Decanting - A Blog about Fine Wine and Fine Dining

Some Value Wine Recommendations for Thanksgiving

Travelin' the Wine Road — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:05:40 +0000

It’s hard for me to believe that Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away. I have not even begun to think about the Thanksgiving menu (yes, I know turkey will be on the menu – but when you are of Italian heritage there are many courses before you get to the turkey…).

To start the beverage planning for Thanksgiving (beyond the mulled cider) check out this article: Wine Advice: Great-tasting, affordable wines for Thanksgiving, Idaho Statesman, 11/11/2009.

One of my favorite value Pinot Noirs made the list – Caslte Rock Pinot Noir…

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Training to Make Wine in Missouri

Travelin' the Wine Road — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:47:17 +0000

Apparently when one graduates from one of the top schools for Oenology in California or New York one does not immediately consider Missouri as a destination to practice one’s newly acquired trade, even though Missouri is now one of the top 10 wine producing states in the U.S. Not to fret, those who wish to grow grapes and turn them into wine in the Midwest now have a local oenology program at the University of Missouri.

See: Program Trains Oenologists In Midwest Grapes, National Public Radio, November 4, 2009 from KBIA

Also see: The University of Missouri Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology

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Value Pinot Noir?

Travelin' the Wine Road — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:31:33 +0000

I love a well made Pinot Noir (who doesn’t?). It is among my favorite varietals. I also love it when I can find a good Pinot Noir that does not cost an arm and a leg. For this reason I enjoyed reading a recent Washington Post article Pinot noirs that won’t drain your wallet (Dave McIntyre, October 28, 2009).

I would, however, have enjoyed the article more if they focused on trying to find good Pinot Noirs for $15 and under…

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How Many Caloires in a Glass of Wine?

Travelin' the Wine Road — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:00:38 +0000

Have you ever wondered how many calories there in that glass of wine you are enjoying. Well wonder not more. Check out – Calories in Wine for the answer…

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What Really Constitutes Value in Wine?

Travelin' the Wine Road — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:38:09 +0000

I read a recent article where the wine reviewer commented that a $54 bottle of wine that received a rating in the high 90s was an unbelievable value. I paused for a moment with raised eye brow.

Now I realize that everyone’s idea of value is based on their own perception, means, and values. I do not doubt that the reviewer thought they were drinking a phenomenal wine. So maybe, for someone inclined to spend that much on wine, it is an incredible value. I imagine, however, that in these grim economic times there are not too many who would find a $54 bottle of wine a value.

Although I can afford to spend that much on a bottle of wine I choose not to – I don’t care how good it is. I have never been able to bring myself to spend that much (or more) on a single bottle of wine. It just seems frivolous to me – there are so many other things that the money can be spent on to better use.

It also seems to be somewhat elitist. Most people will never spend that much for a bottle of wine. Calling an expensive wine a value seems to make wine unapproachable and out of reach, even snobby…

Now if a bottle rated that high were $24 I would gladly buy it. I could then have a nice glass of wine, send the extra $30 that I saved to a charity, and feel good about myself. Good wine, doing something good for someone else, and felling good about oneself – that’s more than value, that’s priceless…

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Joseph Carr 2006 Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon – Good But Pricey

Travelin' the Wine Road — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:34:02 +0000

I tried the Joseph Carr 2006 Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon (actually a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc) earlier this week. It was my first wine from this producer whose wines are produced at the Larson Family Vineyards in Carneros.

I found this wine to be very smooth, a very easy to drink Cabernet Sauvignon that can easily be enjoyed on its own. There is a lot of ripe fruit well balanced with the alcohol (13.9%) and very smooth, almost Merlot-like, tannins. This a very pleasant wine of medium complexity. It should pair well with most food, especially with those smooth as silk tannins. It might get overpowered, though, by more robust dishes.

Here’s the bad news. I paid $17.99 for this wine. While I truly enjoyed it, I will probably not be purchasing it again as I believe that I can find better for the same or less money. If this wine were $5.00 less expensive I would absolutely be in love with it. But at this price point I put it in the category – happy to get as a gift but will not be spending my own money on it.

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Top Wine Travel Destinations

Travelin' the Wine Road — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:22:26 +0000

Reuters has published a list of the top 10 wine destinations in North America (see: Travel Picks: North America’s top 10 wine destinations, Reuters, October 9, 2009). As one might expect, the usual suspects are on the list – Napa (#1), Sonoma (#2). What caught me by surprise, however, was the number 6 slot – the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. I had never heard of the region but a little quick web searching yielded some interesting tidbits. Check out:

Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys Wines, Wineries and Wine Regions (incidentally, this site, Wines Northwest, appears to be an excellent source of information on wine in the Pacific Northwest)
Okanagan Valley New Wine Region

I imagine the wines are difficult to find outside of the Pacific Northwest, but I will be on the lookout.

It is also nice to see in this list that some other US wine regions are getting notices such as Traverse City, Michigan (#8), and Oak Grove, Virginia (#10).

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2007 Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon Box Wine from California

Travelin' the Wine Road — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:49:35 +0000

I have often seen positive references to Killer Juice box wine on the web so it was with some anticipation that I tried the 2007 Killer Juice Cabernet Sauvignon expecting at least a half-way decent, inexpensive wine.

After one sip I have to say that I was disappointed in this half-way decent wine (more of a glass half empty half-way decent rather than half full). I found this wine to be somewhat out of balance. The first impression I had with the first sip was of harsh tannins. Not overly harsh, but harsh enough to raise an eye brow. There is some fruit, but for me, not enough to balance out the tannins.

Ironically, I think that this wine would probably benefit form some exposure to air – something that is hard to do with a box wine. It would seem kind of silly to decant a box wine, wouldn’t it… Try pouring yourself a glass of this and let it sit for a bit before drinking (something I will try the next time I drink this).

Don’t get me wrong, the wine is drinkable, but I expected so much more and got so much less. I will finish the box (and must admit that some of it may get used in cooking) but will not be purchasing this one again. There are so many other nice box red wines for the same money or less (I paid $21.99 for a 3 liter box) that there is no point drinking this one.

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Wine Prices Continue to Fall

Travelin' the Wine Road — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:30:58 +0000

First it was the ec0nomy acting as a boat anchor on the price of premium wine. Not it appears to be oversupply – and if you remember your basic rules of supply and demand, oversupply drives down prices. See: Vintners suffer hangover from too much wine, MSNBC, September 30, 2009.

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Interesting Facts About Wine Consumers

Travelin' the Wine Road — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:42 +0000

I read with great interest a recent post in Vinography (Who is the Average Wine Consumer?). They cite a recent report in Restaurant Wine about the most popular wine in restaurants. 3 of the top 10 wines are Chardonnays (predictable). 3 more of the top 10 are Pinot Grigio. I knew the Pinot Grigio had become popular but did not realize that it was that popular. 3 More of the top 10 are White Zinfandel. That one surprised me. I don’t know anyone who drinks that any more and rarely see it served…

Red wine? The first red wine on the list cam in at number 11 (Yellow Tail Shiraz). So while great strides have been made in red wine consumption, the U.S. is still a white wine drinking country.

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