January 21, 2008
- Winery:
- Barefoot
- Grape:
- Merlot
- Region:
- California
- Vintage:
- Non-Vintage
- Price:
- $6
- Rating:
- Gotta Have It!
Having recently enjoyed a bottle of Barefoot Chardonnay, I decided to see if this winemaker was a one-hit wonder by sampling their Merlot. In a word, WOW. At $6 a bottle, one hopes for something drinkable and pleasant. When you stumble upon something as fantastic as this Merlot at this price, well, now I know how those people on Antiques Roadshow must feel. Barefoot Merlot was a smooth, rich wine, medium bodied with a silky mouthfeel. You’ll detect subtle notes of chocolate and boyseberry. It’s just a fantastic red at an even more fantastic price! At this price, drink this wine everyday and be happy.
January 15, 2008
- Winery:
- Barefoot
- Grape:
- Chardonnay
- Region:
- California
- Vintage:
- Non-Vintage
- Price:
- $6
- Rating:
- Drink It
When I saw this bottle on the shelf it didn’t appeal to me. Of course I know that wine and feet have a long intermingled history, but I’d just rather not be thinking about feet while I’m sipping the stuff. I was content to pass on wine with the foot on the label, but my girlfriend wanted to try it and so I bought a bottle. What I got was an excellent Chardonnay at an excellent price! It’s a big Chardonnay with big flavor and a big, soft, slightly buttery mouthfeel. A wine that tastes like it should sell for triple the price. If you’re looking for a good Chardonnay on a budget, put Barefoot at the top of your shopping list.
January 7, 2008
- Winery:
- Bogle
- Grape:
- Old Vine Zinfandel
- Region:
- California
- Vintage:
- 2005
- Price:
- $11
- Rating:
- Skip It
In my continuing quest to find a truly good Zinfandel, I tried Bogle’s “Gnarly Old Vine” wine and was disappointed. Berries on the nose but overly heavy tannins on the finish and a middle that seemed hollow. This wine is like the kid who just got cut from football tryouts. Thanks for trying, but you’re just not that good. Better luck next year.
December 17, 2007
- Winery:
- Gouveia Vineyards
- Grape:
- Oaked Chardonnay
- Region:
- Connecticut
- Vintage:
- Non-Vintage
- Price:
- $16
- Rating:
- Drink It
I brought home a bottle of Gouveia Vineyards Chardonnay after a recent visit and tasting at this terrific little Connecticut vineyard. The first thing you’ll notice about this Chardonnay is the stunning gold color of the wine. It has a fragrant bouquet with notes of apple and a nice oakiness. The wine is medium-bodied with a slightly buttery feel. It’s also semi-sweet, which makes it totally unique for a Chardonnay. This also means that you’ll want to pick and choose your spots for serving this wine. Don’t substitute it for a typical dry Chardonnay, as it won’t pair with foods as easily. However, it makes a great backyard or picnic wine, and is a really lovely change of pace.
December 9, 2007
- Winery:
- Hopkins Vineyard
- Grape:
- White Blend
- Region:
- Connecticut
- Vintage:
- 2005
- Price:
- $12
- Rating:
- Drink It
This white wine is a blend of estate-grown Seyval and Vidal Blanc grapes, both of which are popular hybrid grapes commonly grown in the New England region, as well as in Canada and across the pond in England. While some vinophiles snub their nose at new-world hybrids, I’m of the opinion that good wine is good wine regardless of the grape or method. Indeed, Hopkins Vineyard has made a good wine here. They claim it’s stylistically similar to Viognier, but since I’m ignorant of what that means, I’ll describe it in more layman’s terms. It’s crisp, dry, with a little bite, medium bodied for a white with a faint floral nose. Sort of like a Pinot Grigio on steroids. It reminded me of the Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Dry Riesling I recently tried, though it doesn’t quite attain the level of complexity that the Riesling does. But all in all, a very nice, food friendly wine.
December 5, 2007
I came across a profile of a new book called Wine Across America: A Photographic Road Trip in the Stamford Times this week. The book is a photographic account of the 80,000 miles traveled by photographer Charles O’Rear and his wife as they visited wineries in all 50 US states. Being a lover of both wine (especially small American wineries) and photography, I was, of course, smitten by the idea. It is also a confirmation that there is, in fact, at least one winery in all 50 states. According to the book, North Dakota was the last state to officially make wine. The book also notes that over the past 10 years the number of US wineries has nearly doubled to almost 5,000! That in itself is a nice confirmation of the growing interest in American wine and the wine-making process.
Anyway, it looks like a great book and would probably make a great gift for your favorite wine-lover! (hint, hint ;-) I hope it also inspires some readers to challenge themselves to visit wineries in all 50 states!
December 3, 2007
- Winery:
- Big House
- Grape:
- White Blend
- Region:
- California
- Vintage:
- 2006
- Price:
- $10
- Rating:
- Skip It
This wine is so bad it’s criminal. It’s a blend of Viognier, Malvasia, Bianca, Orange Muscat, Muscat Canelli and Marsanne, which together add up to a whole lot of crappy wine. Drinking this wine, I seriously considered pouring the wine down the sink drain. I didn’t because I was too lazy to go to the wine shop and buy a new bottle, so I drank it — but I hated every minute of it. What it lacks in flavor it tries to make up in acidity. Just thinking about this wine makes me cringe! You’d be better off making your own prison wine.
Watch the review from Wineass>>
November 26, 2007
- Winery:
- McManis Family Vineyards
- Grape:
- Merlot
- Region:
- California
- Vintage:
- 2005
- Price:
- $10
- Rating:
- Gotta Have It!
Stop what you are doing immediately and run (or drive, but very fast) to your local wine shop and buy a bottle of this Merlot! Go! Now! Why are you still here? Ok, fine, you can go after you finish reading. Let me see how I can put this — this is a fantastic Merlot. From the first sniff I knew I’d found something special. It’s subtle, complex, rich, the kind of wine that makes you stop and say, “wow, that’s good!” And at about $10 a bottle, it’s an absolute steal. So now go, hurry up and buy a bottle or two or ten.
November 19, 2007
- Winery:
- Pindar
- Grape:
- Red
- Region:
- Long Island, NY
- Vintage:
- Non-Vintage
- Price:
- $10
- Rating:
- Skip It
I bought this wine because I wanted to have something from Long Island, and, well, it looked interesting enough. Plus I’d really enjoyed my previous Pindar wine. But Sweet Scarlett was a disappointment. It was just too sweet and unsophisticated. If you’re looking for a sweet red from Long Island, there are plenty of better options out there, so steer clear of this one.
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