A Great Value: “The Paring Wines”
A big challenge for wine lovers is to find excellent wine to enjoy at a great price. This is the “Holy Grail” for wine enthusiasts. One of the producers that fits that bill for me is “The Paring.” This is a label out of the Central Coast of California close to Santa Barbara. I found this wine when visiting Jonata in that same area. The Paring is Jonata’s second label and really worth every penny. How many pennies you ask? The Paring wines sell for $25 a bottle. Given what is in the bottle, this is remarkable!
Value Buy for Under $9.00!
I did my quarterly shopping at Costco yesterday. As always, I browse the wine aisles. Costco is the number one retailer of wine in the U.S. You should also know that wherever I go — grocery stores, drug stores, it doesn’t matter — if they have wine, I am there reading the labels.
While at Costco, I picked up an old favorite – they still had some 2012 Tres Picos! I also found this little ‘potential’ gem. First, you should know I have adopted a philosophy that I will taste any value wines before I recommend them. While I appreciate the critics and the reviews, I want to make sure I can support the wine before sharing it with you.
So today’s little gem is from Columbia Crest. It is a red blend from the Horse Heaven AVA out of Washington State. The price at Costco is $8.99! This is a true value when one looks at the price. Also, Horse Heaven is an excellent AVA (American Viticulture Area).
A Cabernet for $20? Yes!
For many people, Cabernet is king. It is one of the “go to wines” for many, yet finding one that is well-crafted for less than $30 can be a challenge. As you can imagine, I read many articles and reviews and found this value bottle mentioned in my reading. This comes from Antonio Galloni, who used to be associated with and reviewed wine for the Wine Advocate. More recently, Galloni started his own publication called Vinous, which is solely web-based. I follow him and appreciate his palate and his views.
Below is a bargain worth pursuing. I have not tasted it; but I think for that price, it is a fun adventure.
Gems from “Down Under”
The holidays have passed — hopefully filled with good times, family and friends that warmed the season. Presents are unwrapped, put away; and, if you have young children, they could even be broken by now! With the season passed, what would be really good is to find great drinking wine that doesn’t cost a lot.
Well, here are a couple of Australian go-to wines from Mollydooker that are in wide distribution and – in my estimation – deliver a great bang for the buck. I have been drinking Mollydooker wines since the very first vintage in 2007. One is a Shiraz (called Syrah in the US, but it’s the same grape) and the other a Cabernet. These descriptors and ratings are from Wine Spectator.
Good Cabernet for $15??
Most people say that it is easy to buy a good bottle of cabernet for $50. The real challenge is finding the good bottle for much less. Well, given the challenge, I had to post this for your palate and pocket experience. This comes from Wine Spectator Advance; and, after reading about it, I had to share it with you.
Columbia Crest
Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills H3 2012
92 points | $15 | 162,000 cases made | Red
“Dark and spicy, billowing with plum, currant and white chocolate flavors, picking up pear and white tea notes as the finish lingers with refinement. The tannins are submerged. Drink now through 2018.” —H.S.
2012 Tres Picos Garnacha: A Great Buy and Now Available
This is an alert! I had written about the 2012 Tres Picos Garnacha many months ago as a great value. I had read the review and how well it was regarded. I have been eagerly awaiting the distribution, and I found it today in my local supermarket!!! Here is a refresher on what has been written about this wine, which usually costs under $20. I tasted this wine this evening. Right after pulling the cork, it was lush and fruity. Look for it near your home – a wonderful buy!
A Great Value out of Washington State
I wanted to do a quick post to tell you about a wine that I can readily recommend based on past purchases and drinking enjoyment. It’s the Baer Winery Star from 2011, which comes from Columbia Valley, Washington. This winery has a history of having its wines make Wine Spectator’s Top 100 List.
Trust me, I do not go by scores alone, since there are many times I feel very differently about wines that are highly rated by Robert Parker or Wine Spectator. I really appreciate, though, that I can feel relatively confident that a wine with a good score is a good direction to venture in and explore for myself.
Wine — In a Flash
Everybody loves a good deal. In today’s market, there are opportunities to purchase wine at discounts from 10 to 20% or even as much as 40% off retail. These opportunities can be found at something called Flash Wine Sites. They typically offer limited quantities of wines at discounts. The wine is offered for a limited time – hence the name “Flash.” This can be a great bargain. Akin to Tuesday Morning or other discount stores, the situation is not one of searching for a particular label or brand – you need to be open to what is being offered. There are bargains to be had if you know your wineries and what the vintage being sold has to offer. If so, this may be right up your alley.
This is the market place born out of the excess inventory of wineries. For wineries with an excess, it makes a lot of sense to offer their inventory to a flash site to move it efficiently and quickly. In just a few short years, this segment of the wine market has grown to about 100 million dollars in annual sales. This accounts for approximately 25% of the online wine market, according to an estimate by the wine industry-consulting firm VinTank.
The Hills Are Alive!
Sacramentans have great choices today as the Foothill wineries east of Sacramento continue to evolve. The federal government has designated four distinct AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the Foothills: Sierra Foothills AVA, El Dorado AVA, Fair Play AVA, and Shenandoah AVA. Growth is abundant in these areas. For example, Amador County, which is found in the Sierra Foothills AVA, has over 40 wineries. There is much to choose from and much to explore. The journey here has only just begun.
Shiraz from McLaren Vale in Australia: Mitolo’s 2011 Jester
I travel frequently, and yet I still want to enjoy good wine on the road. The challenge with that is expense and aging. We all know what happens in restaurants with the prices. I appreciate that everyone needs to make a living, yet sometimes the price for a nice bottle is not in the budget. Aging is a challenge, as well. Many bottles available in retail outlets are young wines and, sad to say, it is a shame to drink a wine before its time.
One of the go-to varietals for me when I am traveling is Australian Shiraz. Remember, this is the same grape as Syrah, but the Aussies and the South Africans call it Shiraz. (Let me know if you want to know the back-story as to why.) What I have found is that these young wines are approachable now and will provide great fruit and soft tannins. For me, they are quite enjoyable in the dinner setting at a restaurant. The best part of the story, though, is that many good ones are quite economical.