I don’t think I could make a scientific case that certain wines are better served on Father’s Day. This post is less about father’s day-specific wine and more about a few bottles that I’ve enjoyed in these recent weeks leading up to Father’s Day. Whether you are a father, have a father or know a father, you might want to try these as well…

There’s been a lot of white wine in my glass recently. It’s warming up and I’ve been trying to eat nice, healthy salads and seafood; thus the color of my wine.

The first bottle was sent to us by our friends at Pasternak Imports, the 2008 Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre. Sancerre is an appellation in the eastern Part of France’s Loire Valley, and most of the wine produced there is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This was a nice, elegant wine with a light, floral nose and flavors of lemon, citrus and a vein of minerality. A crisp acidity with a decent finish, it was a nice pairing with my arugula & crab (and by crab I mean krab) salad and baked brie. It retails for $23.99.

Next up is the ‘08 Catena Chardonnay from Mendoza in Argentina, which was sent to us. We love Argentina in general for good wine values, and the Mendoza region is at the heart of the Argentinian wine industry, producing two thirds of the countries wines. This wine has a distinct tropical nose with notes of sweet spices. Those tropical flavors, along with pears, apples and a glimmer of minerals continue on the palate. It’s a nice, creamy mouthful of medium-bodied chardonnay with a nice crisp acidity. A good deal at under $20 and it scored a 91 from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and a 90 from Stephen Tanzer.

Another value-wine-producing-country we love in the Southern Hemisphere is Chile. We were sent a bottle of white from Bodegas Renacer, the 2009 Punto Final Sauvignon Blanc. This one hails from the Casablanca Valley which is a hot spot for Sauv Blanc in Chile. While this one didn’t knock my socks off, it was an easy-drinking, refreshing burst of citrus. It had hints of herbs, with a zesty acidity- best served nice and cold. It retails for $11.99.

Meanwhile, back up here in the Northern Hemisphere, I was pleased to find a bottle of the pink stuff on my doorstep. Of course I’m talking about rosé, pink being the other color of wine that gets poured a lot when the temperature rises. This one was from the Russian River Valley area up in Sonoma- the 2009 Foppiano Vineyards Estate Rosé. One of Foppiano’s specialties is Petite Sirah, and this rosé is a blend of 55% Petite Sirah and 45% Pinot Noir. It’s not a grape that’s often seen in a rosé, and the result is crisp, fun and complex (much like myself). The nose is sweet strawberries, and the palate is strawberries, cherries and a dash of spice. It has a nice, creamy body and a bright acidity. A great summertime wine for about fifteen bucks.

By the way, if you want to get your dad a father’s day gift he’ll never forget, the lovely wine bottle tie pictured above is available at www.vinodeco.com. Happy Father’s Day!

We had fun shooting this one. The natural thought on Valentines day is to come up with a wine that you can sip by the fireplace with your valentine, perhaps while enjoying something sweet. That in mind, we chose a couple of desert wines that fit the bill: We opened a little bottle of Late Harvest ‘Arroyo Seco’ Viognier from our friends at Salamandre Wine Cellars in Santa Cruz as well as the ‘Charisma’ dessert wine from Tobin James in Paso Robles. Both were sweet and paired nicely with everything I had laid out in my impromptu Valentine’s Day spread: a Starbucks chocolate bar, Almond Roca, stinky cheese, sweet cheese, walnuts, two kinds of apples and a little pear. I particularly enjoyed the Viognier; I enjoy it as a refreshing, floral aperitif wine when it’s NOT late-harvest, and it turns out it makes an exquisite dessert wine… loads of honey… and it’s pretty cool to look at too- I had a nice golden hue emanating from my chilled glass.

In addition to the sticky wines, I popped a couple of bottles o’ bubbly open which also paired nicely with my V-day plate. I enjoy a glass of pink bubbles, and I’ve been loving every Cremant de Bourgogne that’s been poured into my glass, so I chose a bottle of Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Rosé “Perle d’Aurore” for this Valentine’s extravaganza. Just because, I added a second sparkling bottle, this one from the Loire: the De Chanceny Cremant de Loire Rosé. Oh and by the way, both of these sparklers were fresh & tasty and neither topped the $14 mark.

