Winos Anonymous

It’s FINALLY starting to feel like summer here in Santa Monica (oh hey, end of August) so I thought it would be appropriate to introduce you all to a light, zippy, yummy, and best of all CHEAP Gruner Veltliner. For those of you who have never tried or perhaps have never even heard of Gruner Veltliner (no judgement), it is (more…)

Hi Winos! I’m baaaaaack!

I hope you all had a wonderful, wine-soaked holiday. Here’s what I did drank on my winter vacation:

First, I had a little wine and cheese gathering with our friends Stephanie and Zach, who were in town.

Steph is a Chardonnay girl, so I bought a white Burgundy (because ya’ll know I can’t do California Chardonnays.) It was the (more…)

This past weekend I headed back over to Elvino wine shop to do another tasting. This time, Bart had put together a $10 “Couch Potato Flight” for a lazy post-Thanksgiving weekend. All 3 wines were under $20, which was a bonus!

The first wine was the lovely, easy-drinking NV Cantine Riondo Prosecco

At Elvino it is sold for $13, which is totally reasonable… BUT you can definitely find this sucker for (more…)

I apologize for the delay in posting- looks like all my day drinking finally caught up with me and I was feeling a bit “under the weather” yesterday.

I am back and ready to discuss the ONLY Chardonnay I’ve liked to date. You see, I’m coming out of the closet: until a few days ago I was a hater of Chardonnay. P.S. I can hear your groans on the other side of the computer, so just hear me out- the oakiness of Californian Chardonnays kind of turned my stomach.  I am happy to report that I may have found an answer to my Chardonnay problem: white Burgundy!

While I was at the Syrah tasting at Elvino, I found a kindred wino spirit in Trish, who shared with me that she also used to hate Chardonnay. She picked out a bottle of this white Burgundy, handed it to me, and told me it would change the way I feel about Chardonnay…. dare I say Trish was right.

It’s a simple, easy-drinking, and affordable wine (you should be able to find this for around $11-$15.) The nose has hints of vanilla, melon, honey and banana as well as the slightest hint of mint (Trish- I think you’re right on that one.) Most of these flavors carry over to the palate, which is mouth-filling with a crisp minerality, just a hint of cream, and lovely apple and meyer lemon nuances. And the best part? NO OAK! Woo-hoo! If you’re not a huge fan of California Chardonnays (or even if you are) I would definitely recommend trying out a white Burgundy. It will open your mind to the possibilities of Chardonnay. (That sounded way deeper than I intended-  we’re talking about wine, not mind-altering drugs.) But you get the point- try it out and let me know what you think. Have a wonderful, wine-soaked Thanksgiving, winos! I am very thankful for all of you!

When you set out to buy a French wine, you usually prepare yourself for a higher price tag (especially for the Bordeaux region.) Fortunately for you, my little winos, the charming Bordeaux Blanc I’d like to share with you can be found for as little as $10.99.

The Chateau Bonnet Bordeaux Blanc is a white Bordeaux blend- 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 10% Muscadelle. Usually I find blends with Semillon and/or Muscadelle to be a little too sweet, but for some magical reason this wine is not too sweet at all. Hey, I don’t question- I just chug it and smile. As far as the tasting notes are concerned, it’s crisp, has a mild acidity as well as a lovely mineral quality about it, with hints of green apple, citrus, and straw.

It’s a simple but lovely white wine that can be enjoyed with or without food. It would pair well with seafood and light pasta dishes. If you’re feeling particularly sassy, pair it will a gourmet mac ‘n cheese. Go crazy with it!

All day I was struggling with a decision: should I sip a white wine or a red wine with my Sunday supper? I know there are worse quandaries in the world, but I honestly couldn’t decide and it was troubling. You see, it’s very unlike me- I usually know around 10:30am what I’ll be drinking that evening and plan the rest of my day around it (joking… kind of.)

Earlier this evening, Beau and I went to our local Whole Foods to plan our Sunday supper and for me to pick out a wine to blog about. I stood in the wine section for a solid 5 minutes and all I could do was narrow it down to a country: Spain. In one hand I held an elegant Rioja but I knew I still needed (or wanted… whatever) a white. Fortunately, Megan, a wine-and-cheese-savvy employee, must have seen me looking like a lost puppy and came over to lend her services. She gave me a big thumbs up on my Rioja choice and when I told her I was still in the market for a white she suggested the Marques De Riscal Rueda, which is made from the Spanish grape Verdejo (Rueda refers to the region in which the grapes are grown.)

Unfortunately, our Whole Foods has a very small selection of chilled wines and no wine chiller, so when I got home I had to take matters into my own hands. Don’t be jealous of my ghetto wine chiller:

The verdict? Eh.

Now, I’m only speaking for myself and for Beau, who went so far as to say “it tasted like dirty pennies.” But let’s keep in mind that Beau is not a huge fan of wine in general so his input is mainly for amusement. And hey, maybe some of you are into dirty pennies… as we say here at Winos Anonymous: no judgments. Joking aside, I do actually think many people might enjoy this wine- particularly Pinot Grigio and Reisling people (again, no judgments. Okay, maybe a little judgment.) How ’bout I give you a technical rundown and let you decide?

As far as the nose is concerned, there’s a great deal of honey and tropical fruit. As far as tasting notes are concerned, that honey and tropical fruit carries over quite a bit and is balanced nicely by a crisp minerality and a bit of citrus/apple. It’s definitely more fruit-forward than I like and has a bit more residual sugar than I like, but again… a lot of people are into that. I think it would pair beautifully with a sharp, aged Manchego or a Cana de Cabra goat cheese to cut into that slight sweetness (and to keep with our Spanish theme- haaaaay.)

I am a very opinionated little wino and though the Marques De Riscal Rueda isn’t quite my thing, I honestly think a lot of people will like it. Again, take a look at my nose and tasting notes and if it sounds like your thing, go for it! It is on sale at Whole Foods for $10.99 so you can experiment without going broke. Let me know what you think!

Tomorrow I will continue the Spanish theme with a delicious, organic Tempranillo and later this week I will try that Rioja… stay tuned!