by Christine | Wine Friday
In these days of high unemployment and global financial crisis, it’s nice to relax with a bottle of wine that doesn’t break your pocketbook. I’m here to sort out the memorable from the truly awful, and each bottle is under $10.
Leese-Fitch California Chardonnay 2010 13.9% Alcohol by Volume; $9.99 at Vons
On the Labels: (This one has stuff on the front as well) “Established in 1836, the Leese-Fitch adobe has been home to a girl’s school, a hotel, a military headquarters, along with several saloons and restaruants. In 2004, it became the home of the The Other Guys, part of Don Sebastiani & Sons.”
“This wine celebrates our home, the Leese-Fitch Adobe. Built in 1836, this historical landmark in the Sonoma Plaza was named after Jacob Leese and Henry Fitch, brothers-in-law to General Mariano Vallejo, the founder of the town of Sonoma.”
My Take: Ah. What a refreshing label. None of the nonsense about how this wine will make you beautiful, clean your house, and give you a party in your mouth. Ahem. Also, the way the bottle is “corked” is fabulous – which was actually one (okay, the main) reason why I bought the bottle.
My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~ It’s not a big wine; it has no real pretensions to greatness, but you know what? Usually I want a wine that complements the food – not food that must stand up to the wine. So for me, this is an easy -drinking wine that I’ll keep an eye out for, especially when I’m doing a big dinner salad and other veggies as a main meal. Something I’m doing a lot more these days and boy, don’t I feel healthier?
Steelbird Smoking Loon Unoaked Chardonnay, 2011 
California Alcohol 13.5% by Volume; $5.99 on sale at Vons.
On the Label: “Rarely seen was the Steelbird, who fo’ da most part kept to himself, but would swoop in an’ fly the Smoking Loon outta there if he got in a tight spot,” Jake went on, chomping on his cigar. “Mos’ folks figured Steelbird was just an odd duck, but his inner circle knew he was more dependable than anyone else. A smooth operator, never takin’ any chances. He kept his ride pristine – sleek, gleaming and finely tuned. He’d maneuver these impossible routes, fast as lightnin’, without a scratch.”
My Take: This is another arm of the Don Sebastiani & Sons winemaking business, and one of my favorite labels. So when I saw this one sitting on the shelf, I had to pick it up. Especially because, hello! Screw top! I do love screw tops.
Plus, how can you resist a label that has nothing to do with the wines? I feel like I could pull up a bottle and a glass (or sit beside a cask of wine with a pour spout thingy) and listen to Jake all day long. What stories he has to tell!
Regarding the wine, it is surprisingly similar to the Leese-Fitch (and I didn’t know they were made by the same family, I swear, until just a few minutes ago). Kind of bland and unoffensive – and for being an unoaked chardonnay, there is very little of the steeliness in it, which is a plus to me. Steel is not my favorite flavor in wine. But it went beautifully with the double-veggie-stuffed baked potatoes and salad that we had for dinner last night, and that’s all one hopes for with a wine, you know?
My Rating: ~ Drinkable ~ And Hello! Affordable! Plus both bottles are attractive and won’t look like you went cheap if you take it to a picnic.
Thanks so much for dropping by. What wines have you tried lately that have reached Slut status? Or that you wouldn’t drink again even on pain of severe injury? Spill it in the comments!
As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.
~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~
Demon Soul, Blood Dreams and Demon Hunt are all available for the Kindle! Have you fallen into the Caine Brothers’ world yet?
~oOo~
My Rating System: Undrinkable, Barely Drinkable, Drinkable, Very Drinkable, and the ever popular Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!
by Christine | Wine Friday
In these days of high unemployment and global financial crisis, it’s nice to relax with a bottle of wine that doesn’t break your pocketbook. I’m here to sort out the memorable from the truly awful, and each bottle is under $10.
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My head is still spinning from the work-week (I’m EMPLOYED! YAY!), so I’m dipping into the wine archives (my little black book, where I put down my impressions of wine and etcetera) that I haven’t already written about. It’s a bit of a grab bag – I’m never sure what I’ll find in the depths of the book, but I guarantee it’ll be interesting.
Folie a Deux Zinfandel, 2008 Amador County Regularly $16.99, on sale at Vons for $9.99. Alcohol 14.5% by volume…website here.