Let’s be honest… you can open whatever you like on V-day. Hell, go crazy and open up a bottle of Peppermint Schnapps if you like, I won’t judge you. If you’re looking for a good read on pairing wine with a variety of desserts, check out this great article at TheNibble.com. While you’re at it, they’ve got one on pairing wine with chocolate.

Again, please watch the webisode for all the play-by-play. By the way, if you like that shiny heart-shaped bottle holder pictured at the beginning of the post, you can pick one up for your very own at www.ocupationgifts.com.

I was visiting a friend on the west side of LA recently and looking for a place to grab a bite and a glass when he mentioned Bar Pintxo as a “cool little spot that served Spanish Wine”. “Stop right there…” I interrupted him, “…you had me at hello”.If you’ve spent any time on the site, you know I’ve been on a Spanish kick for some time, so I was sold pretty quickly on checking out a wine bar that was dedicated to Spain. What I found was a pretty cool spot to eat as well. Pintxo means ‘’skewer’ in the Basque language of Northern Spain, but apparently in Santa Monica it means tasty small dishes and excellent Spanish wine.

The skewer, by the way, is quite prevalent in Bar Pintxo- lots of small plates and finger foods, many held together with a skewer (toothpick).

We sat down and were greeted with a plate of ‘Dates Wrapped in Bacon with Cabralas Cheese’ (are you kidding me?) They were delicious. Orders of ‘Chorizo and Fried Quail Eggs’, ‘ Tuna Stuffed Tomato, Garlic and Parsley’ and ‘ Grilled Shrimp, Piquillo Pepper, Tomato Conserve, Yogurt & Caviar’ followed soon thereafter. It seemed as though there were a million small plates; and we rocked them all. All the food was fresh, flavorful and well presented. And at $5-$8 each it was a sure bet the check would be easy to swallow. Oh, and did I mention the wine?

Dates wrapped in bacon

Let me start by saying that putting ‘by-the-glass’ and ‘Spanish’ in the same sentence doesn’t always produce positive results. Some trendy wine bars in any-town USA have taken advantage of the average patron who have heard ‘Spanish’ as the new wine buzzword but who don’t know what good Spanish wine tastes like. They serve really inexpensive, generic Tempranillo and in the end Spanish wine gets a bad rap (it would be like offering California wine-by-the-glass at a wine bar in Europe and pouring Two-Buck-Chuck (all due respect to the folks at Charles Shaw)). But I digress…

The friendly staff at Bar Pintxo should be commended on their patience; I asked for six different ‘tastes’ before I made my by-the-glass choice (what can I say, I’m thorough). In my defense, there are a lot of choices. The menu offered a plethora of whites, reds and Cavas from all over Spain: Montsant, Ribera del Duero, Priorat, Bierzo, Toro, Rioja, Penedes, Rias-Baixas, Rueda… (I could go on). Highlights from those that I actually drank (and those that I ‘tasted’):

2005 Do Ferreiro-Albarino-from Rias Baixas- Strong citrus and minerals on the nose and on the palate; crisp and refreshing.

2000 Rotllan Torra-Reserva from Priorat – A big, bad red that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Dark fruit with a dusting of oak, a blend of Cabernet, Grenache and Carignan.

2003 Ostatu-Crianza from Rioja- Tasty! A basket o’ berries, with spice and mocha; a blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo,Grenache and Graciano.

2004 Joan d’Anguera Finca l’Argata from Montsant- I like blueberries and that’s what this bad boy tastes like, with notes of mineral and spice. Reportedly made from the oldest Syrah vines in Spain with a bit of Cabernet and Grenache for good measure.

With the average price of the glasses we had hovering around $10 (and many glasses on the menu in the $6-$8 range), the bill was much smaller than we expected.

