…I found this bottle of ‘05 all by itself in the Pinot Noir section at Mission Wines in South Pasadena.  It was the last one, and it was only in my possession for about twenty minutes before its contents were in my glass…

There was a time in my younger days when I mistakenly believed that all Central California Pinot Noirs were from the same place, more or less.  I assumed that Santa Maria Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Rita Hills were all sort of in the general vicinity of Santa Barbara.  Ahhh…. youth.

While Santa Barbara County is indeed home to the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Rita Hills AVAs, the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is further North in Monterey County, and within the larger Monterey AVA.  All of these AVAs are within the massive Central Coast AVA.  And while each of the aforementioned regions produce noteworthy Pinot Noir, there are wide differences in character and style.

The Santa Barbara regions are often affected by fog, but usually get good and hot come the end of summer.  The resulting grapes tend to be sweet and spicy.  Further North in Monterey County, the constant coastal breeze makes for a cooler crop with thick skins and heavy, often earthier flavors.  A lot of California Pinot producers like to blend grapes from the two counties to produce blends (some even adding grapes from the Sonoma Coast or Russian River Valley in Northern California).  Personally, I get a kick out of sampling pinots from the various regions and comparing and contrasting.  Obviously there are factors other than climate (like the winemaker) that shape the final wine, but there’s no question that the terroir of each region imparts its unique influence on the wines

Which brings me back to the ‘05 De Tierra.  The Silacci vineyard is in the Monterey AVA, in the northern-most edge of the Santa Lucia Highlands mountains, just a tad North of the Santa Lucia Highland AVA’s northern border.  According to the winery, “the Silacci is the northern most Pinot Noir vineyard in Monterey and yields the more elegant and old world style of cool climate Pinot Noir.”

Elegant; if I had only one word to describe this wine, that’s the word I’d use.  Fortunately for both you and I, I can use as many words as I like.  (Ok, it may or may not be fortunate for you, but you can skip the words and just look at the pictures if you like.  I’ll never know.)

The wine has a beautiful color; deep garnet with a noticeable intensity.  A few swirls and I got a whiff of ripe red berried and a touch of red rose petals.  One sip and I knew I was in for a fantastic bottle:  the raspberry/cherry fruit was intense, yet somehow balanced by subtle earthy notes and a lush mouthfeel.  Such a substantial tasting experience, yet a real easy drinker; worth every penny at $29.99.

After researching a bit online, I’ve found a few more producers that source grapes from the same vineyard, including Ryan Cellars, Rustique, Miura Vineyards and Alcina Cellars.

After finishing the last drop and before shutting my laptop for the night, I jotted down two ideas that I wanted to pass on for future tasting experiments.  1) Pick up 4 of the aforementioned pinots that are all sourced from the same vines and taste the differences that each winemaker infuses into the wine.  2) Find a producer that makes pinot from several of the Monterey AVA vineyards, or even better, from a couple of the Monterey AVA vineyards and a vineyard or two from some of the other nearby AVAs (Santa Lucia Highlands for example), to see how each of the wines differs.

Until next time…  Cheers!

As DEVO once said: “…freedom of choice: it’s what we got. Freedom from choice: it’s what we want…” Let’s face it; there are A LOT of wines to choose from out there. A lot of grape varietals, a lot of regions, a lot of vintages, a lot of wineries and producers, A LOT OF BOTTLES OF WINE. To quote a buddy of mine who recently asked my advice: “…frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming.”Yes it is, yes it can be, but no it doesn’t need to be. We’ll talk about this more in the near future… We’re preparing some guides… some recommendations… a road map if you will. But until then…

In the absence of a road map, what do you do? And don’t say “just figure it out.” I’ve been there before; I was the guy who refused to stop at the gas station and ask for directions. I learned the hard way. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t be that guy.

JUST ASK!!! The great thing about buying wine in 2010 is that there also A LOT of wine retailers & professionals whose job it is to answer questions and sell wine. Any decent wine store in your city will should have a friendly and knowledgeable staff that can answer any questions you have about wine.

“Which wine can I pair with my mother’s chicken stew?” “Can I drink a red wine with a fish dinner?” “I only have ten bucks… what wine should I buy?” All valid questions and all can be answered by the clerk at your local wine store.

Now if your town doesn’t have a good wine shop, I understand your hesitation to heed this advice. The ‘wine personel’ at the supermarket are usually the same people that stock the battery racks and greeting cards and while Costco has a pretty good wine selection, nobody there knows the answer to a wine question (they probably can’t answer your Hi Def TV ‘LCD versus plasma’ question either.)

