Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Our first experience with Nivole came by accident. We were dining at one of the premier steakhouses here in Seattle on a special occasion when the server accidentally spilled a bottle of red wine at our table, splattering everywhere, including all over my husband’s pants. After apologizing profusely to Colby, replacing the wine with a fresh bottle, offering to pay for cleaning the pants, and comping us on the meal, the manager had a bottle of Nivole sent to our table as a dessert wine.  It hit the spot then and has continued to hit the spot for us since that time.

We’ve tasted and reviewed three different vintages of Nivole, the 2004, 2005, and 2007. We’ve given each an excellent quality rating of 4 stars (out of 5). So even if you can’t find the 2007 where you live, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase the 2008 or whichever vintage is available. Nivole’s low level of alcohol (usually 5.5-6%) makes it particularly light and fruity on the palate and great for drinking after dinner when higher alcohol wines have already been consumed. The name Nivole, which means “clouds” in the Piedmontese dialect, fits the wine’s light, elegant quality.

Coming from a line of seven generations of grape growers, Michele Chiarlo founded his namesake winery in 1956. Today, Mr. Chiarlo is a leading figure in the Piedmont wine industry. Michele Chiarlo is definitely a family business with Mr. Chiarlo’s sons, Alberto and Stefano, now playing key roles. Alberto directs marketing and sales while Stefano manages vineyard operations and serves as co-winemaker.

2007 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti (375 ml): A clear, bright, straw-colored semi-sparkling wine. Exhibits fresh, sweet aromas of apricots and Satsuma oranges. Lots of apricot comes through on the palate. Sweet but not sickeningly sweet. Very crisp and refreshing. The perfect dessert wine (with or without any dessert).
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle, Washington), $12.99, Available elsewhere, $10 to $16

A Wine for Tonight: 2007 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

Today, I’m going to focus on Italy. I’ll have to admit that when I used to think of Italy and wine, I thought of the straw covered bottles of house Chianti served in most Italian restaurants during my young adult days. However, today it is a new ballgame. Today, not only does Italy produce a lot of wine, it produces a lot of good wine, too, with excellent QPRs as well.

Italy received great press and notoriety with their Super Tuscans, jazzing up their Sangiovese with Cabernet Sauvignon and other of the top international varietals. In Tuscany, the revolution spread to Chianti with vast improvements in Chianti and especially Chianti Classico wines. In Piedmont, Barolo and Barbaresco have always been respected, but now you see some good Barbera as well.

The ultimate compliment to Italian wines is that you are seeing so many wine producers in the United States experimenting with Italian varietals such as Sangiovese, Barbera, Pinot Grigio, and even Nebbiolo with varying degrees of success.

In our quest to qualify to join the ranks of the Wine Century Club last year, we tasted a number of Italian wine varietals that we had never tasted before and found several that we really liked to add to our list of Italian favorites. Below is a list of some Italian wines that not only are of very good quality but are good values (high QPRs) as well. (Quality: “x” stars out of 5, QPR: “x” bangs for your buck out of 5)

2001 Vietti Castiglione Barolo $30, Quality: 4, QPR: 5
2001 Felsina Fontalloro IGT (Super Tuscan), $35, Quality: 4, QPR: 4
1999 LaGerla Brunello di Montalcino, $20, Quality: 4, QPR: 5
2005 Pasetti Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, $13, Quality: 4, QPR: 5
2003 Cesari Amarone della Valpolicella, $37, Quality: 4, QPR: 4
2005 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti, $10, Quality: 4, QPR: 5

The best thing about Italian wines is that they pair so well with food and not just with Italian food. The crisp acidity of the whites and the tanginess of the reds make some of the most food-friendly wine anywhere. And everyone I’ve known that has visited Italy says that Italian wine country is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. It’s on our short list of future wine trips. If you go before we do, let us know what you think.

