Wine Witch wine under $15

The Wine Witch has not been drinking a lot of California Chardonnay lately.  Used to drink it all the time.  Not sure if I got tired or it or it got tiring, but there came a time I just was not enjoying it as much.  Well anyway, the point here is that if I say a like a California Chardonnay, I must REALLY like it.

I REALLY like the 2006 Bishop’s Peak Chardonnay.  It comes from the Central Coast of California, and as I think of it, most of the Chardonnay I like come from there.  This is the second label of Talley Vineyards, a family owned winery whose first label sells in the $30-40 range.  This is very classy stuff.

In the glass it is a rich golden hue.  Apples in the nose follow through with green apple in the mouth.  The oak is nice and creamy.  The best complement I can pay is that it builds and builds as you savor.  Too many Chardonnays beat you over the head and then fade away.  The overall effect is more European elegant than New World brash.

The 2006 Bishop’s Peak Chardonnay is also very food friendly, which is not always the case with Chardonnay.  I would like it best with creamy soups and pastas, but it is not a bad choice with almost anything.

wine-name:    Red Table Wine
wine-origin:     
wine-vintage: 
wine-type:      Uhm…a red table wine.

Sorry for the lack of information but it has been a long time since I had a bottle of this wonderful wine in my hands.  I purchased this wine from Costco…and yes, they do have quite a selection.  It was the black and white generic label that caught my eye at first.  When I tasted it I was very pleasantly surprised!  Very nice flavor and smooth.  It was just a wonderful red wine.  I am not an expert but I know what I like.  Perhaps you have tried it??  And if not it is worthy of your table.

The Wine Witch is always trolling the internet looking for news to share on this blog.  Two stories struck me as very telling in these economic times.

The first was reported in Bllomberg.com and was entitled “Wine Auction Prices Slump Like Stocks as Bidders Sit on Hands”.  Many people invest in wine like gold or stocks.  This always struck me as a little silly.  I would much rather drink the stuff rather than lock it away to appreciate.  Anyway, wine auction prices had enjoyed three years of record breaking prices - and then came the global financial crisis.  The first indicator of the weakness in the wine as investment market is the percentage of wine sold at a each auction.  Where as in the previous period most auctions have been sell-outs, recent auctions at Christie’s have been in the mid 30% - 40% sold.  Then there are the prices themselves.  Here is a scary one - a methuselah (that is a 6 liter or 8 regular size bottles) of 1971 Romanee-Conti that sold for $102,000 two years ago only fetched $42,000 at a recent Zachy’s auction.  That’s worse than my 401k is doing.

The second story just makes me mad.  You may have heard that George Bush held a summit over the weekend for world leaders to discuss the global economic crisis.  This is a pretty sophiscated lot and you want to be a gracious host.  However the wine served at dinner went for $500 a bottle - not a case - a bottle.  Are they kidding?  Millions of people around the world are losing their homes and jobs while these fat cats sip $500 wine while discussing the problem.  Perhaps I should send George a link to this blog so he can find some good values for the next time.

At least this audience knows how to drink well in these uncertain times.

Cheers!

Before you all get too excited, this is all very prelimnary information.  However, researchers in France have just published a study about the effects of SRT1720 on obesity in mice.  SRT1720 is an artificial drug which mimics the effects of resveratol.  Resveratol is the component in red wine thought to be beneficial in controlling weight. Whew! Got all that - red wine pills.

After 10 weeks the mice in the study gained less weight even when on a high fat diet.  They also had better sugar tolerance and greater athletic ability.  Supposedly no side effects either.  Somehow the drug fools the cells in into thinking they are at a low energy level and therefore metabolism fires up to compensate.

The researches caution that there is a very long way between tests in mice and an approved drug for humans.  They also make a point that us winos should not delude ourselves that drinking red wine will have the same effect.  The calories in red wine more than offset any fat burning abilities.  Darn!

Cheers!

The producer of this wine is Folie a Deux and these guys have a sense of humor.  This is definitely the Wine Witch’s week for “punny” wines.  The name of this wine roughly translates into a gathering or blending together of three.  As you might expect, we are talking about three different grapes here - Zinfandel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

I get so excited before trying a new blend.  While there is always wide range of flavors associated with an individual varietal, there are certain consistent themes.  You can have a reasonable expectation of what you are going to taste.  A new blend is like a present under the Christmas tree.  You have no idea what is in inside.  It could be a bright, shiny new toy or it could be socks.

Happy to report that the 2007 Menage a Trois Red is definitely not socks.  Is this a sophiscated wine? Well no -but it is a whole lot of fun.  The Cabernet provides some spine in the background.  The Zinfandel is spicy and in your face, while the Merlot calms things down and holds the whole thing together.  The wine is very smooth with almost a silky quality - no harsh tannins, no bite.  The flavor profile is backberry jam with a bit of nutmeg and clove.

Menage a Trois Red is a very versatile wine that could easily become your house red.

You know how the Wine Witch loves a pun, so I could not resist this one.  Zins, of course, stands for Zinfandel and the reference to 7 is the number of growers that contribued grapes to this effort.  This is an example of a Lodi styled Zinfandel which is usually on the spicier end of this varietal’s spectrum.  The Wine Wtich also loves her spice.