But don’t fret; we live in the information age… the very same internet on which you have the ability to view this blog, you can also reach out and ask all the burning wine questions you have… Any of the major online wine retailers like K&L Wine Merchants, Wine.com and Bevmo have ‘help’ email and phone numbers to use in order to ‘get more info’. K&L even has a ‘personal sommelier service‘ that you set up, and your favorite K&L staff member will hand-select wines that match your preferences. YOU pick the countries, regions, grape varieties, price range and how many bottles you want. It’s a great service, delivered to your door (asuming you live in a state that allows wine shipments). It’s all too easy.

Heck; you can always reach out to us: contact@wineexpedition.com – we’ll be happy to answer your questions. We LOVE talking about wine!

I recently took my own advice: I had a question and I ASKED!!

After all of the Easter ham talk last week, I decided to make Chateaubriand for Easter. My go-to wine when eating a nice piece of beef has always been California Cabernet; but I felt like mixing it up this time. I toyed with the idea of a nice bottle from Bordeaux, but decided I’d ask someone at my favorite wine store for a fresh suggestion. As it happens, the guy I bumped into was the Italian wine buyer, and after explaining in detail my planned menu, he suggested the Super-Tuscan pictured below – the 2004 Aglieta “Pomo” Toscano Rosso.

Left to my own devices, I would not have stumbled upon this bottle myself. But I ASKED… I WAS REWARDED. What a wine! It was a big, strong Italian red (and it needed to be with that insane piece of beef that came out of the oven. A stoic nose of spicy red fruit was followed by sweet, dark red fruit with a voluptuous mouth-feel, silky tannins and finish o’ plenty. What a treat and what a pairing.

IT PAYS TO ASK.

…as I sit here basking in the glow of the Family Winemakers of California tasting in Pasadena earlier this month, I thought I’d string together a few thoughts on why these kind of events are so cool, and why EVERYONE should go to them as often as possible.

1. GOOD WINE; and LOTS OF IT!

Even if you have a generous allocation in your monthly budget for wine, I don’t know how anyone could be exposed to as many good wines in one place and time as one can at a wine tasting event. I was floored at the Pinot Days tasting; every single Pinot I tasted was amazing- and there were nearly 100 wineries present, most pouring two to three wines. Almost every wine was estate or reserve grade; bottles in the $60-$100 range from wineries like Sojourn, Keller Estate, Cloud’s Rest and Belle Glos. In the course of a couple of hours, one can walk away having sampled and experienced dozens of good wines from countless producers/regions/varietals.

2. EDUCATION/INFORMATION

Aside from the experience of tasting all those wines, the education that goes along with it is mind-boggling. I always bring a pen and a notebook (call it a tasting journal if you like), and I’ll jot down tasting notes, factoids, quotes from the winemaker, etc. Many of the tasting tables will be manned by either the owner or winemaker of the winery, so tasters have the opportunity to get answers to questions, or details and information that can’t be found in magazines or on websites. Honestly, one tasting event can provide more useful information than a stack of wine magazines. By the way, the information you garner at a tasting event includes personal tasting data; I don’t know of a magazine or website that can do that.

3. FREEBIES/DISCOUNTS

Coupon-cutters, pay attention… I’m talking to you! (I can say that because I’ve cut a coupon or two in my day). Tasting attendees will often be given the opportunity to receive special discounts on wine or wine club opportunities not offered to the general public. This is especially true for tasting events that are held at wine stores; the wines being tasted will usually have special sale prices for purchases on the day of the event. And then there’s the schwag… I’ve got a drawer at home to house some of the stuff I’ve brought home at tastings: I have several cork screws, a Wine Spectator mouse pad, a ball-point pen, a t-shirt, two baseball caps and most recently added: a carabiner keychain from the folks at Trek Wine.

4. LIBRARY WINE

A lot of wineries will bring out some bottles they’ve been holding for a while to showcase the aging potential of their wine and the heritage and history behind their name. That’s when it can get really interesting (make sure you get your tasting journals out!) How often do you get the chance to compare an ‘06 Spring Mountain Vineyard estate Cabernet with the ‘87 vintage? I did at the Family Winemakers tasting. The ‘87 was holding up quite nicely, lots of interesting secondary characteristics had emerged, but the fruit was still right there in the driver’s seat. Quite a treat.

