Champagne, I love you, you’re wonderful and I’ll see you on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Prosecco is for the everyday celebration. You should have sparkling wine at least once a week. At least. Prosecco fills that niche with grace and charm.

So what if it isn’t wafting complex toasted brioche and apricot aromas like the great sophisticated Champagne it is inevitably compared to? It’s not supposed to be Champagne. Yes, they both have bubbles and are usually white…and that’s about where we can stop comparing them. Decent Champagne starts at $30 a bottle, but good Prosecco can be had for $12 a bottle.

You may know Prosecco from the Bellini, that wonderful fizzy peach cocktail. Prosecco can be an aperitif, or a table wine to go with an easy Wednesday night dinner. Prosecco is hip and in-the-know. Prosecco says “I like bubbles, and I don’t care if it’s not from France, I’m going to drink what I want.”

Prosecco hails from the Veneto region in Italy, roughly a third of the way down, on the western side. It’s a pretty land with gently rolling hills. The wine is protected by the Prosecco DOC and by a new DOCG for Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. Just look for the little pink ribbon on the top of the bottle and you’re good to go.

Prosecco is that rarest of rare old world wines that makes sense to the American labeling mindset: Prosecco wine is made from Prosecco grapes. It’s that easy. You just don’t find ‘em like that in Europe. (Of course the Italians caught on that us Americans were having an easy time understanding their labels, so they went ahead and changed the name of the grape to Glera)

Prosecco may not have the reputation that Champagne has earned, but it still should be a go-to bubbly for quality, fun and value.

Cheap Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Sparkling Wine italian sparkling wine, Italian Wine, Prosecco, prosecco grape, Sparkling Wine

Petite Sirah is not Petite Syrah.

Durif is Petite Sirah and Syrah is Petite Syrah. Confused? Well let’s clear up what the heck are Petite Sirah and Petite Syrah.

Let’s start with the old world. Petite Syrah was the name given to some Syrah plants in the Rhone that produced smaller berries. Pretty simple there, petite = small.

Now, the first immigrants to bring Syrah to California in the 1870’s noticed that the grapes were smaller than they were used to—probably owing to differences in climate, exposure and soils—so they called these Syrah grapes Petite Syrah. Petite = small. Then, no one thought about it much for 100 years.

Okay, so petite means small, that’s fine. Does Sirah = Syrah? Nope. Petite Sirah is actually Durif. (Aren’t French words supposed to be lyrical and pretty?) Anyways, Durif is an accidental cross of Syrah and Peloursin that occurred in a field in France somewhere and was discovered by a guy named Durif. He named the new grape after himself and released it to the world.

The resulting grape was noted to be vigorous and resistant to mildew. So they planted some more. Then some immigrants brought it to California. Durif grew well in California and around the turn of the century was widely planted. From there on out Petite Sirah ebbed and flowed in popularity, hitting a peak in 1976 and a low in 1990.

Currently, Petite Sirah is enjoying some popularity. There are a lot of old plantings, which mean that the vines are older and producing great juice. Also, that means the plantings are paid off and the wine can be sold for a pretty nice value. Petite Sirah is some great wine for the price. It’s got some big tannins, a very lively acidic backbone which has blueberry, plum and black pepper on the nose. The wine has a firm structure, but generally only a medium finish.

The French more or less abandoned Petite Sirah, which means that most of the planting are here in America. If you think about it, it’s kind of a great American wine: it’s tough, it’s strong, it’s unpretentious and it has an ambiguous cultural heritage. Oh, it’s pretty inexpensive. So, it’s not Syrah, it’s just good wine and you can get a great bottle of it for under $15.

Now just memorize these fun facts and recite it at a wine party, you’ll sound really smart.

California Wine, Cheap Wine, Red Wine California Wine, petite sirah, Petite Syrah, Red Wine, Syrah

The dry tablelands overlooking the Mediterranean on the southeast coast of Spain hold treasure. Their bounty isn’t gold or silver but the gems of wines they produce from the complex and tannic Monastrell grape.

