Today on Wine Friday, I’ve got a white wine on sale for $11, and a red wine on sale at under $6. As I’m all about the tasty wine under $10 when possible, these two are a good fit for the blog (despite the $11 sale price).

bottle_sauvignon-blancFrancis Coppola Diamond Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Yellow Label  Alcohol, 13% by Volume;  Regularly $14.99, on sale at Vons for $10.99

On the Label: “Dramatic style, vibrant packaging and fruit-forward, smooth wines are the signatures of Francis Coppola Diamond Collection.  Our Sauvignon Blanc delivers a beautiful perfume of tangerine, pink grapefruit, and honeysuckle followed by juicy flavors of tropical fruit, zesty citrus, and a int of minerals.  Delicious with grilled fish or spring greens with fruit and goat cheese. Learn more about our wines at FrancisCoppolaWinery.com.”

My Take: It’s a good sipping wine, a good wine with crab quiche, good with your Easter ham. I don’t know what I was expecting; I’m finding that one Sauvignon Blanc tastes very like another, which is rather disappointing. I suppose some day I should have a Sauv Blanc tasting party, just so I can see if I’m right and they DO all taste alike, or if some have a better something than the others. Hmmm.

My Rating: ~ Drinkable to Very Drinkable ~ and if you’re going to relatives for Easter lunch or brunch, this would be a good bottle to bring along with you. It does have a certain panache, after all, with the Coppola name on it.

Robert Mondavi Private Selection Pinot Noir 2012  Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; pinot-noir-bt$5.98 on sale at Vons.

On the Label: ” ‘One of a winemaker’s most valuable companions is patience.’ – Robert Mondavi

“Pinot Noir is a challenging grape to grow in any climate  Winemaker Rick Boyer patiently selects fruit from our best California vineyards to create a wine with classic notes of violet, rose petal and red cherries.

“Become our valued companion on Facebook.”

My Take: Facebook? Hm. Maybe I will click “like” on that page. That said, I like Mondavi wines. They tend to be reliable, solid structurally, and rarely is there a bad bottle among the Mondavi line.  This Pinot, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, doesn’t make my Smoking Loon test. (Which is, is this wine better than the Smoking Loon Pinot Noir, which I can almost always get for $5.99?) I usually don’t bring that test up when the price point is so dead on, but for some reason, while this is a perfectly acceptable Pinot Noir, it didn’t hit my sweet spot this week. Which means, of course, I’ll have to try another bottle (because at $5.98, why not?).

My Rating: ~ Drinkable to Very Drinkable ~ Maybe I was just in a mood.

)O(

With the continuing unpredictable weather we’re having, what are  you going to be drinking this Easter Sunday?