All in all a great time was had by all. Bar Pintxo has small plates, good prices and a big selection of Spanish wines. If you find yourself on the west side of Los Angeles, swing by and have a glass. As I type this blog, I’m reading a note on their website touting a daily happy hour special from 4-6:00PM that involves 6 tapas for $6.00. “…you had me at hello…”

Yes, another holiday is upon us, and God forbid I don’t find a way to associate celebration with wine (the two go hand in hand after all).  So without further ado, here is WineExpedition’s list of five wines for the Fourth of July.

2006 Rosenblum “Richard Sauret” Paso Robles Zinfandel When I think of the 4rth, I think barbecue, and when I think barbecue, I think Zinfandel.  They’re generally big, bold, zesty and fruity which is a good match for a zesty barbecue sauce.  Rosenblum has become synonymous with Zinfandel, and this one is made from fruit from Paso Robles, a wine region near and dear to my heart.   This wine is big- full of dark fruit, pepper and vanilla.  The 14% petite sirah that’s mixed in gives it a nice touch of berries.  Normally about 20 bucks, but right now on sale at K&L for for $12.99.  If spicy BBQ is on the menu, pick up this or simillar California zin and you’ll be set.

2008 Etude Carneros Pinot Noir Rosé When it’s hot outside and your at an outdoor cookout, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of  rosé to cool off and get things started.  This one is a good one; light and fresh on the nose and lots of strawberry and berries on the palate.  Crisp, dry and picnic-food friendly.  It averages $17.  Few rosés will cost you more than that, and most are less, so it’s a good call for cooling off and saving a buck at the same time.

Crisp, cold white wines are always welcome this time of year, and this one from Spain is a good call indeed:  2007 Bodegas Angel Rodriguez Martinsancho Verdejo.  Crisp, citrus-y, floral…  Crack a bottle before the sun goes down and enjoy.   Sixteen bucks more or less.  Verdejo grapes are grown mostly in the Rueda area of Spain, so look for another verdejo if you can’t find this one.  Another good bet for a hot day is a Sauvignon Blanc from California, Chile or New Zealand.

Another white option that I’ve been getting into lately is Gewürztraminer , particularly those grown in California.  So on that note, the 2007 Thomas Fogarty Monterey County Gewürztraminer is one that I just my open myself on the 4rth.  Slightly sweet, this one’s loaded with tropical flavors, floral notes and spices, all wrapped up in a nice crisp acidity.  Good with food or good with fireworks;  around fifteen dollars.

I think it’s safe to assume that most of us will be doing some kind of barbecue on the fourth, or at least eating hearty, summertime fare, so another wine that comes to my mind is Syrah (Shiraz if you’re down under), which brings us to the 2007 Strong Arms Shiraz.   Like a zin, syrah’s tend to be big and fruity and thus work well with some bbq’d ribs splashed with a zesty sauce.  This one has berries o’ plenty with spices and earthy notes.  A great glass to have with your burger and to keep sipping when the sky lights up.  $12.

Last but not least, I chose to mention one more white, because when it’s summer time I tend to like to cool down with a glass of white wine.  In LA, it will no doubt still be warm after the sun goes down, so I may be sipping a glass of 2007 Miner Family “Simpson Vineyard” Viognier.  Viognier is another unexpected white wine that delivers lots of interesting floral notes and pairs well with summer food.   This one from California is rich and summery with flavors of peaches and tropical fruit and subtle layers of honey and vanilla.  Again, good with food, but good to sip while watching the fireworks, and about $17.

Whichever wine you choose, enjoy your fourth of July.  May it be safe and sane…

Monday night, I was starving, and was on the prowl for something quick, easy and cheap. I pulled into Baja Fresh and grabbed a carnitas burrito. I have to say, as far as ‘fast food’ goes, Baja Fresh seems healthier. Maybe it’s because the word ‘fresh’ is in their name.

And of course, whenever I have spicy Mexican or Southwest food, I always feel it appropriate to have either Spanish or Chilean wine- not just because Spanish is mostly spoken at all of the above locales, but because by and large, wines from these regions tend to go really well with spicy food. Monday night’s choice was the 2006 Los Vascos Reserve, which is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Carmenere, 10% Syrah, and 5% Malbec.  It should be noted that the Los Vascos operation is run by a little group of wine folk out of France called Domaines Barons de Rothschild-Lafite .  One glance at thier little logo triggers a reassuring voice inside my head:  “we’re in good hands here.”