On the Label: “Soft and smooth, this Zinfandel offers aromas of plum and cherry with just a hint of pepper and spice. This wine is an ideal pour with almost any meat entree, from haute cuisine to barbecue.”
First taste: Oh yeah, bay-bee! Spot on to the label. It’s got a BIG alcohol content though, so be careful! The plum, cherry, pepper and spice are all there, and it’s got that big flavor that I love. I served this with a thick vegetable/chicken stew Italian-style with tons of added garlic. Plus some rosemary bread. The wine paired perfectly with the meal, and it was a wonderful, congenial, warming evening.
My Rating: ~Stay away! This is MY wine, you slut!~
Folie a Deux also has the Menage label, which are blended wines. I remember being enthralled with a couple of their white wine blends, but it’s been awhile so I really must do another tasting, yes? Hmmm…
Triada Malbec 2010 Wine of Argentina / La Rioja Two bottles for $10 at
Walgreens, Scottsdale, Arizona ~ 12.5% alcohol by volume ~ screwtop (That was in June – don’t know if the wine is still available at that price.)
The label: “Medium bodied, juicy red with soft red fruit aromas and flavors. Delicious glass of smooth juicy pleasure. This wine is best served at 65 degrees F. Once opened, it will remain in good condition for up to two days if resealed and stored in a cool place.”
Okay. We were in Arizona to see family, and whenever my brother-in-law and I get together, we like drinking wine. Whatever time of day it may happen to be. He’d seen this wine advertised and chilled it – way below 65 degrees F, but you know? The wine NEEDED to be chilled.
That said, it was as claimed – a juicy pleasure. Not something I’d reach for if I had another choice, but on a HOT day in Scottsdale in June, with all the stresses that accompany seeing elderly family members, that wine hit the spot. I won’t deny that my pleasure in the wine had everything to do with Dave (the BIL).
My Rating ~ Drinkable ~ especially when chilled.
It does, however, bring up a point. You never know where you’ll find a good bottle of wine (okay, a DRINKABLE bottle of wine) for a very good price. And every now and then, especially when the heat kicks your ass, chilling that bottle of red can be a wonderful thing (especially if it’s an inexpensive bottle). So keep your eyes open, and check out the drug store, the dollar store, and other stores that just may have something drinkable around for a price that won’t make your wallet weep.
As usual, this is just my honest opinion and depend upon my mood, the weather, and what cycle the moon is in. Your taste buds will differ.
~ Until the next time, cheers – and remember to drink responsibly! ~
Demon Soul is available for the Kindle and the Nook! Have you read it yet?
by Christine | Wine Friday
My good friend Kat was kind enough to invite me to her girl’s wine night a few weeks ago. Since I’d just started this feature here at the blog, I commandeered the night and suggested we each bring a bottle of red wine, under $10 of course. (The next day, I apologized – but the die had been cast and all was set.)
These gals are old friends, and have been gathering on a semi-regular basis for a few years to drink wine and eat nibbles and talk about everything under the sun. I was the beginner infiltrating their ranks. While I had some surprises in store, I think it went very well in the end.
I arrived at 4:30 sharp with my bottle to find Patti there before me and Kat dealing with a passel of kids (Patti and Kat’s daughters are in dance class together). Soon Kelly arrived (who was Kat’s daughter’s kindergarten teacher, if I’ve got this straight…) and all the wine was there. Four bottles. Four women. Lots and lots of yummy finger foods spread out on the table in front of us. I suggested to Kat that we open all the bottles and allow the oxygen to at least start the airing process. I glanced at the clock – almost five.
At any rate – let’s get to the wine, shall we? We went from the lightest to the heaviest.
Wine #1: Estancia Pinot Noir, 2009 Monterey County, Pinnacles Ranches Normally $14.99, on sale at Vons for $9.99
On the Label: “Displays luscious berry flavors, spice and a rich, supple finish.” The winery’s website here.
This wine gave me a handle on the women I sipped with. One loved it – it was light in flavor and easy for her to drink. Another one was so so about it – neither loving nor hating it. The third found it unremarkable, and easy to forget. Me? It made a nice sipping wine. It didn’t need food. All in all, a nice, undemanding wine to start the evening.
My Rating: ~Drinkable~
Wine #2: Clos du Bois, 2007 Shiraz, North Coast Regularly $14.99, on sale for $7.49 at Vons.
