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Our friends gave us a bag of gorgeous home-grown baby Eggplant, so we've been experimenting a lot. Here's last night's meal. We paired this with a Barnard Griffin Cabernet/Merlot (Washington State).
Building an Eggplant Panini dinner sandwich.
Sliced onions on bread.
Breading the Eggplant.
Frying the Eggplant.
Layering Eggplant and Cheese.
Top with Tomato slices.
Ready for the grill.
Served with Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato mayonnaise.We really love a good Syrah. We like the notes of black fruit, smoke, and spice. But Syrah has also been for us the most inconsistent and disappointing wine in recent years.
There have been a spate of recent articles in Wine Spectator, Food & Wine, and several other publications about the “what?,” “why?,” and (especially) “why not?” of Syrah. Some have blamed the wine’s failure to become “the next Pinot Noir” on a lack of sexiness; on a glut of wimpy Aussie imports; on bad marketing; on-and-on.
In our opinion, the reason is more simple. If most consumers have had experiences like ours, they are simply deciding to shop for something “safer.” For example: In the last two years, we’ve had three corked bottles of red wine – all $10-15 price-point Syrahs. Just a few nights ago, we had a recommended and highly rated Syrah that tasted like dirty rainwater. (It wasn’t corked or otherwise “bad,” just an unpleasant taste profile.) And we gave up on Australian Shiraz (same grape, different spelling) some years ago when all we were getting were harsh, watery “red wines.”
So as much as we love good Syrah, we’re gun-shy. Why should we take the chance? And if reasonably knowledgeable consumers such as ourselves are avoiding Syrah because of a few (a few too many, actually) bad bottles, think how the average consumer would respond.
Some totally random photos from a week’s cooking in a small, poorly-equipped, vacation-rental kitchen. We did bring our own knives.
Sauteed onion, garden beans, oregano, baby squash, and squash blossoms. Mixed with a very light olive oil & Alfredo sauce. Fresh grated Asiago cheese. With Barnard-Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot.
(Just looked at the 8/31/10 post on Veggie Shepard’s Pie – funny how this was mostly the same ingredients.)
Yesterday we found our first fall mushrooms – not really a common occurrence in this very dry part of Washington. We gathered one large puffball and a few nice-looking shaggy manes. We saw but didn’t pick several patches of pear-shaped puffballs.
The puffball proved fresh and firm, so it was sautéed and we’ll use it in the next day or so – maybe in a puffball lasagna or pasta sauce. The shaggy manes were also quickly sautéed, and we added them to a quiche creation we’d already planned for dinner – using sautéed garden potatoes as the “crust” for the quiche, brie cheese, and asparagus. (Alas, this time of year the only asparagus are grocery-store ones from Mexico.)
We had one bottle left of a Lemberger Rose from Lake Crest Winery in Oroville, Washington. It was the perfect match, as we thought the potatoes would go best with a red, while the asparagus and mushrooms would pair with a white (asparagus is notoriously hard to match with reds, and the shaggy manes were so delicate that, again, one always thinks white).
Last night we made a vegetarian Shepard’s pie, with sautéed onion, yellow pepper, squash, green beans, and oregano (the last 3 all from the garden). We wanted a sauce/gravy to bind the veggies together, but not a thick stew gravy. So we mashed some potatoes, but added twice as much milk and butter to make almost like a potato white sauce.
A little thyme and sage as seasonings. Topped the veggie stew with normal-texture mashed potatoes (also from the garden) and a bit of Irish cheddar cheese. Paired with a Bogel Zinfandel wine.
Ah, the wonders of leftovers. Half a head of Napa cabbage; cooked salmon; wild and brown rice combo from a few nights ago. We steamed the cabbage leaves, and stuffed (rolled) them with the salmon, some ginger, and water chestnuts. A little Japanese sushi ginger on the side. We made the rice into a fried-rice mix by adding thin-sliced white onion (we had no green onions in the house), some of the uncooked cabbage (shredded), a few garden snap peas, and a couple of scrambled eggs. And since the high temperature was only 66 yesterday (the low was 39 – in August!), we paired our dinner with hot Sake.
Here’s one of those instances where I let my wife into the kitchen. She really creates excellent meals, although I like to pretend I’m the kitchen star.
Last night was a “European-inspired” salad modified from an African cookbook. We paired it with a 2008 Ridge Chardonnay Jimsomare.
Last night we made a Korean dinner. Sam Saek Namul (tricolored vegetables) with Domi Jun (egg-batter fish).