The DO of Yecla is nestled in the northeastern corner of its larger neighbor, Jumilla. Both of these official designation of origin (DO) regions grow the marvelous red grape Monastrell. The vines are usually older and are often not irrigated. This leaves the vines and their grapes thirsty and feisty. Vines—and the wines they produce—are like humans; if life is too easy they get soft and flabby. Not here. Here they fight for their rain and bask in rich heat of they day and the cool of the night.

The Monastrell grape is the third most planted grape in Spain, its heartland is the Mediterranean coast. In fact, you may know Monastrell. It travels under many aliases, but most common is Mourvedre (say moo-vahd, like a cow) in the Rhone region of France. In France it goes into the Cotes-du-Rhone and Chatueneuf-du-Pape blends—along with its partner in crime, Grenache.

These are decidedly old-world wines. On the nose they have some of that dusty-Spanish-funk-thing going on, but they’re clean and sweet and gamey. Bright, intense cherry is a feature of both the nose and palette for this Monastrell from Spain. The flavors are ripe and sweet berries, fresh leather and just a whiff of dark chocolate. The acid is big and tight, but balanced. It’s smooth without being overly tannic. And it goes with food. This is great wine.

And here’s the best thing about these Jumilla and Yecla bottles they’re ridiculously underpriced for their value. Given the value of the Euro vs. the dollar and the serious quality that is in these bottles, you are getting a real value from these Spanish bottles. I recently paid $12 for a great bottle at a liquor store. I’ve seen them wholesale for less than $10. Sure, there will be some more expensive bottles out there, and you’re probably find a clunker if you try enough producers, but, the bottom line is buy some Jumilla or Yecla if you can find it.

Cheap Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, Spanish Wine jumilla, monastrell, Red Wine, Spanish Wine, yecla

Wine Club Insider back with you after a weekend on the rocks!

Yup, I’m taking a 15 week mountaineering class, and this weekend we spent two complete days setting up rappels and high angle climbs… great fun, and a fantastic lifestyle… the mountaineers group are terrific, social folks, who also don’t mind tossing back a celebratory beverage after a good day of climbing!

On the Saturday night, a few of us got together at a favorite local spot and had some bar b cue. I had a glass of the house wine, which turned out to be a not-too-bad Chilean merlot, though great company and good times can improve the taste of almost any wine.

Always on the search for new wine clubs, I came across Awesome Clubs, at www.awesomeclubs.com.

They work their wine club on a subscription basis, ranging from one month to one year, at a cost of about $38/month, though you get a 10% discount for 6 and 12 month subscriptions. Their system is also set up to make it easy to ship these memberships as gifts to friends, family and even business associates.

Awesome Clubs also provides several other options as far as clubs go, ranging from a “Steak of the month” club, to Hot Sauce, Hand bags, Cigars, stuff for the Football fan, the Golf Fanatic, Movie of the Month, Soda Pop of the Month, and one I haven’t seen before… the “Kama Sutra of the Month Club.” Yup, you read that correctly – the Kama Sutra of the Month Club.

Apparently, from the literature, once a month, they send you everything you need for a romantic evening, including “Message oils, creams, powders and other potions will entice your body, seduce your senses and jumpstart your hearts.”

A far cry from “a bottle of red and a bottle of white,” but together, they could make for a great and unforgettable evening!

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out!

Cheap Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Merlot, Red Wine, Uncategorized, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers Awesome Clubs, Merlot, Various clubs, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine of the month

Wine Club Insider back with you!

It appears my predictions of the final demise of old man winter were a bit pre-mature, and did nothing but stir him up, as went from a nice mid 70′s on Monday-Tuesday, to the current conditions, which include a temp of 35, blustery wind, and an inch of new snow (!) on the ground. I apologize, and will keep my mouth shut from now on. Is it just me, or is anyone else looking forward to the shift into summer mode?

Have you noticed if your wine tastes change as the weather gets warmer? I continue to like reds anytime, but I do find I drink more whites and roses in the warmer weather… anyone else?

