Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Chocolate treats are often a significant part of the festivities. Those of us that love wine are facing the annual problem of what wine to pair with our chocolate. If you are looking for one definitive answer here – think again. In the Wine Witch’s opinion this is one of the trickier matches to pull off well.
Continue reading The Days of Wine and Chocolates
By and large I have enjoyed most Red Truck wines. These are not great wines, but they are very reliable, will not break the bank, and will cause you no embarassment when served. Over the weekend my son shared a bottle of the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon he received as a host gift. He was not too thrilled. I found it a pleasant wine.
Continue reading Red Truck Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 California $10
First of all note the wide price range. The suggested retail for Rodney Strong Chardonnay is $15. I have never seen it for $15. It is usually deeply discounted and you can often find it for $10 or less. So it is not squeaking in under our price cap.
Continue reading Rodney Strong Chardonnay 2008 California $10-15
OK, People. Listen up on this one. Remember the Wine Witch’s rating system is bang for the buck, and d’Arenberg “Stump Jump” has a LOT of bang. This one also received a 90 point rating in Wine Spectator and was named one of their Top 100 Wines of the Year – at $9!
Continue reading d’Arenberg “Stump Jump” 2008 Australia $9-12
New Year – Old Recession. What does the Wine Witch see in the year ahead?
1. Prices will continue to drop from first growth Brodeaux to bargain New World varieties. Supposedly the economy is improving, but nobody’s feeling it in their pocket books yet. If you have the means, this might be the time to snatch up some age worthy wines.
Continue reading A Few 2010 Wine Trends
In reviewing this wine the Wine Witch has learned a lesson. Wines, like people, deserve a second chance.
Continue reading Glass Mountain Chardonnay 2007 California $6-8
No, you do not need your glasses adjusted. Yes, this is Folonari with a 4 star rating. Yes, the price is $12 for a double bottle. Believe me, nobody is more surprised than the Wine Witch. In the past I always associated Folonari with inferior wines and Soave under any label as tasteless. However, this was a 2009 best value recommendation by Gaiter and Brecher (now formerly of the Wall Street Journal, a very sad thing). I love their attitude towards wine and respect their palate, so I decided to give the Folonari Soave a try.
Continue reading Folonari Soave 2007 Italy $12 (1.5L)
As you probably know wine and liquor laws are largely the responsibility of the individual states. No offense to my friends in the Keystone state, but Pennsylvania is extremely regulated in this area. The powers in Harrisburg determine what can be sold and at what price. Imagine my surprise when I read that Pennsylvania is soon to embark on an experiment with wine kiosks.
Continue reading Are Vending Machines the Future of Wine Sales?
Need to deconstruct that title a bit. “Simonet-Febvre” is the producer; “Chablis” is the region of France where the wine was produced; “Cremant de Bourgogne” is the wine making method; and “N.V.” stands for non-vintage and means that the grapes were produced in more than one year.
Continue reading Simonet-Febvre Chablis Cremant de Bourgogne N.V. France $15
This one was recommended by my good frient, Stu. Don’t tell him, but he probably pushed me down the path of my wine journey. He definitely knew more about wine when we met ( I am not going to admit here how many years ago). One of my prouder moments was when he handed me the wine list one night at dinner years later.
Continue reading Juan Gil de cepas vieja 2008 Spain $9-12
Our dear friends, Stu and Karen, sent us these thoughts to ponder.
To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine…
And those who don’t and are always
seen with a bottle of water in their hand.
Continue reading Public Service Announcement
I came across a few interesting wine based tidbits while trolling the internet. Thought I would share them with you.
* Electronic Wine Taster - the Barcelona Institute of Microelectronics has invented an electronic wine taster. This gadget has six sensors on a microchip to mimic the six types of taste receptors on the tongue. Talk about taking the romance out of wine! Not sure that the world has been eagerly aniticpating this one.
Continue reading A Few Wine Odds and Ends
If you are any sort of wino, it is probably old news that the 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was named Wine Spectator’s #1 wine of the year. What you may not know is this choice has generated a lot of debate . A lot of it is along the lines of how could Wine Spectator select such a pedestrian wine. It must be because Columbia Crest is one of their largest advertisers.
Continue reading Tempest in a Wine Barrel