(Photo from Vietti)

Who is #1 in Wine? Italy Makes their Claim was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Fri, 22 May 2009 14:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

1. While Texas is producing quite a few good wines, we were disappointed not to find at least one great wine on this trip.
2. Becker, Driftwood Estate, and Texas Hills remain our three favorite wineries from this trip, although Pillar Bluff had maybe the single best wine and Fall Creek had some good value (high QPR) wines.
3. Several factors seem to me to be keeping Texas from moving into the elite class of wine producing areas:
   • Pierce’s Disease is wrecking havoc in many Texas vineyards.
   • Erratic weather in the form of late freezes, hail, and even floods are causing producers to have smaller than normal crops in too many years for Texas to be able to produce the string of good vintages that is necessary to establish coveted terroir.
   • Because of the weather issues mentioned above, too many Texas producers are selling wines made from California, Washington, New Mexico, and even Australia grapes.
   • It is difficult to find Texas wines outside of Texas, and almost every Texas winery seems to have a different interpretation of wine shipping laws.
4. Despite the caveats mentioned above, I will stick with the conclusion I reached after last year’s visit to several Texas High Plains wineries that Texas is doing the best job of the states outside of the big four of California, Washington, Oregon, and New York.

Here’s a breakdown of all of the wines that we have tasted on this trip made with Texas grapes. Under each Quality heading, the wine name will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2006 Driftwood Estate Syrah, $18, QPR: 5
2006 Pillar Bluff Boar Doe Red Wine, $21.55, QPR: 5
2007 Becker Vintage Port, $21.95, QPR: 5
2005 Lost Creek Buddy’s Select (Cab/Merlot/Shiraz), $22.95, QPR: 5
2007 Texas Hills KICK BUTT Cab, $25, QPR: 5
NV Dry Comal Creek 1096 Port (Black Spanish estate grapes), $75, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2008 Fall Creek Chenin Blanc, $6.99, QPR: 5
NV Fall Creek White Riesling, $8.99, QPR: 5
2005 Sister Creek Merlot, $15.25, QPR: 5
2005 Texas Hills KICK BUTT Cab, $17.50, QPR: 5
2006 Driftwood Estate Super Texan (88% Sangiovese, 12% Merlot), $18, QPR: 5
2006 Driftwood Estate Lone Star Cab, $18, QPR: 5
2006 Texas Hills Port Rubino, $19.95, QPR: 5
NV Pillar Bluff Ruby Port, $20.61, QPR: 5
2002 Alamosa Texas Port (Grenache), $24, QPR: 5
2006 Becker Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $24.95, QPR: 5
2007 Becker Chenin Blanc, $12.95, QPR: 4
2007 Becker Claret, $16.95, QPR: 4
2007 Becker Prairie Rotie, $16.95, QPR: 4
NV Flat Creek Buckin’ Horse Red, $17.95, QPR: 4
2007 Texas Hills Syrah, $19.95, QPR: 4
2004 Lost Creek Buddy’s Blend (Cab/Merlot/Shiraz), $20.95, QPR: 4
2007 Woodrose Zinfandel, Willmuth Vineyards, $21.95, QPR: 4
2007 Mandola Estate Zinfandel, $24, QPR: 4
NV Grape Creek Port, $29.95, QPR: 4
NV Flat Creek Mistella (fortified Muscat Canelli), $34.95, QPR: 4
2005 Texas Hills Orange Moscato, $17.50, QPR: 3
NV Flat Creek Buckin’ Horse White Viognier, $17.95, QPR: 3
2007Grape Creek Cabernet/Syrah, $26.95, QPR: 3
2005 Torre di Pietra Claret, $27.95, QPR: 3
NV Torre di Pietra Tango Port (Primitivo), $49.95, QPR: 3
2007 Pedernales Stonewall Viognier, $18.00, QPR: 2
NV Torre di Pietra Rosa Flamenco, $18.95, QPR: 2
2001 Alamosa El Guapo Grande Tempranillo, $28, QPR: 2
2006 Alamosa Palette Red Rhone Blend, $30, QPR: 2
2008 Dry Comal Creek Black Spanish (estate grapes), $30.99, QPR: 2
2006 Alamosa Scissortail (Marsanne/Viognier/Roussanne), $26, QPR: 1
2007 Pedernales Cellars Family Reserve, $49.00, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2007 Spicewood Sweet Bluebonnet Flush (89% Merlot, 11% Cab), $9.99, QPR: 5
NV Fall Creek Granite Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $9.99, QPR: 5
NV Fall Creek Merlot, $11.99, QPR: 5
2004 Texas Hills Cabernet Sauvignon, $14.95, QPR: 5
2002 McReynolds Wines Cabernet Sauvignon, $15, QPR: 5
2007 Texas Legato Cabernet Sauvignon, $17.95, QPR: 5
NV Alamosa Texas Port (Sangiovese), $18, QPR: 5
2007 Fall Creek Mission Sauvignon Blanc, $9.99, QPR: 4
2005 Texas Hills Syrah, $13.95, QPR: 4