This wine is a nice ruby color and looked mighty good as I gave it a swirl. On the nose was dark fruit and berries with lots of spicy, earthy notes. Sure enough, once it was in my mouth, the dark cherries and berries were nicely framed with ample amounts of secondary flavors: spice and chocolate, and a little green herb action. Decent tannins and acidity kept it balanced and structured, but overall this one is young. We decanted it for a good 20 minutes and it was still a bit tightly wound. A decent value at $20, and it was as fresh and healthy as my carnitas burrito.

So I was out for a glass of wine last night in a Hollywood spot that shall remain nameless because I actually like the place- the food is good, the vibe is cool and I can get some interesting wines by the glass. But it’s really irritating (especially in this economy), when the by-the-bottle price is three times higher than what it costs in the store.

And listen, I know that restaurants needs to make money and stay in business. But marking up wine that much makes it feel like loan-sharking, or highway robbery (to quote my grandmother).

Let’s take last night’s bottle of wine which cost us $33.00 (it wasn’t half-bad by the way, and I’ll review it in a bit). I can buy it at my favorite wine store for $11, so sure enough, it was marked up three times (and the restaurant paid less than retail, probably six or seven dollars). So when I made the choice to buy my food from the eatery instead of staying home, I also chose to give them an extra twenty bucks for the privilege of drinking wine from their stash. Not cool in my book.

The good news is, quite a few eating spots are offering wine-markup-reduction promotions in this economy. Here in Los Angeles, Boa Steakhouse has a Sunday night special: All bottles of wine are half price. Very cool in my book.

According to this article at WinedandDined.com, several restaurants in New York city are offering promotions to combat the recession. Additionally, restaurants across the US are encouraging diners to bring their own wine and/or cutting their corkage fees according to this story at TampaBay.com care of the St. Petersburg Times. I humbly suggest you check around the restaurants in your city; there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to find some recession-relief specials.

Now, let me step down off of my soapbox and review last night’s wine.

The bottle was from the good folks at Vinum Cellars, the 2006 PETS Petite Sirah. ‘Pets’ is a nickname that veteran wine growers use for Petite Sirah, including Ken Wilson, the guy that grows the grapes that go into this wine . To honor Wilson’s late dog Tanker, a portion of the profits from the sales of this wine is donated to the San Francisco SPCA. (Over $25,000.00 has been donated to date.)

I’ve already mentioned that the wine retails for $11, but it’s been recognized as a decent bottle: Food & Wine Magazine included the ‘06 PETS in their list of
“67 Best American Wines $15 & Under”.

The wine is a deep purple color with an earthy, lavender nose.  On the palate, concentrated fruit:  some blueberry, though a bit tart, more like a huckleberry.  Subtle flavors of vanilla are present along with a slight mineral edge and some good tannins to boot.  This wine was great to wash down the burger I was eating, if you like Petite Sirah, you could drink this all by itself.

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t like paying $33 for this bottle in the restaurant,  but its a good deal for 11 bucks at the wine store.

…again, the plan was to move as little as possible this weekend, so there really wasn’t any question that our dinner plans would involve the room service dude.

After the obligatory walk to the beach, watching the sunset, blah, blah blah (and getting a coffee!!), we got back to the room and got the room service menu out.  My wife contemplated having a steak.  I supported her in her choice and suggested a fillet mignon (knowing full well that I’d be having a bite or two).  I ordered a pork tenderloin and uncorked the bottle I had brought and poured it into the decanter.

I had been looking forward to opening this one:  the 2007 Sojourn Sangiacomo Vineyard, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.

I had tried the Sojourn ‘Sonoma Coast’ pinot at the Family Winemakers of California tasting down in Del Mar last month.  It was tasty beyond belief and had scored a 95 in the Pinot Report.  So when I heard that this bottle had scored a 97, I knew I was in for a treat.  Considering the definition of Sojourn is “..a short stay in a place…” it was pretty darn appropriate for my Saturday evening wine.