5. THE PEOPLE

Now if you see the two guys in the picture above, you should run in the opposite direction as quickly as possible (that’s me and our buddy Adrian, a regular member of the WE team.) But beyond that, there inexplicably tends to be a lot of really cool folks at wine tastings. In addition to the aforementioned winemakers and vintners, there are a lot of enthusiastic wine geeks just like you, and they flock to these things. It can be interesting to compare notes and trade wine tasting war stories (sit next to me at a tasting, I’ll talk your ear off). There are always lots of wine professionals in the room as well, and they can be a great resource for information, tasting tips and possibly even more schwag; (for example, the ‘wine professionals’ in the picture above might have an extra t-shirt or two on their person.)

Bottom line: regardless of what town you live in, there’s bound to be a tasting event of some significance nearby at least once a year- (if not, you need to travel). Take advantage of them. The benefits are pretty substantial and you’ll be glad you did. If you see the guys from Trek Wine, ask for a keychain.

Human beings are creatures of habit, there’s no getting around it. It’s so easy to fall into a rut. I do it myself; as of late I’ve been drinking an awful lot of Pinot. (Though I gotta say, there’s nothing awful about a lot of Pinot!) Every once and I while I shake it up a bit and pick up a bottle of something new… something unexpected… something different. Thus this list: five wines to turn to when you feel the need to mix it up or try something new. (And by the way, this is only the tip of the iceberg; there are so many unsung grapes, producers, regions and styles in the world- there’s really no excuse for getting caught in a rut.)

1. Viognier

Probably the main attraction of Viognier is its rich, complex, floral nose. Despite the sweet aromas, it usually produces a dry wine, low in acidity, generally with rich, intense flavor and a deep, yellow color. Viognier can be as full-bodied as an oaky Chardonnay (though the Viognier usually isn’t aged on much oak, if at all), but have much more distinctive fruit character. Viognier works well with spicy dishes, like taco night at the Maiers house, or Thai-style curry. Also, fruit chutneys and salsas that accompany grilled fish or chicken, can work well with Viognier. In California, Viognier blends have become all the rage- try the The Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc: it’s pretty ridiculous; and the ever-popular Conundrum, made by Caymus includes a percentage of Viognier, though the exact amount is a closely-guarded secret (and no doubt varies from vintage to vintage.)

2. Grüner Veltliner

I like to think of Grüner Veltliner as Riesling’s lighter-bodied, less sweet, second-cousin. Both varietals hail from Austria, both have naturally high acidity, and both are great food wines- Grüners are great to pair with “difficult” foods such as artichokes and asparagus. Grüners are usually full-bodied dry wines, with a streak of minerality, best served REAL COLD. They’re fun, refreshing and many are inexpensive: the Hofer we featured in a webisode last year was $11 for a liter bottle. If you want to try something even more different, no need to travel to Austria; look no further than Chehalem in Oregon. They make the Wind Ridge Vineyards Grüner Veltliner, which earned a 90 from The Wine Advocate, and retails for under $20.

3. Barbera

Barbera is the second most widely planted red variety in Italy, after Sangiovese. The best ones come from the Piedmont region, with names like Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato and Barbera d’Alba. The wines are often bright red, with floral aromas of red fruit and fresh, powerful flavors of berries and black cherries. The fruit is naturally high in acid, with low to moderate tannin content, and like all Italian wine, Barbera is super-food friendly. Many Barberas are easy on the wallet; we tried the 2007 Paitin di Pasquero “Serra” Barbera d’Alba for under $20 and the 2006 Agostino Pavia “La Marescialla” Barbera d’Asti for under $30.

4. Carmenere

We’ve blogged about Carménère in the past, including our summary of the AMAZING Carménère tasting that we experienced care of Wines of Chile. Carménère is often referred to as Chile’s signature grape. In fact, it’s roots are in Bordeaux, as it was one of the original Bordeaux grapes, before phylloxera nearly wiped it out in France. Often used as a blending grape, the wines tend to have a deep red color and aromas found in red fruits, spices and berries. They tend to be medium-bodied, with soft and gentle tannins. When wines are produced from grapes at optimal ripeness, they have cherry-like, fruity flavors with smoky, spicy and earthy notes and a deep crimson color. Those from Chile often have a vegetal thing going on, usually bell pepper. Try the “Amplus One” Carménère from Santa Ema for under $20 or for a step up, the Concha y Toro Terrunyo Carmenere, which consistently scores in the 90’s and retails in the low-to-mid $30’s.