All Whining (as opposed to “wineing,” which never goes out of style!) aside, I have a nice site to recommend to you.

I was cruising the Web yesterday, and came across a new-to-me site called Bottlenotes at www.bottlenotes.com. At first I was struck by the “cleanliness” of the site… crisp, bright colors, easy to navigate, but as I puttered around, I was impressed with the wide variety of information they offered; they had everything from comprehensive tasting notes and reviews, easily navigable by price, varietal, winery etc, as well as access to their own podcasts featuring such notables as Jack Cakebread, Pete Mondavi jr., etc.

They have a nice feature called “Winecylopedia,” which is a pretty extensive collection of wine info, and they also have “The Daily Sip,” which is, as they describe it, like a cross between “Daily Candy,” and “US Weekly” for the wine industry.

Aside from all of these little perks, they also offer some really fun wine clubs, and their “hook,” so to speak, is that they will completely customize your wine club to your tastes, budget, schedule etc.

They have 9 offerings, including the Explorer’s Wine Club, which is pretty much the standard “get started for $25″ club, and they also have the obligatory Intermediate wine club (The perhaps less than originally named “Connoisseurs Club”) and a high end offering called ”Limited Addictions” (nice name!) wine club, which features pretty high end, rare products such as Gaja, Pavie etc.

From there, they start to get cool, though…

They have a seasonal wine club, which is also customizeable, so you can choose Rhone in the spring, Napa cabs in the fall, etc.

Perhaps the coolest wine clubs they offer are the smallest…

They have a “Jet Setters,” which is a  tour of the world’s wines, they have a “Dinner party in a box” club, which provides all the wines for before, during and after a dinner party (a neat idea, really!), “Pop,” a champagne and sparkling club, a Kosher club for those looking for something beyond Manischewitz (who knew?), and a new Sake club, with some premium sakes on the menu.

All in all, a pretty nice stop on the web, and I’d recommend you check them out for the extras, as well as the interesting wine clubs.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

Bordeaux, Burgundy, California Wine, Cheap Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, Sparkling Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Vineyards, Vintage Wine, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bottlenotes, champagne club, fun wine club, rare wine club, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Winecyclopedia

Wine Club Insider back with you after a very busy weekend!

On Friday, some friends were passing through town, and stopped for the evening, forcing us to open some wine… I mean, what is a host supposed to do, right?

They were kind enough to bring a couple of bottles with them, as any good guest would, and to my surprise, they were both Petite Syrahs, a favorite of one of the guests.

The first was the 2005 Concannon Petite Syrah, which at less than $10/bottle, is an amazing value. It was also an awesome wine! For me, Petite Syrahs have always been a bit austere to me, but this was pretty soft, while still being dry enough for pleasure’s sake.

The second wine was the Bogle Petite Syrah, which was also tasty, with a nice berry finish. It was also a great value at only $12!

So far, the evening was going well, and to contribute to the festivities, I opened a bottle of 2002 Weston Cabernet Franc from Caldwell, Idaho… yes, you read that correctly, Idaho.

I love Cab Francs, as many of you know, but with its affordable price tag, this was a very pleasant surprise!

It was a robust, well crafted wine with hints of cherry and chocolate. Even though it was from Idaho, the winery uses Columbia Valley fruit, and, as is the case with several of the Columbia Valley Can Francs, this was a pretty hefty wine.

We finished the evening with a nice Gold Digger Cellars Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, which is just a gem of a wine… sweet, but not cloying, refreshing, and very much like fresh apples, to my mind. We enjoyed it with some fresh Havarti cheese, and it was the perfect end to a great evening.

The weather is turning for the better, spring has sprung (I’m getting to play golf today before going to dinner at Beverley’s in the Coeur d’ Alene Resort, which features one of the world’s finest wine lists!) and it’s time to get out with friends, enjoy some great wine and celebrate life… see you there!

Cheers!

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Cheap Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, Organic Wine, Red Wine, Sweet Wine, USA Wine, Vineyards, White Wine, Wine Club, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Bogle, Concannon, Gold Digger Cellars, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Syray, Weston vineyards

Wine Club Insider back again!