The three vegetables in the Sam Saek Namul were carrots, beansprouts, and spinach, most of which were flavored with sesame oil, soy sauce, red pepper, garlic, green onion, and/or ground sesame seeds.
The original Domi Jun recipe called for sea bream, but we used rockfish since it was the only good, firm white fish we had available.
(We don’t have Korean utensils and bowls, so used our Japanese ware.)
We paired the meal with a Vin du Lac Sauvignon Blanc from Lake Chelan, Washington.
I do love knives. My current collection is a weird combination of the great, good, and cheap – and all have a specific use in my kitchen. (By the way, I’m really beginning to dislike the word “chef.” We’re all just cooks. Most of us aren’t chefs, celebrity chefs, or home chefs. We just enjoy cooking and using good tools for the job.) My kitchen knife collection, from top to bottom:
Analon santoku from China: This is the first “good” knife I bought for my wife. It’s an 8-inch chef’s knife, and the first “real” knife she’s owned in 59 years. I’m sorry to be sexist, but most women – great cooks or not – do not know and appreciate good knives. I thought it was time to advance her education.
Ran 6-1/2-inch santoku from Japan: This is my newest baby. The “Damascus” steel blade isn’t really Damascus steel (a long story, so don’t get me started) but a layered steel whose tradition goes back thousands of years to the making of Samurai swords. It has absolutely perfect balance and weight, and is a joy to use.
Dexter high-carbon chef’s knife: This knife is probably 50-60 years old – possibly even older than I am. It was a gift from my ex-father-in-law, and for 25 years it was definitely the “best” knife I owned. As worn and used as it is, I still love it.
A cheap, heavy cleaver: I think I got this at K-Mart, and its heft is great for cutting through bone or the Amazon rainforest. I use it when there’s some tough job that I don’t want to risk doing with a “good” knife.
An even cheaper off-set-handle serrated knife: This is great for bread. (Anyone who says you need a serrated knife for tomatoes hasn’t used a good, sharp, traditional blade – such as the Ran or Dexter, above.) This was probably part of some set of 12 knives for $10.
Kai ceramic “fish” knife: My first foray into inexpensive ceramic knives. Nice; I never use it for scaling fish; but it works as a quickie slicer.
Kai asymmetrical-blade paring knife: My wife calls this “the wicked little knife.” It’s small, extremely sharp, simple but beautiful, and one of my top three knives (along with the Ran and the Dexter).
A cheap Chicago Cutlery knife: I got this at a hardware store, but it’s still my favorite cheese knife. Good, thin, sharp knives don’t work too well with cheese. Something with coarser steel and a double bevel (such as this cheapo) cuts cheese much easier.
Kuhn Rikon ceramic paring knife: This inexpensive knife from Switzerland is surprisingly handy for slicing limes for Mojitos or any quick and small job.
(Along the side in photo) A big-ole carbon-steel knife: I found this huge, unknown-brand knife at a thrift store, and figured Julia Child would be proud. I don’t use it much, but is sure is fun to have.
We seldom spend time looking at the statistics of our various websites and blogs. But a recent post on the Ridge Winery blog got us to thinking (always a very dangerous thing).
Since the first of the year, this blog has been reached directly; by referrals; and via 228 different search terms. Most of those searches are, naturally, related to a specific wine or a recipe. But a few stood out as a little off-beat.
In many of these cases, we have no idea what on this site it was that the search engine picked up on. Nonetheless, here is a short list of “unusual” search terms that drove visitors to our site. (These are the exact search terms as listed from Google Analytics.)
It saddens me that so many talented writers are overlooked, while someone like Julie Powell receives so much ill-deserved glory. Her first book, Julie & Julia, was based on an interesting concept – making every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Unfortunately, Powell’s writing was so full of Me-Me-Me! as to make her book unreadable. Notwithstanding the fact that there was very little cooking and very little Julia in it.
Now Powell has come out with Cleaving, a book about her apprenticeship at a butcher and about her having an affair.
Please do all the good writers out there a favor and ignore both of Powell’s books. Many more worthy authors deserve your attention.
Recently, we stumbled on a true gem of a winery. Lake Crest Winery, in Oroville, Washington, is a fairly small (1,000 cases) regional producer in the Okanogan Valley, just a few miles from the Canadian border. The Canadian Okanagan Valley (yes, it’s spelled differently) is becoming well known for excellent wines, and if Lake Crest is any indication, the Washington-state side is primed to excel also.