5. Petite Sirah

Petite Sirah is another historically famous blending grape which by the way is not related to Syrah, and truthfully there’s nothing petite about the wines it produces (the berries are small though.) The dark colored wines often taste of plums, blueberries spices and black pepper, and are often quite tannic. I have to admit, I really dig Petite Sirah. Eos in Paso Robles makes a super-crazy reserve called Cupa Grandis Petite Sirah which retails for $60, but the more affordable $25 Estate Reserve Petite Sirah is incredibly tasty.

…and before you say “Neil, I don’t like Petite Sirah…”, do me a favor and try it again. Try a different bottle (try the aforementioned Eos or Stags’ Leap Winery’s offering). And that goes for any wine you think you don’t like- (I challenge anyone who says they don’t like Merlot to take a taste of Chateau Angélus, Duckhorn or Twomey.)

And as I said at the beginning of this blog, there are tons of options beyond these five. If you don’t like any of these choices, then by all means, choose something else, just go outside of your normal routine. If you live someplace where your choices are limited, take advantage of the great selections offered online at sites like K&L or Wine.com. Yes there are shipping costs, but it might just be worth it once in an while if it means getting a chance to try something different and exciting. Be brave… experiment… take a chance! This is an expedition after all; find yourself a bottle… and open it up!

Last week, we participated in the latest online blogger tasting from our friends at Wines of Chile. As always, it was a blast: good wine, good information via webchat with the eight winemakers and great comments and feedback from our fellow wine bloggers. A good time was had by all (and I’m still recovering). Read on for the lowdown…

I had received my tasting kit several weeks ago, and all eight bottles were chilled and ready to go. While I had hoped to have some of the suggested food prepared (ceviche and the like), my mid-week work schedule proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to the preparation or acquisition of said grub, so I settled for some nuts and crackers. I laid out the glasses and bottles, got out the corkscrew and logged on. The tasting, moderated by wine educator and Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer, had begun.

Here, in order, are the eight wines we tasted and our thoughts…

After stuffing myself with a fantastic Thanksgiving meal and some great wine (I’ll tell you about the wine on Monday), do you think I jumped in the car to camp out in front of my local Best Buy to take advantage of the great Black Friday deals?Hell no. None of the ‘deals’ were good enough to get me to break out the camping gear and set it up in the mall parking lot. In the age of internet shopping it’s not that hard to find a good price on a flat screen TV or a GPS unit. And I have no patience to deal with the insane crowds of people; once again, internet shopping allows me to bypass all that craziness.

Instead, I sought out a deal on a nice rosé (yes, a rosé; it’s still in the high 70’s here in Southern California). I found this little gem, the 2008 Celler el Masroig “Les Sorts” from the Montsant region of Spain, on sale at K&L for 1/3 off. Now that’s a deal! 90% Grenache and 10% Carinena; a nice, light taste of strawberries and berries, and a good bottle to have on this balmy day in Los Angeles.

K&L has a fresh lot of wines in their ‘inventory clearance’ section, so if you’re in the mood for getting some wine deals on this black Friday, that would be a good place to grab a bargain from the comfort of your home.

Other places to check for bargains include at your local Ikea, where a set of 6 ‘SVALKA’ red wine glasses is only $1.99, today only. Also today only, Wine.com has ’select holiday gifts’ up to 25% and Winemonger.com is offering some black Friday deals for today, and some that continue through the weekend.

Enjoy your black Friday. Open a nice bottle that you got on sale and heat up some leftovers. That’s what I’m doing…

We’ve all been there, standing in the wine aisle – facing hundreds of bottles – looking for something to jump out at us, waiting for that eureka moment where we’ll say “Aha! That’s the wine I want!”.  Dumbfounded, our eyes jump around at price tags, labels, and little signs that indicate which awards the wine has won, looking for any indication of what awaits us inside the bottle.  If you’re like me, you’re a little hesistant to buy the cheapest wine and smart enough not to buy the most expensive bottle, so you look for something in between. However, in the wine world price is rarely an indicator of quality.  With so many factors like varietal, region and vintage playing a role in the price tag, it’s difficult and nearly impossible to judge a wine based on how much you’ll be shelling out at the register.

So then how do you find a bottle that lives at the crossroads of affordable and quality?  That sweet spot where you get a little bit of pleasure knowing that you got at least your money’s worth, and that you bought something inexpensive, not cheap.

Avoid the Trends
- Find out what’s hot in the wine world, whether it be a region or a varietal, and avoid it.

Ask For Help
- Instead of going to a supermarket to pick up a bottle, check out a local wine or liquor store where the employees will probably be more knowledgeable and ask for their advice.