Have you ever got to the point, in late March-early April, where the snow is still coming down, blowing sideways, that you’re almost ready for spring? My wimpy, (smart?) warm-climate friends are playing golf, wearing shorts, sitting on the back deck while we’re still shoveling snow… hmmm… might have to consider this situation… anyone have a condo to rent in Phoenix?

Ah, well… it is what it is, so to make the best of it, I stopped in at one of my favorite local watering holes, “Bardenay,” which is a nautical term used by sailors to announce the arrival of cocktail hour – “Bardenay Time,” which means I like the place already!

Now, Bardenay – www.bardenay.com- which has three locations in Idaho, is a great place with a terrific menu (today they had red bean and chorizo stew and Mojito “small batch” ice cream on the specials list), and a really top notch wine list!

They have 30 wines by the glass, and another couple hundred in bottles, ranging from Uber-affordable, to Classy big names such as Gaja, Caymus, Krug etc. They also have a very nice port selection, with almost a dozen choices between Ports, Madieras and Sherrys.

However, I have to tell you that the reason I like it is they are the nation’s first distillery-restaurant, with the distillery right here on premises, so they make their own rum, gin and vodka, and it’s pretty tasty, I have to say!

My favorite cocktail of choice right now is the Mojito, and in the middle of winter, they aren’t always that easy to get, but Bardenay never disappoints, with fresh mint on hand, rum from right here, and just the right touch of sweetness…

They also hand squeeze all of their juices, and have a terrific atmosphere with a patio, fireplace, and happy, talented servers… ahhh, maybe summer isn’t so far away after all!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

California Wine, Cheap Wine, Dessert Wine, Fine Wine, French Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Red Wine, Sweet Wine, Uncategorized, USA Wine, Wine Bar, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Caymus, Distillery, Gaja, gin, Krug, Mojitos, rum, Spirits, vodka, wine list

Wine Club Insider back with you!

I hope everyone had a very nice “Daylight Savings TIme Day” today, and weren’t late for anything this morning. Can you imagine if it was Monday morning to switch over? Millions would be late for work!

It will be nice to get that extra hour of daylight in the evening as Spring gets closer… just to get a first taste of Spring, we got almost 8 inches of snow last night and this morning… Ah, golf is just around the corner!

At a recent event we hosted, Master Sommellier Sam Lange suggested a couple of inexpensive wines as gifts for attendees, not because they were cheap, but because they were tasty, and great deals for the dollar.

The first goes by the “interesting” name of “Screwed.” It’s actually a great little Aussie blend from McLaren Vale Premium Wines that is surprisingly smooth. McLaren Vale Premium is also the maker of Hardy’s, Shingleback, and the very highly recommended D’Arenberg Old Vines.

As is becoming the trend in many of the newer wines, this one (fittingly) comes with a screw cap, and a great label.

The second “discount” choice was the Riverside Cab by Foppiano, – www.riversidefabiano.com- one of the Russian River’s premier vintners. The 6000 case 2005 vintage is affordably elegant, with a lot of cherry on the nose. it’s an 80% Cab, 12% Merlot, 8% Cab France blend.

Okay, you ask, so?

The best thing about these two eminently drinkable wines is that they sell for around $7/bottle! Yes, you heard me correctly… $7.

These are wines that compare very favorably with wines two, three or even four times the price.

These are the kind of wine values that are truly recession busters – you can afford to drink a bottle of these beauties everyday if you desire, and wouldn’t regret it for a second!

Until next time,

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out!

California Wine, Cheap Wine, International Wine, Red Wine, USA Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Making, Wine Reviews Foppiano, great wine values, Inexpensive wines, McLaren Vale

Wine Club Insider back with you.

My dearest friend came to town over the weekend, and though we got together primarily for training for our upcoming race, we never fail to enjoy a glass of vino. Our selection of choice this trip was actually a thank you gift I had received from some friends called “Three Blind Moose,” and I must admit I was a bit nervous before trying it.