2006 Driftwood Estate Longhorn Red, $18, QPR: 4
NV Fredericksburg Bach Burgundy, $18.95, QPR: 4
2007 Texas Legato Family Reunion Red Wine, $19.95, QPR: 4
2006 Flat Creek Super Texan (Sangiovese/Cab/Merlot), $19.95, QPR: 4
2007 Pedernales Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, $25.00, QPR: 4
2006 Stone House Scheming Beagle Port (Norton), $26.95, QPR: 4
NV Flat Creek Ruby Port, $29.95, QPR: 4
2007 Fall Creek Viognier, $12.99, QPR: 3
2008 Becker Viognier, $14.95, QPR: 3
NV Fall Creek Muscat Canelli, $14.99, QPR: 3
2007 Pillar Bluff Chardonnay, $18.74, QPR: 3
NV Torre di Pietra Texas Dirty Girl, $18.95, QPR: 3
2007 Grape Creek Merlot, $19.95, QPR: 3
2005 Alamosa Syrah Tio Pancho Ranch, $20, QPR: 3
2006 McReynolds Wines Merlot, $20, QPR: 3
2005 Messina Hof Private Reserve Cabernet Franc, $22, QPR: 3
2006 Messina Hof Private Reserve Tex-Zin, $22, QPR: 3
2007 Mandola Estate SPINO’-Montepulciano, $26, QPR: 3
2008 Alamosa Amigo White High Valley Vineyard, $15, QPR: 2
2008 Flat Creek Muscato D’ Arancia, $16.95, QPR: 2
2005 Lost Creek Blanc du Bois, $17.50, QPR: 2
2007 Mandola Estate Canto Felice, $18, QPR: 2
2005 Fredericksburg Merlot, $24.95, QPR: 2
2006 Woodrose Merlot, Hendericks Vineyards, $24.95, QPR: 2
NV Torre di Pietra Porto Blanco, $49.95, QPR: 2
2004 Alamosa El Guapo Tempranillo, $18, QPR: 1
NV Torre di Pietra Red Flirt (Cab/Syrah), $18.95, QPR: 1
2008 Driftwood Estate Cuve Blanc, $20, QPR: 1
2007 Torre di Pietra Texas Chenin Blanc, $21.95, QPR: 1
2008 Torre di Pietra Blanc du Bois, $21.95, QPR: 1
2008 Woodrose Texas Rain (Rose), Tanglewood Vineyards, $21.95, QPR: 1
2007 Alamosa Scissortail (Marsanne/Roussanne/Viognier), $22, QPR: 1
2006 Stone House Claros (Norton), $23.95, QPR: 1
2006 Torre di Pietra Mataro (Mourvedre), $24.95, QPR: 1
2007 TORO di Tejas (Tempranillo), $25, QPR: 1
2003 Fredericksburg Texitage, $34.50, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
NV Comfort Cellars Jalapeno Wine, $9.95, QPR: NR
NV Fall Creek Ed’s Smooth Red, $9.99, QPR: NR
2007 Fall Creek Mission Cabernet Sauvignon, $9.99, QPR: NR
2007 Spicewood Cabernet Claret, $9.99, QPR: NR
2007 Pillar Bluff Founder’s Red, $13.12, QPR: NR
2007 Spicewood Estate Chardonnay, $13.99, QPR: NR
2007 Texas Hills Pinot Grigio, $14.95, QPR: NR
2005 McReynolds Wines Chardonnay, $15, QPR: NR
2002 McReynolds Wines Merlot, $15, QPR: NR
2008 Pedernales Cellars Garnacha Rose, $15.00, QPR: NR
2007 Flat Creek Muscato Blanco, $16.95, QPR: NR
2008 Grape Creek Cuvee Blanc, $16.95, QPR: NR
2006 Mandola Estate Viognier, $18, QPR: NR
NV Torre di Pietra Classico, $18.95, QPR: NR
2005 Lost Creek Chardonnay (no oak), $19.95, QPR: NR
2004 Fredericksburg Rose of Cab, $19.95, QPR: NR
2007 Texas Legato Malbec, $19.95, QPR: NR
NV Texas Legato Sojourn Port, $19.95, QPR: NR
2008 Pedernales Cellars Vino Blanco, $20.00, QPR: NR
2005 Messina Hof Private Reflections (60% Cab Franc), $22, QPR: NR
2008 Woodrose Blanc du Bois, Tanglewood Vineyards, $23.95, QPR: NR
2007 Mandola Estate Dolcetto, $26, QPR: NR
2007 Woodrose Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah, $26.95, QPR: NR
2007 Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo, $29.00, QPR: NR
2005 Torre di Pietra Sangiovese, $29.95, QPR: NR
2002 Comfort Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, $29.95, QPR: NR
2005 Torre di Pietra Touriga Nacional, $39.95, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2004 McReynolds Wines Merlot (76% Merlot, 24% Sangiovese), $10, QPR: NR
NV Comfort Cellars Chenin Blanc, $12.95, QPR: NR
2004 Cinque Vino Rosso, $12.95, QPR: NR
NV Comfort Cellars Orange Chardonnay, $14.95, QPR: NR
2008 Pillar Bluff Chenin Blanc, $14.99, QPR: NR
2007 Texas Legato Merlot, $15.95, QPR: NR
NV Fredericksburg Corderillas, $15.95, QPR: NR
2004 Alamosa Texaxaia (Sangiovese/Syrah/Tempranillo), $16, QPR: NR
2007 Grape Creek Viognier, $16.95, QPR: NR
2002 Comfort Cellars Pinot Noir, $18.95, QPR: NR
2005 Torre di Pietra Carignane, $18.95, QPR: NR
NV Fredericksburg F & N, $18.95, QPR: NR
2007 Texas Hills Rousanne, $19.95, QPR: NR
NV Comfort Cellars Sweet Rojo (Muscat/Merlot), $19.95, QPR: NR
2008 Texas Legato Sweet Peggy Sue White, $19.95, QPR: NR
2005 Messina Hof Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $22, QPR: NR
2007 Mandola Estate Sangiovese, $24, QPR: NR