Think Inside of the Box
- Don’t judge a book by it’s cover and don’t judge a wine by its packaging.  It may seem blasphemous (and a little embarassing) for even a semi-serious wine drinker to pick up a box, but there are a lot of great value wines out there living in a cube.

Get Outside of Your Comfort Zone
- Try something you haven’t tried before, it’s great advice for life and for wine drinking in general.  Next time you’re out, try a varietal/region/wine you’ve never had and you may find an affordable wine that you’ll love.

Do Your Research
- And finally, explore the web, because there’s plenty of readily available advice out there that will help navigate through that sea of bottles the next time you’re standing in the wine aisle.  Here are a few resources that I found:

- 7 Surprising Tips for Buying Affordable Wine

- [Video] A Few Tips on Finding Inexpensive Wine from the WSJ

- Tips for Finding the Best Inexpensive Wines from MSNBC

- Good Wines for Tough Times from the Chicago Tribune

Do you have a great wine deal that you’ve found?  Or do you have any additional advice on finding inexpensive wine?  Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear what you think.

We’ve been using Twitter for a while now to connect with the online wine community (check us out @wineexpedition).  One thing is evident, there are hundreds and thousands of wine-related Twitter accounts, which makes it difficult to parse through the noise and find the accounts that will be of some use to you.  Check out this article in Forbes that teaches you how to learn about wine on Twitter, and let us know your thoughts on discovering wine through Twitter and which people you think are most helpful.

Mother’s Day is upon us, and if any of the mothers in  your life are wine-lover’s then you better get moving and buy a gift.  Read on- we’ve prepared this list just for you.

1. Gift Baskets.  Gift baskets are a great idea, BUT…  There are a lot of places that make really, really pretty baskets, with lots of ribbons and candy and other crap neatly tucked into the basket.  None of that matters if the wine sucks!  If mom’s a wine-lover, she’s going to care more that the wine is good than if the ribbon matches the tissue paper.

Our suggestion?  Don’t mess around, get the gift baskets from someone who knows their wines.  Venokado.com is one of those spots – check out their site and call them.  Owner Susan Brink is a sommelier and has a great collection of wines to choose from.  And yes, they ship wine to any state that the wine laws allow.  You can also go to reliable wine sites like Wine.com and customize a basket to include mom’s favorite Merlot (or whatever her poison may be).  Bottom line, when shopping for wine, buy from a merchant that knows about wine, not from a merchant that knows about baskets.  Nuff said?

2. Wine-Of-The-Month Club.  Mom would be tickled to get a bottle of wine every month for the next twelve months from  her favorite son/daughter/husband/child.  But like with the baskets, THE WINE BETTER BE GOOD!  So many of those clubs are part of a bigger business that has dozens of monthly clubs.  You don’t want to be getting wine from the same guy that’s running a “bacon of the month” club or a “yo-yo of the month” club.  Because that guy is sending out wines that you’ve never heard of, or wines that you never want to hear of again.

The thing to do, once again, is sign up with a club that knows their wines.  K&L Wine Merchants has several monthly wine clubs, as does Wine.com.  These are sources you can trust.  Use them and make mom happy.  Use one of the “of the month” websites and suffer the consequences.

3.  Etched Wine Bottle. Nothing says “I love you, my wine-loving mother” like a custom-etched wine bottle.  The folks at Etching Expressions seem to be the go-to spot to get custom etched wine bottles. They do custom lables as well, but etching is their specialty, and it looks so much cooler than labels.  They also do magnum sized bottles, etched wooden wine bottle boxes and even whiskey bottles.   You can choose from their list of wines or request yours (or your mother’s) favorite wine.  NOTE:  The turnaround time is two weeks, so let mom know that her gift is ‘on it’s way’ and give her a card and flowers in the mean time, in order to keep the peace.

4.  The folks at SayItWithSterling.com think that your best bet is a Mother’s Day Wine Stopper.  The site says:  “Suprise your mom for Mothers Day with this unique fun Wine stopper hancrafted with Swarkovski Crystals and a #1 Mom Charm. Accents any bottle of wine, spirits or vinegar”.

5.  Finally, FunWineGifts.com has a set of Mother’s Day Wine Charms.  “This set of six beverage charms includes a wine glass, flowers, shopping bag, Mom charm, and two parts of a heart with “Best” and Friends” on them. A lovely Mother’s Day gift, birthday gift, or any occasion gift for your mom, or someone you love who is a mom. A lovely baby shower gift or new mom gift.”  You get to choose a gold or silver finish.

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.