We tried Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and a couple of late-harvest and ice wines. Every single wine we sampled was simply excellent, and the prices were fabulously affordable ($10-15 per bottle for the table wines, $11-18 for late-harvest half-bottles, $40 for the ice wine half-bottle).
Co-owner Boni Mathews told us that she and her husband, Ken, had been growing apples, pears, and other fruit in the area for decades, but about five years ago switched seven acres over to vineyards. We were amazed that every wine – every varietal – was estate grown. They’re growing great Pinot Noir farther north than I ever imagined it could thrive.
Apparently, the grapes love the hot summers in the valley, yet the winters get cold enough to produce ice wine. We tried a Syrah ice wine that had beautiful flavors of ... rhubarb. Not what you’d expect in a dessert wine, but fabulous nonetheless.
Lake Crest has limited distribution in the central Washington region, but Boni told us that they’ve just signed with a distributor that will be getting their wines into the Seattle area. If you have a chance to try any of their wines, don’t hesitate – just buy a bottle and enjoy.
We don’t often give plugs, but visit LakeCrestWinery.com to see their current offerings. You can buy from them online.
We’ve grown (maybe temporarily) tired of this particular game. We still love wine; we love food and cooking; but we’re tired of the blog-twitter-everything-internet-crap. So we thought we’d sign off, for now, with our list of A Perfect Case of Affordable Wines. When (if) we return, we’ll have much more of a focus on food and cooking (and wine pairings with meals).
These should be widely available, less than $12 (especially if on sale), and reliable from year-to-year.
Tapena Tempranillo (Spain)
Bogel Zinfandel (California)
Bogel Petite Sirah (or possibly Concannon as a substitute – both California)
Barnard Griffin Syrah (Washington)
Castle Rock Pinot Noir (California)
Beringer White Zinfandel (California)
Cristalino Rose or Brut Cava (Sparkling – Spain)
Covey Run Sauvignon Blanc (Washington)
Kiona Chenin Blanc (Washington)
Columbia Crest Pinot Grigio (Washington)
Barnard Griffin Chardonnay (Washington)
B&G Vouvray (France)
Adios, and Enjoy.
Nose of blackberry and black cherry. The nose on the 06 is more distinctive; the 07 is a little alcoholy and vague, with more of a generic red wine aroma. Tastes from the 06 were of dried cherries and plum; with the 07, a bit more smoke and minerals. Some nice pinot earthiness with both. More toward the French style rather than a new-world fruit bomb. And we really don’t like “stupid-story-gimmick-labels,” and Smoking Loon has one of the worst. Tell us something about the wine, or its growing conditions, or something substantial if you have to say something on the back. Either vintage alone would probably have garnered a Yes rating, but the differences between the two make us downgrade it a notch, to Yes/Maybe. $9-10 on sale, regularly $12-14.
Oh. My. God. Being on Ridge’s ATP mailing list, we were notified of this library release. We snatched up our two-bottle allocation, and opened the first one for Francesca’s birthday. This is far from tasting even the least bit old. Our real dilemma will be deciding when to open the other bottle.
Rather surprisingly, the nose is of dried oranges and some floral notes. But the tastes are still big, strong Zinfandel fruit for a 17-year-old wine. Cherries Jubilee, prune, berries, even a hint of mint. Very smooth and integrated, but still with distinct acid and tannins. If we could have known, and if we could have bought a case.... Yes, Yes. $50. If you stumble upon a well-stored bottle for under $100, snatch it up.
We’re sure – absolutely, really, really sure – that there are two sides to this story. But the news that the Alabama Beverage Control board has deemed the Cycles Gladiator wine label as pornographic is simply weird. But then, the label depicts an 1895 poster, so we guess it’s no surprise that Alabama is still living in the 19th century.
Let’s say that you wanted to create a new international organization. A group of wine movers-and-shakers from five wine regions (California, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa) on four continents bent on getting more exposure for your wines, especially in the European Union, where New World wines are often overshadowed by continental offerings from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, probably even Slovenia.
Now, you’re living in 2009 (not 1989). What’s the first thing you do? You send out a press release and get lots of wine news websites and blogs mentioning your New World Wine Alliance. And you have all those articles link to your cool, visually rich, informative website. But....
Where’s the website? Yes, we know we’re a web-centric culture, but not having even a web page up is like not having stationary or a phone line. So at this time our conclusion is that this beast without a head is unlikely to survive, unless someone steps up to the plate and becomes the wrangler for these critters. Hey, New World Wine Alliance: Did I mention that I’ve been looking for a position in the wine industry?