Texas Wine Country 2009, Part Two and Recap was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Fri, 15 May 2009 14:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

1. Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay
2. Beringer Vineyards White Zinfandel
3. Cavit Pinot Grigio Italy
4. Sutter Home White Zinfandel
5. Inglenook Chablis
6. Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio Italy
7. Yellow Tail Chardonnay Australia
8. Copperidge Chardonnay
9. Yellow Tail Shiraz Australia
10. Franzia Winetaps Vintner Select White Zinfandel

Are you as shocked as I was when you read this list? Three White Zins. Only one red wine. I have a hard time envisioning any of our readers rushing out to buy these and especially not at restaurant prices. While the average retail price of these wines is only $6.50, restaurant customers buying these wines are paying two to three times that amount and buying these wines by the truckload. Unbelievable!

If you have been buying these wines, I won’t tell anyone; but let me make a couple of suggestions:

1. If you have to buy them, don’t buy them at a restaurant.
2. Broaden your horizons. Try more different varietals, both red and white.
3. Try some of the wines I’ve listed below. They are excellent wines that retail for $10 or less:

In these tough economic times, more and more of us are buying less and less wine at restaurants, and instead buying a bottle at a wine shop and taking it home to drink with our meal and/or sip by a fire. But if you still plan to have wine when dining out, you might want to refer back to our Ordering wine at a restaurant post for some helpful tips.

Good Alternatives to America’s Most Popular Restaurant Wines was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

We started out at Groot Constantia Estate, established in 1685. It was the only one of the five wine farms we visited that charged a tasting fee. The Constantia Valley is known primarily for its white wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat dessert wine, but I actually thought a couple of their reds were better than their whites.

Our second stop was at Constantia Uitsig, the youngest wine farm that we visited but a producer of two of the best white wines that we tasted on this day trip. Constantia Uitsig was the site of the recent celebration of the 350th wine vintage in South Africa.

The third stop on our tour was Steenberg Vineyards, a Graham Beck property, founded in 1682. While the setting was beautiful and the service was great, the overall quality of the wines was the least of the five, although they did have a decent Shiraz.