Overall this is a very good Zinfandel for a $15 price point.  There are a few I like better so look for future posts.  Zinfandels are also good choices for Thanksgiving as they can pair with a wide variety of food. 

In the glass the 2006 7 Deadly Zins is the expected deep purple.  The nose is pretty interesting with a caramel, molasses thing going on.  On tasting, the berries you experience are on the wild side - think bramble berries.  There is a nice clove tang and a hint of cocoa.  I found the tannins a bit more than ideal, but they did soften out with some air.

Take my advice here.  If you have a chocolate desert and hate sweet desert wines - TRY THIS.  I know it sounds weird, but it works.

The Wine Witch just loves this wine.  It really set a standard of what can be done with California Sauvignon Blanc.  I know, some of you are saying “but this is a Fume Blanc”.  Made from the same grape - traditionally Fume Blanc are a slightly drier style.

In my book good Sauvignon Blanc is a balance between grassy notes and citrus.  I do love the citrus bombs you get from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - what can I say - I am a peasant at heart.  However, it is certainly fun to get back to a more traditional style for a change.

The 2006 Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc has a lovely whiff of fresh hay in the nose along with some lemon.  It is a very bright tasting wine with great acidity.  There is a little grass in the background with the grapefruit and lime upfront.  A lovely finish that lingers a bit.

The premier food pairing for this wine - OYSTERS!  Yummy.  My next choice would be goat cheese.  Better yet - just drink it.

There is nothing official from Amazon yet, but word on the street is that the online retailer is going to add wine to its offerings before the year is out. The most recent issue of Wine Spectator reported the story, and I doubt if they would have unless it was a done deal.

There have been other attempts at online wine sales in the past that have not fared too well. One of the biggest obstacles is all the bizantine state laws regarding the shipment of wine. The official line is that lawmakers are concerned about minors getting their hands on the wine if it was delivered to the door. The truth is that wine and liquor distributors are a powerful lobby and direct shipments eliminate their piece of the action.

The whole distribution system is what is at stake here. The winery, the distributor, and the retail outlet each get about one third of the final retail cost. Supposedly in the Amazon model they will be dealing directly with the wineries. This has some interesting possibilities. An entire layer is going to be eliminated and Amazon has a lot of buying power. Hopefully, the end result is better pricing for you and me.

The other major benefit is, assuming Amazon signs up enough wineries, there will be a greater variety of wines available to anyone with a computer. Think of the possibilities. You will no longer be at the mercy of your local package goods store whose deal with the distributor limits what he puts on his shelves.

It may take sometime, but if Amazon is successful, this could be a game changing event like what the internet did to the distribution model of the music industry. Stay tuned. As soon as Amazon goes live, the Wine Witch will try it out and let you know how it goes.

Cheers!

Poor Merlot - it really has had its ups and downs. Back in the 90’s it was the go to red wine, once everyone got burned out with Cabernet Sauvignon. California wineries could not cultivate the vines fast enough. In this rush to market, a lot of really flacid, boring Merlot was produced. Perhaps the nadir was the movie, Sideways. The main character was willing to risk a date with a girl way out of his league if going out with her meant he had to drink Merlot.

The Wine Witch is happy to report that she has discovered a Merlot with personality - the 2005 Aquinas Napa Valley Merlot. The Aquinas label comes under the Three Loose Screws brands which in turn is part of Don Sebastiani & Sons - a complicated but excellent pedigree. If you like big reds with reasonable tannins, this is a good pick at $12.

The color is a deep red and the first sniff reveals blackberries and cocoa. It is a full-bodied wine with several layers of flavor and a fairly long finish. In the mouth, the first cocoa impression becomes more of a dark chocalate or mocha because thee is definitely a coffee note. The fruit flavors are blackberries and wild strawberries and towards the end there is a pleasant herb thing going on - thyme? sage? There is a bit of lumber, but it is closer to cedar than oak.

The 2005 Aquinas Merlot would really complement smoky flavors - smoked cheeses, grilled meats. The touch of herbiness would also lend itself to a straightforward, Americana Thanksgiving.

It has been long known that a glass or two (no more or you get into liver and other health issues) of red wine is good for your heart. White wine supposedly had no health benefits other than the enjoyment of the tipple. Well white wine drinkers can now rejoice because a recent study conducted by the University of Connecticut shows the same beneficial effects.

The conventional wisdom centered around the differences in the fermentation process between red and white wines. Red wines ferment with the skins of the grape. This is what imparts the red color. It is also what releases a substance called resveratrol which was supposedly the good stuff for the heart. Since white whites are fermented with only the grape pulp there was no resveratrol, so no heart benefits.

Well the University of Connecticut employed the services of some very happy mice. One group was given the mouse equivalent of 2 glasses of red wine daily; another the same quantity of white; and, of course there was a control group. At the end of the study both the red and white group showed the same level of improvement in heart health as compared to the control. The researches are not completely sure why the white group did so well. It may have more to do with some phyto-nutrients in the grapes than anything else.

Who cares why - both red and white wine drinkers can now raise a toast as they take their daily medicine.

Cheers!