UPDATE – 24 July: Or should it be: “Here’s the Sizzle, Where’s the Steak?”
A few more thoughts on the New World Wine Alliance.
Most of the international media reporting on this are saying the alliance is made up of five countries. California is not a country. The NWWA press release (we’re been unable to track down the original; here’s the version from Wines of Chile) says, “In a significant expression of unity, five competing New World wine-producing countries will be collaborating....”
The Wine Institute (“The Voice for California Wine”) has completely ignored the NWWA announcement. On Steve Heimoff’s blog, he writes: “The Wine Institute is telling [the EU] not to worry. ‘We already have a policy trade group,’ said an Institute spokesperson, who did not want to be identified.” Heimoff also quotes the anonymous Wine Institute spokesperson as saying, “This is just some marketing folks getting together to do something.”
To that comment, I’d be rather surprised. Real “marketing folks,” I’m sure, would have a better handle on, well, marketing (websites, social media, and a lot more). We can’t figure out who this is coming from. The “California” contact even has a German domain as an email address.
And the “policy trade group” mentioned, the World Wine Trade Group, has a website that appears to not have been updated in years - the last annual meeting they list was in 2007.
Finally, we feel slighted. Were we not important enough to be on the NWWA press release distribution list? Darn.
If anyone out there really knows what this group is, or how they’re marketing themselves, we’d love to hear more.
Crème Fraiche
Yes, we’re pretty late to the party. We make our own garlic Aioli by grinding fresh garlic cloves in a mortar. We use fresh herbs instead of dried whenever possible. We cook just about everything from scratch. But we never bothered to make Crème Fraiche.
Crème Fraiche is a French matured cream, but not at all like our U.S. sour cream. We’ve never found it in our semi-rural grocery stores, but we’ve read for years how “easy” it is to make. Even Julia Child has a recipe. The typical recipe calls for a cup of cream and a tablespoon or two of buttermilk. But who in the world has buttermilk in the fridge anymore, especially when it comes in quart cartons? Yet a few weeks ago we found a tiny half-pint carton of buttermilk, and decided to try this creation.
We mixed (without measuring, as usual) the cream and buttermilk and let it stand overnight until it actually did develop a nice, thick creamy consistency. It had a wonderful bite yet a smooth creaminess that sour cream just doesn’t have.
Since then, we’ve mixed it with Dijon mustard for a salad dressing; we’ve added honey and vanilla for a topping for fresh wild raspberries (not that the raspberries really needed anything); and we’ve mixed a bit of it with a leftover tomato-artichoke-olive sofrito to go on top of red potatoes steamed with fresh rosemary.
We’re hooked. Our most recent meal using Crème Fraiche was as the potato topping mentioned above, and for that dinner we also had halibut sautéed in butter and herbs accompanied by a crisp Washington state Riesling, reviewed below.
Milbrandt Riesling 2006 – Washington
When we bought this, we had no way of knowing if it were dry or sweet. Many Rieslings will note a style on the label (and we wish all wineries would), but without that information it’s hard to know whether to open a bottle of Riesling as an afternoon sipper or as a dinner wine. We took a wild guess, and were right with this one.
The nose is mild, with a bit of apple and herbs. The tastes are a nice medley of crab apple, apple, mild herbs, maybe a little grassy or leafy. It finishes crisply, with some mild but nice acidity. Surprisingly for a Riesling, it was still fine as it warmed in the glass on an 87-degree evening. It developed more depth and complexity, without losing that distinctive Riesling character.
The best part is the price – only $6.50 when we found it. At that price, it’s a House/Yes wine for sure (depending on availability).
Continuing our Summer Lightweights Series....
We didn’t really know what to think about this. We actually like Beringer’s White Zinfandel, and had suggested that wine to Francesca’s mother. But being 80-something, she couldn’t remember exactly what wine we told her about, so she bought this instead. In the spirit of research we, too, had to try it.
Bright color, nose of red fruits. Tastes of rhubarb, raspberries, and strawberries. A little drier than the White Zin. We don’t think this will be on our go-to list, but it ain’t bad, either. Your parents or grandparents may love it. Maybe. $6 on sale, regularly about $7.50.
[Keith, from Amsterdam, writes the travel blog and website Velvet Escape. We enjoyed his recent post about a few less-know wine regions so much that we asked him if we could post part of it here. You can also read Keith’s complete article on Velvet Escape.]
Europe has many of the finest wineries in the world. Anyone who has visited Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany, Veneto, or Rioja can attest to the stunning scenery and some of the most heavenly wines in the world.
