WINO 101

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

A few weeks ago, the legendary groundhog emerged from his little lair, to see if there indeed was a shadow waiting outside. He saw this aforementioned shadow, foretelling the coming of 6 more weeks of winter, to which we replied, “More? Don’t you have to have a Winter before you can have MORE Winter?” And thusly we sent our rainy weather packing to Southern California, and all our cold was pushed to the East Coast.

And you know what that means? It’s the Endless Summer, and  Barbeque Season is upon us! And what better wine to go with the barbeque? Zinfandel!

Yes, the time has turned, once again, to Zin-O’Clock, and I have a stellar lineup ready for the sampling here tomorrow. Considering the fact that the popularity of Zinfandel has been pushing the prices up, I searched far and wide (or at least far. . .perhaps not really “wide”) for the best Zins at the best deals. Also, I found a little oddity: A Zinfandel from Australia! Apparently they have stolen our Zin-Technology, and are now making Zins of their own. We’ll see how it fares against some good all-American Zins, including the Oregon Zin from the Pines vineyard outside The Dalles, appropriately named “The Pines!” Also, it wouldn’t be a tasting without a Zin from Ridge vineyards, handily crafted by eloquent Zin-Master Paul Draper (No relation).

Also, be sure to check out the new artwork gracing the Carpe Vinum walls. Now featured is the collage works of local Portland artist Liz Shannon!

So Friday, February 25th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Zin-Tastic Zins!
Peachy Canyon 2000 Old School House Zinfandel, Paso Robles, California
Buehler 2002 Zinfandel, Napa Valley, California
Kangarilla Road 2003 Langhorne Creek Zinfandel, McLarren Vale, Australia
Sausal 2001 Family Zinfandel, Alexander Valley, California
Ridge 2001 Sonoma Station Zinfandel, Sonoma County, California

Zin-Tacular Zins!
The Pines 2002 Zinfandel, Columbia valley, Oregon
Cline 2002 Big Break Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, California

A stellar deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Southern French Reds!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

It’s time to see where the wine market is really at. It’s the everyday drinker. I believe the Australians have labeled the everyday drinker “Plonk,” although I think that term originally referred to the wines better suited to thinning paint, but more recently has been used to label inexpensive everyday drinking wine. In honor of that, this week we’ll be tasting Stellar Reds Under $10! (And 2 Stellar Reds Under $15.)

I know there are a lot of wines out there. Hundreds of thousands. If you think about it, it would be impossible, or improbable, to even try a sip of every wine that is released each year. Imagine that if you spent each second of every day, without any time off for sleeping, eating, or. . .well, anything else. . .it would only be possible to try 31, 536, 000 wines in a year. (One wine per second.) And that’s without the possibility of reflection of how it tastes. Besides, your palate would probably be pretty shot after the first minute, I would think.

Where am I going with this? Good question. I forgot, really. My train of thought derailed around the time I did the math for how many seconds are in a year.

I guess one direction to take it, is the fact that in those great number of wines, there are quite a few that you don’t have to pay a lot for, and they are just as decent as others that are simply overpriced. And that’s what I’ve collected here. . .no, no. . .not the overpriced ones. The under $10 gems. All good. Easy on the bank account, and easy on the palate. Call it “Exquisite Plonk”, if you will.

So Friday, February 18th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Exquisite Plonk! Stellar Reds Under $10!
Guelbenzu 2003 Jardin, Valle de Colchagua, Chile
Magnificent Wine Co. 2003 House Wine “Lot 3″, Prosser, Washington
Casa Santos Lima 2003 Quinta da Espiga, Estremadura, Portugal
Bodegas Iranzo 2001 Vertus Tempranillo Crianza, Utiel Requena, Spain
Mas de Guiot 2001 Grenache/Syrah, Vin de Pays de Gard, France

Stellar Reds Under $15!
DJ Maragas 2001 Legal Zin, Oregon/California
Zaca Mesa 2001 “Z Cuvee”, Santa Barbara County, California

A stellar deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Zinfandel!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to an Extra-Special Friday Flights – Valentine’s Edition! What makes it so “Special”? Because it’s Syrah! Shiraz! By any other name is just as sweet! And what makes it a “Valentine’s Edition”? Because it’s Syrah! Shiraz! By any other name is just as sweet!

Valentines Day has a long and varied History, the origins of which are attributed to Saints. Saints who were all martyred. So for the Saints in question, it did not end well. Also included in the varied Histories of the day are certain rites of Spring, and Roman festivals of fertility, which is romantic in a way. . .”Roman” being the root word of “Romantic”.

