month. We sampled this beauty last night with some southwest style venison burgers with chipotle mayo. Imported by the wonderful small importer Alain Junguenet and his company, Wines of France, this is a portfolio to seek out. Cheers!

Lenore Columbia Valley Syrah 2006

Here's a new world Syrah from Washington state that certainly gives forth the flavor you want at it's $12.99 price point. Now I'm a big fan of Rhone Valley Syrah, but you can't touch good ones for less than 25 smackers. This version doesn't yield the kind of barnyard, bacon and dark fruit aromatic complexity of it's French cousins, but it is sure to please those who favor purity of fruit and new world size. Made by the Corvidae Wine Company and repped by one of my favorites, Polaner Selections, this everyday quaffer puts forth plenty of blueberry, blackberry and petrol in the nose, along with some alcoholic heat. It's got all the size and stuffing you expect from new world Syrah and it finishes ripe and smooth with a note of pepper. It's not exactly my style, but fans of new world fruit bombs will find a lot to like here. Washington State wines can be quite attractive as they are frequently fruitier than European wines, but at the same time a bit more restrained and balanced than wines from the hotter areas of California. In addition, I know this is an '06 but it was really quite fresh and showed no signs of falling apart. Cheers.

Menguante '08 - Old Vines Grenache

Here's another wonderful Spanish bargain that delivers more quality than it's price point might indicate. This nice little wine made from organically grown old vines Grenache hails from the lesser known DO Carinena, whose vineyards lie in stony soils at 400 to 800 meters in northeastern Spain. In Spain of course, Grenache is known as Garnacha. The family run winery that produces this food friendly quaffer is called Vinedos y Bodegas Pablo and is imported by Frontier Wine Imports. Though not as complex as the Guimaro Ribeira Sacra I wrote up last week, this $9.99 bargain gives forth plenty of enjoyment. Forthcoming aromas of baked cherry, blackberry and a bit of that Grenache pepper greet you, along with a little bit of alcohol heat. In the mouth it's nicely balanced, with dark berry flavors, a generous mid-palate and a lightly tannic finish. Carinena is a centuries old viticultural area that is the origin of Carignan, a grape most common in southern France. There, it is found chiefly in Corbieres and as a blending grape in more well known wines such as Chateauneuf du Pape. In Carinena though, it is known as Mazuelo. Cheers!