In the past ten years, wines from the New World (including Chile, Argentina, South Africa, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand), have grown tremendously in popularity. I started “researching” (that’s a good word) New World wines quite a few years ago and since then I’ve become a huge fan of wines from, especially, Australia, Chile and South Africa. When I eventually got the chance to travel through these countries, visits to various wineries naturally became a part of the itinerary. What I encountered were gorgeous wineries in breathtaking surroundings, and wines that were truly sublime. For this article, I’ve picked five wineries in the Southern Hemisphere which I’ve visited in the past two years. These wineries produce a variety of delicious wines in beautiful settings.
Boschendal (South Africa)
This winery is located in the Western Cape, halfway between the historic towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. The lovely Cape Dutch buildings form a stark contrast with the rugged Groot Drakenstein mountains in the background. The scenery is indeed breathtaking. You can combine a wine-tasting here with a delicious lunch under the shady trees with a view of the mountains. One of the most intriguing wines produced here is a Pinot Noir/Chardonnay blend.
Montes (Chile)
The wines produced at this estate are arguably some of Chile’s finest. Located in the charming, hilly Colchagua Valley, this winery features a hyper-modern central building designed by a team of Chile’s most renowned architects, and an impressive cellar. The Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are absolutely divine!
Domaine Chandon (Australia)
Situated in the Yarra Valley, just east of Melbourne, the Domaine Chandon estate (of the famous Möet & Chandon name) produces an exclusive selection of beautiful sparkling wines (you can’t call it champagne if it doesn’t originate from the region of Champagne in France). The verdant rolling hills form a gorgeous setting for this estate with its signature Victorian manor.
Errazuriz (Chile)
Errazuriz is one of Chile’s most prominent families and they own several high-profile wineries in the Aconcagua Valley. Fed by the molten snow from South America’s highest peak (Mt. Aconcagua), the historic Errazuriz estate boasts a variety of beautiful wines including the Merlot and Shiraz.
Bodega Ruca Malen (Argentina)
Ruca Malen is located south of Argentina’s wine capital, Mendoza. The scenery is truly magnificent: row upon row of vines with the awe-inspiring snowy peaks of the Andes mountains as the backdrop. This winery produces a selection of delicious Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec blend is also noteworthy. You can opt to combine a wine-tasting with a gourmet seven-course lunch, whilst enjoying the breathtaking view of the Andes.
This is but a small selection of wineries that have made the biggest impression on me. If you’ve been to an amazing winery in any of these New World wine countries, please feel free to share your experiences with me.
Mayhill is a big winery on the Washington state side of the Columbia River a couple of dozen miles east of Hood River, Oregon. The winery has a big tasting room, filled with gifts and wine accessories, as well as a friendly and enthusiastic staff. The tasting room felt very Napa-ish, but was uncrowded when we were there midweek in April.
One thing that really creeped us out, though, was that there were a LOT of sterile, annoying, little “nag” signs all over the tasting room, the grounds, even in the parking lot, along the lines of: “Keep Off The Grass,” “Put Trash Here,” “Bathrooms Only For Customers”, “Don’t Feed The Dog Your Leftover Lunch,” “Blah, Blah, Blah.” Sort of like Windows Vista, the computer operating system that nags you at every turn.
Anyway.... The Maryhill Sauvignon Blanc is very Bordeaux-ish. It opens with a nose that makes you think it’s going to be more New Zealand – grassy, bright, lemons. But the tastes are more California/French in style – grapefruit, no grassiness, some smooth roundness and defined acidity. Try it if such is your style; for us, Maybe. $14
Would you pay $5 for a glass of Two Buck Chuck (aka Two Buck Junk)? Southwest Airlines isn’t exactly pouring TBC, but has switched its wine service to Coastal Ridge Chardonnay and Merlot, both made by the same Bronco Wine Company that makes Trader Joe’s TBC.
We’re pretty sure that Coastal Ridge wines don’t exactly come from the same giant vat as TBC, but they still taste like industrial, sterilized White Wine and Red Wine. But hey, your sense of taste is dulled in an airplane, anyway, right?
We’ve been going through a phase. We’re actually a little tired of trying new this, new that, in search of another good affordable everyday wine. We’ve just been buying our known favorites – two of this, three of that, maybe even a case of something just to have Old Reliable on hand.
