Masciarelli - Montepulciano d' Abruzzo

My Italian rampage continues! This $8 wine comes from central Italy which apparently is home to regular, hard workin' folk - who make no-nonsense wine. This wine is a bit of a standard for us - and goes especially well with pizza - which we're having tonight. The oak is a bit strong on the nose, but still gives the wine a pleasant spice. I can't pick out any one fruit, when I taste it. Look for this one or just this grape varietal - but don't overpay.

Scharffenberger Brut Sparkling Wine (aka Champagne)

Here's a $15 California Brut Sparkling wine (aka champagne) that is as good as any $30+ bottle you'll find for your New Years celebration. 2/3rds Pinot Noir and 1/3rd Chardonnay. Bubbly, light, and not sweet. It has never failed my and Mrs Vino. Happy New Year!

Olivares - Altos de la Hoya 2007 Monastrell

I can't recall why I purchased 2 bottles of this $10 wine made from the "Monastrell" grape variety. A 'net search suggests this is an excellent "value" wine - selling at $10, but worth $20. Well, Julios wine store must have had a label to that effect, because you know that description would grab my attention! I smelled rubber and the tannins grabbed my toungue on the initial tasting. All the flavors quickly smoothed out as the wine must have needed some air. Mrs. Vino also noticed the tannins, but said, "it isn't like a sweater on my tounge." We polish it off in no time and we're clearly in mid-vaca week form. This smooth wine has subtle blackberry like flavors and nice acid for a red. The wine worked well with a chicken pasta dish. Look for this wine!

Monte Antico Toscana 2006

My brother gave me this wine (along with 4 other bottles!) for Christmas. We pulled it out for our Xmas dinner lamb chops and loved it. Another Italian wine for me. (Is he reading by blog?) 85% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot and 5% Cab. The oak was a bit strong on the nose, but nicely in the background on the toungue. A very smooth blend and I was certain my brother had splurged - as he often does. One 'net search tells me this is a $10 wine - showing his nose for value. I'll be looking for this wine and so should you.

Jermann Pinot Grigio

Picked up this Pinot Grigio when searching for a white for Mrs. Vino. Perfumy, fragant and a bit floral- similar to a Riesling. We pair it up with some scallops and the combo works. I'm starting to think I need to learn more about and start buying more Italian wines. And who knew I liked Pinot Grigio. Be warned however. For whatever reason white wines just aren't hangover free like reds. We didn't even finish the bottle and both had slight headaches this AM.

La Fortuna 2008 Pinot Noir

Not much flavor. Drinkable, but not enjoyable. No overriding negative flavors, but still all I really taste is the heat of the alcohol. Memo to self - when in Chile - stick with Cabs.

You can see from the photo the wine was "hand harvested". It was also organically grown. Too bad someone went through all that effort because the end product wasn't so good.

HEY LOOK - Seven posts in November. I've exceeded my goal of 4 per month.

Alma Rosa Chardonnay

"Buttery" chardonnay. What does that mean? I never smelled or tasted "butter" in my chardonnay. Until now! My wine smelled like the buttered popcorn at the movies. In my quest to find a chadonnay for Mrs. Vino I've become a fan myself. When I did the broad tasting in the store this one would have been second to Oatley (below), but now I'm not sure. The distributor informed me that the vineyard formally produced Sanford. Huh! My Dad and my wifes maid of honor must have drank 8 bottles of Sanford at our rehersal dinner. To this day, they both shudder whenever the rehersal dinner topic arises. I read that many chardonnays these days are junk and while I'm no expert this one seemed just fine to me and I would look for this one!

Pieropan - Soave

Picked up this Italian white on my quest to find a Chardonnay for Mrs. Vino. The guy representing this wine suggested we pair this up with pasta and clam sauce, so we do just that. Perfect. BTW - I also learned that Italy has 400 grape varieties. Gracious. There are just so many good things to say about this wine. Light - and I get a distinct pear flavor - not at all sweet. A substial white wine that I will definitely look for again. Do the same! I paid $13 becasue the distributor was there, but it regularly is $17. (I read today that most folks who rate wines from 1-100 miss their prior score by 4 points the next time they rate the same wine. I knew there was a reason I thought that scoring system was bull.

Robert Oatley Chardonnay 2007

Mrs. Vino requests some white wine - pinot grigio or chardonnay. A few day later a local wine store announces a special tasting with 6 distributors. I'm on my way. I'm not used to tasting whites - but am willing to learn! The second wine I taste stands out. The distributor overloads me with info as I taste. The slightest hint of alcohol entering my brain distracts from a long story about someone I don't know. Robert Parker Jr scored this one a 90, but who is he? The label suggests a melon flavor and I'm thinking honey dew or do list -which I think I'm working on. I digress. A slight hint of oak. I really liked this wine. A bit pricey at $14, but it generally retails higher (like $20 I think) so I feel good about the extra dough. I don't rate wines like some school test. My rating comes as a suggestion - Look for it!!

Barbera D'Alba Poderi Elia 2004

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you know that it is time to check out the oaked Barbera. This one is an 04 and the prior Barb (we're comfortable with each other) was an 08. Surprise, surprise, surprise. (Jim Nabors - dead or alive?) - I like this one better. "Smoother" says Mrs. Vino. Yup, and the oak is hardly noticable, but the wine just has more flavor and better "length" - the pleasant flavor lingers for a while. Our neice Rachel, picks up on some cherry flavors and Mrs. Vino get's black licorice. (I agree - now that it is suggested.) Look for it! It is also in the $10 range. (Alive!)