To some, the day brings up fond memories of classroom exchanges of store-bought tokens of affection, many featuring current marketing campaigns of popular children’s movies. To others, it’s the wooing of a loved one, or candlelit engagements, with chocolate and flowers, diamonds and WINE. Yet, to others it’s a reminder to, at least, bring home flowers for forgetting to make restaurant reservations on the busiest dining-out day of the year (second to Mother’s Day, come to think of it.). And still to others it’s a disappointing and excruciating practice in reminding oneself of their own singleness, to which the only reconciliation is the fact that it will be practically impossible to go through the day without hearing the word “massacre”.

Whichever group you happen to belong to, Friday is still the place to be for one of the most Romantic wines around: Syrah! What makes it Romantic? Just speak it aloud. Syrah! It SOUNDS romantic. (Shiraz variation notwithstanding.) And because it’s a luxurious, voluptuous, and tasty way to woo, celebrate, and in some cases, forget on this momentous Holiday. (Or 3 days before the Holiday.) It’s certainly one of my favorites.

So Friday, February 11th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

Our Continuing Love Affair With Syrah/Shiraz!
Fat Bastard 2002 Shiraz, Minervois, France
Woop Woop 2004 Shiraz, Australia
Cascade Cliffs 2002 Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington
Zaca Mesa 2001 Syrah, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Flinder’s Bay 2001 Shiraz, Margaret River, Western Australia

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Erin Glenn 2003 Syrah, Columbia Valley, Oregon
Two Hands 2003 Gnarly Dudes Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia

A stellar deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Stellar Reds Under $10!

M

Hello Friends and Wine Lovers!

Welcome to yet another Carpe Vinum Week in Wine! And this week’s Wines of the Week, for tomorrow’s tasting is South American Reds! Many people have had their eyes focused on this wine growing region as it develops into a wine-y force of its own. Over the years, many people have referred to Chilean and Argentinean wines as “Value-Driven” or “Competitively Priced”, which very well may be euphemisms for “Cheap, but kinda sucks.”

Now, I’ve tried a lot of wine. And I’ve tried a lot of wine from Chile and Argentina and noticed quite a difference in the quality of the wines in recent years. (For the better.) I personally find it a bit difficult to locate Chilean wines that are real values in my eyes. . .meaning that they are tasty, AND with decent prices. I’ve found a few, and those are the ones I include in the tastings. This considered, I see the Chilean wine industry with still loads of unrealized potential. But they do have penguins. . .and that has to count for something.

On the other hand, in my own opinion, Argentina is now the way to go with South American wines. I’ve tried some truly amazing wines from the region, and the prices were all reasonable. Just within the last 5 years, I’ve seen the wines getting better with the prices remaining decent. The Argentinean wine market is blossoming, much like a blossoming flower in the sun. But more like blossoming South American Wine Market in the Sun. And they also have penguins.

“But what of the other countries in South America?” you may be asking. “It’s a pretty big continent. . .we never hear anything about them. And do they have penguins, as well?”

“Good question,” I might reply. The wine industry that exists in the other South American countries is indeed older than that of the United States, considering that most of the vines were planted in the mid-1500 by the Spanish or the Portuguese. There are vines grown in almost every country in South America, with a bit more potential in South, with countries like Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru. (Peru has penguins.) There aren’t many wines available in the US from these countries, but they do occasionally pop up. (Like a penguin from a hole in the ice.)
So Friday, February 4th, between 4:30 and 9:00 PM it’s:

South American Reds from Countries with Penguins! (Not Peru, though.)
Vina Morande 2002 Carmenere, Valle Central, Chile
Pascual Toso 2003 Malbec, Maipu Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina
O Fournier 2002 Urban Oak, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina
Mayol Winery 2002 Syrah, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina
Alta Vista 2002 Malbec Grande Reserve, Mendoza, Argentina

The Extra-Special Premium Pours:
Santa Rita 1997 Floresta, Maipo Valley, Chile
Bodegas Norton 2002 Privada Estate Reserve, Mendoza, Argentina

A stellar deal at $10 for the first 5, and $6 for the Extra 2 Premium Pours.
Hope to see you here!
Seize the Wine!

Next Friday tasting is Syrah/Shiraz!

And why Penguins? Because they’re cute. Haven’t you ever heard of the phrase “The Penguin Is Mightier than the Sword”? No? Hm. . maybe I have that wrong. . .