Sojourn’s tasting salon is in downtown Sonoma, but the grapes for this pinot come from the Sangiacomo Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast area.

I gave it about an hour in the decanter before the food arrived.  I poured a glass of the nice, dark-colored pinot and could smell aromas of cherry coke and strong spices.

By the way, the food was delicious.  I snuck a quick bite of my wife’s steak and then cut into my pork tenderloin.  It was lightly breaded, and moist and flavorful.

I brought a glass of pinot up and took in those wonderful aromas once more before diving in.  I took a nice big sip and the wine proceeded to wrap itself around my mouth several times.  No, really… the texture of this pinot is thick, creamy and chock full o’ goodness.  Big, spicy cherry flavors with notes of oak and a tinge of mint.  The finish lasted for days.  This wine was something else; honestly one of my favorite California pinots right now.  It was great with the pork, but honestly, I really enjoyed drinking it all by itself after I finished my dinner.  I had another bite of my wife’s steak too.

After dinner, we retired to the balcony and looked down on the coast.  I finished my wine and we kinda dozed off listening to the sounds of the night.  It was a good weekend with some good wine.  Or you could say it was a good sojourn with a good Sojourn…

This weekend featured a 24 hour getaway for the little lady and I… A quick drive down to Huntington Beach for some R&R at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort.

No time was wasted; a cup of coffee and an overnight bag in the back of the car and off we went.  We arranged for an early check-in before noon. The plan was to move as little as possible, but the pangs of hunger beckoned so we walked 70 paces to the elevator, took it down to the first floor, took another 70 paces into the restaurant and grabbed a table.

Moments later, the waiter brought me a tasty looking duck salad and a half bottle of 2005 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine.

The duck salad was good. Crispy coated, moist, flavorful duck on a bed of spring lettuces with a very mild citrus dressing.

And the Schramsberg was just what the doctor ordered. The nose had sweet, creamy aromas of pears and citrus, and those flavors continued on the palate along with apples and pineapples. It was crisp and dry with a balanced acidity and scattered streams of tiny bubbles. It was a great pairing with the crispy duck, though I could see this wine working with chicken or seafood dishes or all by itself before dinner.

It was a great way to kickoff my 24-hour beach retreat. After I finished my lunch, I pulled the bottle out of the ice bucket for glass #2 while I gazed out towards the water.

Dinner was even better, but I’ll talk about that tomorrow in Part Two…

…so I had picked up dinner already; some tasty Italian take-out. I opted for the fettucine in cream sauce and figured I should pick up a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to wash it down. I mentioned my dinner choice to Mari, one of the wine experts at my neighborhood wine store and she asked: “Why aren’t you having an Italian wine?” “Uhhhh” was my quick reply. “It’s always fun to pair cuisine with wine from its country of origin, especially Itallian food”. “Uhhhh,” I reiteratied.

I was suddenly reminded of a story my good friend Joe told me about his vacation somewhere in the Italian countryside (I want to say he was in Tuscany, but don’t quote me). He described a meal that he and his wife enjoyed early in thier trip. They were instructed to go down the road from the villa that they were staying in, to a non-descript eatery where the locals ate. Upon arrival they noticed a less-than-friendly woman wearing an apron and smoking a cigarette outside of the place. They walked in and looked for the hostess. There was no host or hostess-there wasn’t even a hostess stand. They were escorted to a rustic table and chairs, and they sat down, not sure what to expect.

They were presented with several bottles of wine (all local Italian offerings) and asked to choose, which they did.  Once the choice was made, the charming woman they had met outside earlier, who was still smoking her cigarette, suddenly appeared and went to work in the kitchen which was adjacent to their table and hardly hidden from view. Inside the kitchen was a 7 inch black and white TV, a church pew and a wood burning stove.  She went to town and picked out some meat and vegetables from the pew (there was no refrigerator evident), put the steaks on the stove, and whipped up thier food for them without a smile or a nod. The food was presented unceremoniously on a couple of plates, and the wine was poured into a couple of plain tumbler-like glasses (apparently their Riedel order hadn’t come in yet… or maybe they were in the dishwasher? …maybe not since the dishwasher was also the aforementioned un-smiling woman).