Thus, we don’t have a lot of new reviews we’re excited about (although we do have a backlog of tasting notes still to post). So we thought we’d list – for you and as a reminder for ourselves – some of our current all-time-favorite fallback affordable wines. These are the wines we’re buying in multiple quantities and keeping on hand for everyday drinking.
Boschendal is a winery in South Africa we’ve never heard of, nor have we tried any of their wines. But we instantly fell in love with their blog (which is mostly a wine news round-up from many international sources).
Here are some of our favorite headlines from recent posts:
England – It’s against the law to have wine with your picnic
French wines are now allowed to advertise on the internet
What not to do with wine
Women prefer more expensive wine
The last story is especially fascinating, in that it discusses a taste test that seems to indicate that when the price of a bottle is known in advance, women (but not men) rate it higher in quality. We, being smarter than the writers of the original article, refuse to even speculate on why that might be. Great reading, nonetheless.
If you write a wine blog – or any blog, for that matter – watch out what you write and how you disclose any compensation you might receive. The Federal Trade Commission wants to get in your face and “monitor” what’s written online about wines, wineries, products, books, trips, companies, or anything that purports to be a sort of “review” that might have been influenced by compensation from a business. The FTC has an 86-page document detailing the proposal.
UPDATE: John C. Dvorak, writing on pcmag.com, has the most well-written commentary on this topic. He didn’t pay us anything to say that.
“I’m from the government and I’m here to help:This was a fun experiment. We’d had Turley Zins before, but they’d always been older vintages that were in bottle for at least a few years. We recently got on Turley’s mailing list, and this new release was one of the bottles from our shipment. We’d been trying to decide when to open the first bottle – now or wait. Obviously, with this bottle, “now” won.
This is a big, jammy wine. Like a raspberry pie. It has an enticing berry nose, and there’s nothing shy about the tastes – sharp acids and new tannins, but balanced by all that fruit. We do think we’ll give the rest of our 2007 Turleys a year or two (at least) in bottle.
As we are sort of new to Turley, we decided to have an expensive evening so opened a 2005 Ridge Geyserville Zinfandel “just for comparison.” (We’ve previously said that this Ridge was one of our all-time favorite, “desert island” wines.) The two wines were surprisingly similar, but the Ridge had a more subtle nose and more integrated tastes. That could be because of two more years in the bottle, the vintage itself, or the winemaker’s style. Both wines were wonderful. Overall we said the Ridge was more “elegant” and the Turley was more “powerful,” despite so many similarities. We’ll let you know in a couple of years how these Turleys are shaping up. Yes. $35
From the makers of one of the iconic California White Zinfandels, comes this Chenin Blanc. Definitely California, not a dry French style. Nose is sweetly floral and honey. Tastes are of smooth apricot, honey, and just enough acid to keep the sweetness from being sticky. Not an everyday food wine, but at the price a nice patio sipper. Yes. $5
The Sutter Home Moscato is so similar to the Chenin Blanc that it could have come from the same vat... except that this doesn’t have the acid to balance the sweetness. (Beringer also makes a cheap Moscato, which we far preferred. And as we’ve noted before, we really like less-known varietals.) Maybe. $5
(Tom Briggs of Fort Worth, Texas, sent us a note about his wine experiences. We enjoyed his rating system so much we decided to let Tom explain it here.)
I wanted to let you know that I’ve enjoyed reading AMealWithoutWine for some time now. I really like its perspective.
We rate every wine we drink on what I call an “X” scale: That is, a wine that’s worth what we paid for it gets a 1X, something worth triple what we paid gets a 3X, and so on. We try to hit at least a 2X or 3X, even though most of what’s out there – especially from California – usually doesn’t even make it up to 1X. As AMealWithoutWine has indirectly pointed out, Washington state has some real finds. Covey Run’s basic Riesling, for example, generally gets a 2.5X or a 3X (we pay $9, but it’s better than a lot of Rieslings in the mid $20s), as does the Ste. Michelle, and they’re generally repeatable and consistent from year to year.
The main problem we run into is repeatability: Often when we find a great value wine, it’s either completely gone the next time we shop for it, or the next vintage year isn’t as good. Our record-breaking find was a Monterra Monterey County Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, which we rated at an eye-popping 10X: We paid $4 but we thought it was worth $40. (It was fully mature, with a fair amount of sediment and a decent amount of real aged Grand-Cru taste.) Of course that’s gone forever and we only managed to buy 8 cases. The Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 was a real find at 4X (we paid only $6), but the 2005 wasn’t anywhere close to as good. That’s the story of our wine life – trying to find the best quality for the price.