On the Label: “This spicy, peppery Shiraz tastes of wild raspberries and blackberries with expressive layers of ground pepper and licorice. An approachable wine that pairs well with grilled pork or roast duck.”
The pepper was there, the color was gorgeous – a nice, deep ruby. We didn’t taste the berries in the wine, but it went great with cheese and crackers. A good food wine.
The consensus: Three of us really liked it, especially at almost half price. The fourth found it too big and bold a wine.
My Rating: ~Very Drinkable~
Wine #3: Santa Rita Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Do. Valle Del Maipo – Chile, 2008 I don’t have a cost on this, but I know it was under the $10 limit.
On the Label: “Superb quality and craftsmanship are the hallmarks of Santa Rita, one of Chile’s most admired and innovative wine estates. Ripe black fruit, plums and herbs.”
By this time we’d gotten comfy. Shoes were kicked off, hair let down, and we were chatting nine to the dozen. The wine got a critical reception and I’m not sure if it was because I kept dragging the conversation back to it, or because of the topic I’d interrupted (something about men, of course). At any rate, it wasn’t as well received as the Shiraz. It needed more airing, said one person. It had a funny aftertaste, said another. It’s better with food – especially meat, I said after stuffing a slice of salami in my mouth.
The consensus? Perhaps it needed a couple more years, or an aerator, or a big meal of steaks and potatoes and candlelight. But I got the feeling that none of us would necessarily rush out and buy a bottle.
My rating: ~Drinkable~
It wasn’t until after that third wine that I looked around. Six p.m. Kat’s hubby had come and gone, wrangling their sons. Patti’s hubby came to take the girls to dance, and vowed to be back to pick her up so she didn’t have to drive. We were even more comfy, dug deep into cushiony couches or chairs, sipping and nibbling for all we were worth. I sent out a tentative feeler. “So how late does this go? I’ll need to make dinner for my family tonight.”
Three people sent me shocked looks. “Dinner?” “No way.” “They can fend for themselves for one night.” “We’re here until about nine.”
Gulp. Nine? As in p.m.? I’d told my family I’d be home around 6:30p. Seriously? These were hard core wine night gals, for sure! I knew then I couldn’t begin to keep up. I also felt like I’d stepped in it, but as I poured the last wine I was totally forgiven as the conversations started up again.
The fourth wine we tasted was from Kat’s special stock and I believe was the reason they got together to drink wines to begin with, to share the wine. She belongs to a couple of wine clubs, and a good bottle of wine is a terrific reason to have a wine night. Can’t say I disagree with her! So, for the first time I will profile a wine that is over – WAY over – $10 a bottle.
Wine #4 Bridlewood Zinfandel 2005 Santa Ynez Valley – approx $40
On the Label: “Located in the emerging Santa Ynez Valley, Bridlewood Estate Winery is an artisan winemaking facility focused on making award-winning, Rhone-style wines.”
My first taste of the wine was heaven. I stopped writing words down. Everyone, even the gal who prefers lighter wines, liked this wine. Maybe it was the years on it – a 2005 bottle is hard to find in the grocery store. Maybe it was the Rhone-style production. Maybe it was because by this point, I’d had a full glass of wine? I’m not sure. But we all loved it. LOVED it. The expensive wine got the Wine of the Night designation.
It was a wowser and unfortunately, since I didn’t write down any distinguishing characteristics of it, I can’t pass those on to you. I don’t think you can even find Bridlewood at the local wine shop. I believe it’s one of those boutique wineries, the wines available at the winery or through their wine club exclusively.
While this was a very very good wine, it was not yet in the “slut” category for me (as in, “This is MY wine you slut, get your own!), but I’ve got a post coming up on wines that do hit that category so be on the lookout!
My Rating: ~Very, very drinkable!~ I guess I now have a new category, lol!
Recap: It was wonderful if a bit overwhelming to share four totally different bottles of wine with four totally different personalities. I think, if I’m ever lucky enough to be allowed back, that I won’t schedule anything silly like dinner for the family. And I’ll never again suggest we each bring a bottle of wine – my mouth went on overload.
As usual, this is my opinion and my taste buds. Your taste buds may vary. If you do choose to pick up a bottle on my recommendation, please remember to drink responsibly!
~ Christine ~
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Have you read DEMON SOUL yet? You can find it at Crescent Moon Press orAmazon.com. Happy Reading!