Next we visited the famous Klein Constantia Estate, home of the most famous wine in the world in the 1700’s, the Vin de Constance (sweet Muscat). The tasting room hostess told us about a recent tasting of a bottle of Vin de Constance over 200 years old that was still in good drinking condition. Klein Constantia was the most impressive facility we saw in the Constantia Valley, combining the old and the new in impressive fashion. They may have also had the best overall wine lineup of the five, with no real clunkers. My two favorites were a Cab/Shiraz blend and the 2004 Vin de Constance.

Our final stop was at Buitenverwachting, established in 1796. It is a very old wine farm kept in excellent condition by owner Richard Mueller and his wife Christine. We had the opportunity to visit with Richard and get some of the interesting history of Buitenverwachting first hand. Buitenverwachting means “Beyond Expectation” in English, so their wine is labeled “Beyond” in the U.S. They also had a generally good set of wines as you will see in the ratings list below.

After completing the wine farm visits in the early afternoon, we had a leisurely and delicious three course lunch at Buitenverwachting Restaurant in a glass-enclosed terrace overlooking the vineyards with the mountains in the distance. It was an excellent ending to a great first day in South Africa’s wine country.

Please remember from my previous post on South African wines that because we are buying wines here at South African prices based on the rand (R), we decided that it would be misleading and of little value to our core constituency of readers in the U.S. to calculate a QPR rating unless it is a wine we can buy in the U.S. and is of good enough quality to want to buy. Therefore, for the purposes of the wine reviews on this trip, I will only calculate a QPR rating on a wine which I have given a Quality rating of 4 stars (out of 5) or higher and if I can find a U.S. vendor and price on which to base the QPR calculation. Wines that meet these criteria will be set apart from the others by bold type. Otherwise I’ll denote the QPR as Not Calculated (NC) if the Quality rating is 3 stars or higher or Not Recommended (NR) if the Quality rating is less than 3 stars.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted in the Constantia Valley:

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2004 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance (sweet Muscat), R330, QPR: 4 [Sherry-Lehmann (New York), $46.95]
2008 Constantia Uitsig Sauvignon Blanc, R80, QPR: NC
2006 Buitenverwachting 1769 (Muscat), R80, QPR: NC
2007 Constantia Uitsig Constantia White, R112, QPR: NC
2006 Klein Constantia Anwilka (Cab/Shiraz), R190, QPR: NC
2005 Buitenverwachting Christine (Bordeaux blend), R200, QPR: NC

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Klein Constantia KC Rose’, R38, QPR: NC
2008 Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc H.V., R75, QPR: NC
2005 Groot Constantia Cape Ruby Port, R75, QPR: NC
2008 Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc, R85, QPR: NC
2006 Groot Constantia Shiraz, R91, QPR: NC
2007 Steenberg Shiraz, R110, QPR: NC
2006 Klein Constantia Marlbrook, R150, QPR: NC
2005 Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve (Bordeaux blend), R175, QPR: NC

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2005 Buitenverwachting Meifort (Bordeaux blend), R50, QPR: NC
2008 Groot Constantia Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, R52, QPR: NC
2008 Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc, R63, QPR: NC
2008 Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc, R72, QPR: NC
2008 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc, R82, QPR: NC
2007 Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling, R85, QPR: NC
2007 Steenberg Shiraz, R110, QPR: NC
2007 Steenberg Shiraz, R110, QPR: NC
2006 Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon, R120, QPR: NC
2008 Steenberg Merlot, R125, QPR: NC

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2008 Klein Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc, R42, QPR: NR
2007 Groot Constantia Constantia Rood, R56, QPR: NR
2008 Constantia Uitsig Chardonnay (unwooded), R72, QPR: NR
2004 Buitenverwachting Cabernet Sauvignon, R85, QPR: NR
2006 Groot Constantia Merlot, R91, QPR: NR
2007 Groot Constantia Gouveneurs Chardonnay, R94, QPR: NR
2006 Groot Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon, R102, QPR: NR
NV Steenberg Brut 1682 Sparkling Wine, R105, QPR: NR
2004 Constantia Uitsig Constantia Red, R120, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2008 Klein Steenberg Rose’, R42, QPR: NR
2006 Klein Steenberg Bordeaux Blend, R55, QPR: NR

South Africa: Wines of Constantia Valley was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

