Winos Anonymous

My buddy Mike kept talking up this super affordable, super yummy red table wine called “Redart” from Urbanite Cellars and I finally got around to trying it… and I’m OBSESSED. I can’t believe this wine only costs $9.99- it’s a smooth and complex blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, and 20% Zinfandel from a variety of vineyards in California. The result is an easy-drinking, velvety table wine that goes well with just about anything (especially Pizza- and yes, that’s exactly what I paired it with.) Pick up a bottle (or 4) for a cheap but absolutely delish go-to wine.

Last Sunday my dear friend and fellow wino, Meghan, and I took a day trip up to Santa Barbara and Los Olivos to do a little wine tasting action. First we (more…)

My first entry on this little blog o’ mine was about my go-to Red: the 2007 Goats do Roam from South Africa. Well, I am heartbroken to tell you that I was a little disappointed by the 2008 Vintage, which has a slightly different blending combination (more Syrah.) It was still totally do-able for a wine under 10 bucks, but it just lacked the complexity that I remembered from the 2007 vintage. Anywho, I quickly got over that heartbreak when I was introduced to The Wolftrap- another red blend from South Africa (68% Syrah, 30% Mouvedre, 2% Viognier.) I served it last week at a dinner party and it was a big hit.  First of all, you can find it for under $10 bucks (score!) and honestly it sips like a $17 and up bottle of wine (double score!) It’s sexy, spicy, smoky, meaty, with notes of tobacco, dark chocolate, cherries, black berries. Sip this sucker with some hearty meat or pasta dishes, though it’s lovely enough to sip alone. Cheers!

Last weekend Beau and I went to go visit his family and I bought a bottle of Domaine Carneros Brut by Tattinger to get the party started before family dinner. It was a massive hit with the whole family, received 91 points from Wine Spectator, and is a steal at around $22. This sparkling wine is a blend of Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes made in the elegant style of Tattinger (without the Tattinger price tag, of course.) As far as tasting notes go, there are notes of creamy meyer lemon and green apple with a nice minerality and a crisp, refined perlage. Pair it with some Cowgirl Creamery cheese (like we did) and you will be in HEAVEN. Plus, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and this wine would be the PERFECT way to celebrate (even if your celebration is under a snuggie getting drunk on your own watching 30 Rock DVDs, in which case I applaud you.)

Confession: Last week I was on my way home from a long day at work, about to pay rent, and needing just ONE glass of wine to take the edge off before I passed out to sleepland. Since I knew I shouldn’t spend more than 10 bucks on an “it’s-that-kind-of-a-night” bottle, I stopped off at my good friend Trader Joe’s and did something I NEVER do- I bought a bottle of wine for under $5. And you know what? I didn’t HATE it. It was light bodied, fruit forward, a little jammy with notes of blueberry, dark cherry, and a little pepper. It was a little sweeter than I like but hey, for $4.99 it did the trick and if I didn’t know how much it cost I never would have guessed it. NOTE- DON’T buy this wine thinking you’re going to get your mind blown- it’s not gonna happen… but for $4.99 it definitely didn’t suck, guys. Cheers!