What happened next you ask?  They tried the food and wine and were FLOORED.  The food was amazing; like someone’s Italian mother made it with fresh ingredients from the farm behind the house; which is essentially what happened.  And the wine?  Not only was it wonderful, it was A PERFECT MATCH to the food on the table.  It’s almost as if the wine grapes were grown alongside the ingredients in the food and/or that the food was made to pair with the wine that was served…. which is exactly what had happened.  TRUE STORY, though I may have screwed up a few of the details as I heard the story a couple of years ago.

So as I pondered Joe’s story in the wine store, I decided to take Mari’s advice and I looked for a nice Italian white.  She already had one in hand.  “Here, try this one” she said.  “Uhhhhh”  I replied.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

The 2007 Venica Collio Friulano “Ronco delle Cime” was the bottle I took home, and there’s kind of an interesting story behind the grape used in this wine.  The grape was originally called Tocai and it’s indigenous to Friuli  in north eastern Italy though it’s not related to the French Tokay-Pinot Gris or Tokay from Hungary. Furthermore, they decided to change the name (I guess to avoid the confusion) and starting with the 2006 vintage, it’s now called the Friuliano. I was told that the grape possesses great natural acidity and a slight spice/musk on the back end.

The wine was a nice light yellow color, and displayed a sweet lemony, floral nose with a spicy, nutty undertone.  On the palate there’s a crisp citrus peel thing going on, and a subtle spicy aftertaste with a crisp, clean finish.  It was definitely more complex than your average Sauv Blanc, and it really cleaned my mouth out after each bite of creamy pasta.

So now I know… Next time I have Italian, I’m having Italian wine.  Not sure what I’m gonna do when I order Viking food.

Yep, it’s Earth Day, and we’re certainly all about saving the planet here at WineExpedition, so that the planet can keep producing wine grapes. And on Earth Day, I’m blogging about the wine I drank last night…

If you live in California, Nevada or Arizona, you may have heard of the new Fresh & Easy chain of neighborhood markets. It’s kinda like Trader Joe’s with slightly wider aisles and no cashiers (you check out yourself). Mind you, I’m not touting one over the other, I love the Trader Joe’s and now that a Fresh & Easy has popped up in my neighborhood, I’ve become a big fan.

Fresh & Easy is big in the packaged meals department; great for picking stuff you can quickly grab and quickly prepare for tonight’s dinner or tomorrow morning’s breakfast. Ready-to-eat salads, breakfast burritos, side dishes or main courses abound, and their meat/seafood department is chock full of good, well-priced options as is their produce department. And of course they have a nice, inexpensive wine aisle.

…Which brings us to our Earth Day theme. Fresh N’ Easy carries the 2008 One Hope California Sauvignon Blanc for the whopping price of $9.99. This wine was put together exclusively for the chain by wine maker David Elliot and Fresh N’ Easy’s head wine dude Phil Reedman. One Hope is all about conservation of the planet and pledges that 50% of the profits on each bottle of wine sold goes towards sustainability and the conservation of the planet. In the case of the Sauv Blanc from Fresh & Easy, 50% of the profit goes to American Forests, where every dollar they raise plants a tree. So I’m thinking that by the time I finish this bottle of Sauv Blanc, 2-3 trees are being planted.

And the wine is part of a lovely Fresh & Easy meal. I picked up a fresh bag of organic herb salad, some fresh cilantro dressing (no preservatives), a four pack of Roma tomatoes and a tasty tuna poke (if you’re not familiar, tuna poke is sushi-grade raw tuna, doused in oil, soy sauce and onions. It’s incredible).

The One Hope Sauv Blanc washed it all down like a champ. A nice light straw color, with aromas of citrus and melon swirling around in my glass. On the palate, crisp tropical flavors filled my mouth and finished smoothly. 10 bucks? Let’s buy a case and call it earth month.

May your Earth Day be productive and may it include some wine. For more info on the One Hope/Fresh n Easy connection, check out this article at PRNewswire.