3:36pm
2004 Bonterra The McNab (Mendocino, California): 60% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petite Sirah (Old Vine). Organically grown, biodynamic, single vineyard. Raspberries up front. Listed as 14.1% alcohol but tastes hot. Long but not a great finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $45

3:42pm
2005 Bink Pinot Noir (Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County, California): Weir Vineyard. Aromas and flavors of cherry, strawberry. Very smooth. Nice, pleasant finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Price: $40

3:47pm
2005 Clos LaChance Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (San Martin, California): Big, bold with good fruit (predominantly red fruits and plums). Young wine so tannins are a bit rough now but should soften.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
Price: $30

3:54pm
2006 Sean Minor 4 Bears Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California): Red fruits dominate, especially cherry and raspberry. Smooth and approachable. Moderate tannins.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Price: $17

3:58pm
2006 Boho Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California): Premium wine in a 3L box. Equivalent of four standard bottles. Will stay fresh for at least six weeks. First sniff is a bit off-putting. But tastes better than it smells.
Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
Price: $24

4:04pm
2007 James David Cellars Muscat Blanc (Paso Robles, California): First release from this new winery. Dry, barrel fermented. Aromas and flavors of apricot, peach, and honey. Smooth with a pleasant finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $18

4:14pm
2006 Twisted Oak The Spaniard (Calaveras County, Sierra Foothills, California): Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha. Very heavy bottle with a deep punt. Black fruits dominate (blackberries and blueberries). Crisp, smooth. Long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
Price: $49

4:20pm
2006 Dark Horse Treborce Vineyard Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley, California): Fruit-forward with hints of oak. A bit hot at 15.4% alcohol. Not as well-balanced as I would like.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $34

4:24pm
2006 Small Vines Wines Pinot Noir (Sonoma Coast, California): Biodynamic farming. Will be released to mailing list members in November. Aromas of strawberry and raspberry. A bit fizzy.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $65

4:29pm
2007 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California): Vanilla and oak on the nose. Typical value Chardonnay. Smooth but not much to it. Just a pleasant sipper on a hot, summer day.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $12

4:34pm
2007 Kanzler Pinot Noir (Sebastopol, California): Barrel sample. Will be bottled in January 2009 and released in April. Red fruits, especially strawberry, on the nose and palate. A bit tight, would like to try it again in a year.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
Price: $48

4:43pm
2007 Lionheart Wines McGinley Vineyard Roussanne (Santa Barbara County, California): Lime, pear, and floral aromas. Pineapple and lemon also come through on the palate. Crisp acidity and a bit creamy. Good mouthfeel. Smooth finish. Very refreshing.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
Price: $30

4:52pm
Whew! This concludes the Live Blogging segment. You may notice that we reviewed 12 wines instead of 14. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and two of the wineries had not yet made it to our table.

Live from the Wine Bloggers Conference was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:26 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

A wine is only a bargain if it’s a good wine yet its price is much less than wines of similar quality. We believe that a wine is a super bargain only if it is of excellent quality (4-star quality or higher) and its price is less than or equal to one-half of wines of the same varietal and the same quality level (5 bangs-for-your-buck).

Out of the thousands of wines we have tasted over the years, below is a list of those super bargain wines with a price less than or equal to $10. We have listed the vintage that established this wine as a super bargain for us (and the price we paid for it at that time), but we believe you can confidently purchase their current vintage and expect an excellent wine drinking experience.

In the coming months, we will give you similar lists of super bargain wines at varying price levels.

Super Bargain Wines for Tough Times was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:00 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

In our three days there, we visited eight wineries and tasted 65 different wines. We rated 16 wines as being 4-star quality or higher. Five wineries had two or more wines that received a 4-star or higher rating. Those top five wineries are, in alphabetical order: Alexandria Nicole, Barnard Griffin, Columbia Crest, Fidelitas, and Gilbert. You will find a complete list of all the wines we tasted at the end of this post.

In addition to tasting at the eight wineries, we had the pleasure to tour the facilities at Gilbert and take a vineyard tour at Columbia Crest.