I also now freely admit that it wasn’t too bad at all! www.threeblindmoose.com is the home of the Moose family of wines, and it’s a pretty cool site, complete with shirts, hats, gear, and a selection of tasty, inexpensive wines. Our Cab goes for $8.99 per bottle, and was easily twice that good.

Besides the Moose, the other event that is happening soon is the local Oenological (or Enological) society fundraiser banquet/dinner.

Enological Societies are groups of folks who get together to share and learn more about wine.

Yup. Our kind of people!

http://spokaneenologicalsociety.org/ is the home of the Spokane version, and there is also a North Idaho version, a Seattle version, a Portland version, a Des Moines Iowa version… get the picture?

There are hundreds (thousands?) of these groups across the country holding social events, tastings, dinners etc, all with great newsletters, opportunities to taste new wines, meet new friends and do some good for your community as many have charitable arms as well.

Here is a blurb from the Spokane Chapter March newsletter:

“For the March tasting we are going to be sampling a total of SEVEN (7) red and white wines from around the world, and all of them except one will be under $15 retail. In addition, all of the wines have been sourced through one local wholesaler, the newly expanded Odom Corporation, which distributes wines throughout the northwest and Alaska. Specially invited guest representatives John Sportelli from Seattle, and Katie Hutchinson from Spokane, will present the wines.

 The special distinction about these wines is how they illustrate what value there can be in wines that are not “Glamour-Priced.” This is not something new to Enological Society members, however it is always fun to find new and interesting wines from here in the USA and around the globe that satisfy the palate as well as the purse. One surprise, and truly “glamour” red wine that retails at more than $70 will cap the evening, a wine that has been brought into Spokane specifically for this tasting. Happy Tasting!!”

So, sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?

I would highly recommend checking out the local chapter of your enological society and getting plugged in to a bunch of neat people who love wine as much (or maybe even more!) than you do!

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

Cheap Wine, Fine Wine, Red Wine, Wine Club, Wine Education, Wine Lovers, Wine Reviews, Wine Tasting Enological Societies, Three Blind Moose, wine tastings

Wine Club Insider back.

As the snow/slush/sleet continues to fall here in the Northwest, adding to the five feet we’ve already accumulated, I’m sitting in front of a fire, sipping on a glass of Corbett Canyon Reserve left over from New Years Eve… I’ve got to tell you that for an inexpensive wine, it’s pretty tasty! It’s a Central Valley product from Ripon, California, and as is becoming the norm, it’s hard to get a bad bottle of wine from California…

I think that the vintners from California have gotten so smart and do such a good job with their properties, and with their actual crafting of the wine that even “cheap” California wine is darn good, especially when compared with the product from a decade ago, or with similar priced wines from many other regions and nations. Go Left Coast!

Here are a couple of other wine clubs for you to consider:

The Wine Insiders (hey, I like the name!) at www.wineinsiders.com offers three choices of level (pretty normal) but also offer 3, 6 & 12 month options, with wine club gifts starting at $89, and ranging up to over $500 for a 12 month Connoisseur’s Club membership.

Their top level club is pretty substantial, with great options, including some nice Barolos and California Pinot Noirs.

www.winegiftclub.comis another online provider with a great selection of services. While their actual wine clubs are a bit limited, they make up for it by providing a great choice of seasonal gifts, including champagne, wine gift baskets, wine and food baskets, etc. You can choose your price, as well as your products, and they custom build your basket for you and ship them out. Right now, they’re getting geared up for Valentine’s Day, so check them out and be ready for the big day! (C’mon… don’t miss this one, guys… even if she says she doesn’t want anything, we know better… you’ll seldom go wrong from being too romantic, or spoiling her too much!)

Hope it helps, and I’ll be back tomorrow.

Cheers,

Wine Club Insider out.

California Wine, Cheap Wine, Fine Wine, International Wine, Italian Wine, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, USA Wine, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift, Wine Education, Wine Reviews Valentine's Day gift, wine baskets, Wine Club, Wine Club Gift