Our first stop took us to the brand-new tasting room for Gilbert Cellars located in downtown Yakima. Sean Gilbert, the General Manager for Gilbert Cellars, was our host. We first met Sean in March at a tasting at Esquin Wine Merchants in Seattle. I have been impressed with what Sean and the folks at Gilbert Cellars are doing since that first meeting. Their tasting room opened in July and is different from many other tasting rooms. In addition to offering tastings, they offer their wines for purchase by the bottle or the glass to enjoy in their beautifully appointed wine bar and lounge atmosphere. They also have plans to offer hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment in the future. This tasting room is sure to become a popular spot in Yakima, for tourists and locals alike. After our visit to the tasting room, Sean took us out to the family’s winery near Wiley City for a tour of their production facilities and treated us to numerous barrel samples. Based on these samples, look for good things to continue from Gilbert Cellars. I’m looking forward to tasting some of these again when they are released in a year or two.

In stark contrast to our wonderful experience at Gilbert, our next stop was at Sheridan Vineyard. We had recently had the Sheridan Syrah in a blind tasting and were looking forward to trying some of their other wines. However, you will notice that there are no Sheridan wines in the complete list of wines we tasted. That is because they were not serving any of the Sheridan wines in the Sheridan Vineyard tasting room. That’s right, zero! Instead, they were serving five wines from their second label, Kamiakin. To me, this is an example of a “bait and switch” tasting room policy. They get you in the door based on their Sheridan label wines but then serve you something else, a much lesser product. And as you will see from my ratings below, the Kamiakin wines are terrible. So if you plan to be in the Columbia Valley wine tasting, don’t bother going to Sheridan.

On a better note, we had an opportunity to take a vineyard tour at Columbia Crest in Paterson, Washington, which is near the Washington-Oregon border. We have long been fans of Columbia Crest wines and continue to be amazed at the quality they are able to produce in such large quantities. It was nice to get to see some of their estate vineyards; however, I must admit that this visit was a bit disappointing in terms of their customer service. We, along with about eight others, had made reservations and paid in advance for the vineyard tour. I’ll spare you the long story but the bottom line is that the tour started late and was disorganized. It would be one thing if it had been complimentary but we definitely did not get our money’s worth out of the tour. We did, however, enjoy a nice tasting outside on their patio afterwards and then went into their tasting room for a Walter Clore vertical tasting.

One tip to keep in mind when you are visiting wine country: If there is a winery/tasting room that you really want to visit, be sure to call ahead and verify their hours. We have learned the hard way that in some cases you cannot even trust the information on a winery’s website. Case in point on this trip was Chandler Reach Vineyards. After Colby and I discovered their wines at the Toast to the Northwest in May, we had been looking forward to visiting their winery this summer. When we planned our itinerary for this trip, I verified hours on each winery’s website knowing that the information in books, magazines, and brochures can be outdated. I expected a winery’s website to provide the most up-to-date information. According to Chandler Reach’s site, they are open on Mondays. However, when we arrived on Monday afternoon, they were closed and had a sign posted that indicated that they are never open on Mondays. Very disappointing and certainly not a smart way to run a business.

Even though we had a few visits that did not go as we had hoped, all in all this was a great weekend in wine country.

Here’s a breakdown of the wines that we tasted. Under each Quality heading, the wine name and region will be listed along with price and QPR rating. Wines in bold type received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5).

Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
2005 Gilbert Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 5
2002 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $40, QPR: 5
2000 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $45, QPR: 4
2001 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $45, QPR: 4

Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
2007 Barnard Griffin Rose of Sangiovese, Columbia Valley, $12, QPR: 5
2007 Barnard Griffin Late Harvest Muscat Canelli, Columbia Valley, $25 (375 ml), QPR: 5
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Merlot, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 5
2005 Alexandria Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $35, QPR: 5
2005 Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley, $40, QPR: 5
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $40, QPR: 5
2005 Gilbert Malbec, Columbia Valley, $26, QPR: 4
2004 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $35, QPR: 4
2004 Barnard Griffin Ciel du Cheval Merlot, Red Mountain, $35, QPR: 4
2003 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Private Reserve Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $40, QPR: 3
2005 Alexandria Nicole Block 17 Syrah, Horse Heaven Hills, $42, QPR: 3
2005 Fidelitas Boushey Vineyard Red Wine, Yakima Valley, $50, QPR: 2

Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Columbia Crest Two Vines Gewurztraminer, Columbia Valley, $8, QPR: 5
2005 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $13, QPR: 5
2006 Barnard Griffin Syrah, Columbia Valley, $17, QPR: 5
2005 Barnard Griffin Syrah Port, Columbia Valley, $17 (500 ml), QPR: 5
2005 Gilbert Cabernet Sauvignon, Wahluke Slope, $26, QPR: 5
2007 Gilbert Riesling, Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: 4
2006 Desert Wind Ruah (Red Blend), Wahluke Slope, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Zinfandel, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 4
2005 Goose Ridge Merlot, Columbia Valley, $27, QPR: 4
2004 Fidelitas Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 4
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2004 Goose Ridge Vireo (Red Blend), Columbia Valley, $30, QPR: 3
2005 Fidelitas Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $60, QPR: 2
2007 Barnard Griffin Reserve Viognier, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 1
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Malbec, Columbia Valley, $35, QPR: 1

Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
2006 Barnard Griffin Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley, $17, QPR: 5
2006 Barnard Griffin Fume Blanc, Columbia Valley, $9, QPR: 4
2006 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $13, QPR: 4
2007 Barnard Griffin Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $14, QPR: 4
2005 Columbia Crest H3 Merlot, Horse Heaven Hills, $15, QPR: 4
2005 Goose Ridge Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: 4
2006 Gilbert Claret, Wahluke Slope, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Alexandria Nicole Quarry Butte (Red Blend), Horse Heaven Hills, $20, QPR: 4
2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 3
2006 Desert Wind Viognier, Wahluke Slope, $15, QPR: 2
2006 Barnard Griffin Reserve Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, $17, QPR: 2
2007 Alexandria Nicole Steel Horse Sauvignon Blanc, Horse Heaven Hills, $18, QPR: 2
2005 Fidelitas Merlot, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 2
2004 Goose Ridge Syrah, Columbia Valley, $28, QPR: 2
2005 Desert Wind Syrah, Wahluke Slope, $28, QPR: 2
2007 Alexandria Nicole Shepherd’s Mark (Rhone Style White Blend), Horse Heaven Hills, $20, QPR: 1
2007 Alexandria Nicole Crawford Viognier, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: 1
2005 Barnard Griffin Reserve Barbera, Columbia Valley, $25, QPR: 1

Quality: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
2006 Gilbert Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope, $17, QPR: NR
2005 Desert Wind Bare Naked Chardonnay, Wahluke Slope, $15, QPR: NR
2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, $19, QPR: NR
2004 Barnard Griffin Vino Rosso Red Table Wine, Columbia Valley, $13, QPR: NR
2006 Barnard Griffin Merlot, Columbia Valley, $17, QPR: NR
2007 Goose Ridge Riesling, Columbia Valley, $14, QPR: NR
2006 Kamiakin Merlot, Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: NR

Quality: 2 stars (out of 5)
2007 Desert Wind Sauvignon Blanc, Wahluke Slope, $15, QPR: NR
2007 Alexandria Nicole Back Room Rose, Horse Heaven Hills, $14, QPR: NR
2007 Goose Ridge Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, $18, QPR: NR
2006 Fidelitas Semillon, Columbia Valley, $20, QPR: NR
2006 Kamiakin Red, Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: NR
2006 Kamiakin Cabernet Sauvignon, Yakima Valley, $18, QPR: NR
2005 Kamiakin Syrah, Yakima Valley, $18, QPR: NR

Quality: 1.5 stars (out of 5)
2007 Kamiakin White, Yakima Valley, $15, QPR: NR

Weekend in the Columbia Valley was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:44 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.

“…great Moscato d’Asti wines are made by Michele Chiarlo, whose ‘Nivole’ bottling is one of the best….” –Joseph Bastianich & David Lynch, Vino Italiano

Now that June has arrived and summer is upon us, you may be on the lookout for a crisp, refreshing dessert wine. It’s time to leave the heavy desserts and heavy dessert wines behind and move forward to lighter fare. Michele Chiarlo’s Nivole Moscato d’Asti hits the spot for me. It’s sweet but not too sweet and makes the perfect dessert all by itself or as an accompaniment to a light summer dessert. Alternatively, it can be enjoyed as an aperitif before dinner if you so choose.

This is a wine that I love year-round. In fact, we frequently serve it with dessert at our monthly wine tasting dinners. But it especially shines this time of year.

Made from the moscato bianco grape, this wine hails from near the town of Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy.

2007 Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato d’Asti (375 ml): A clear, bright, straw-colored semi-sparkling wine. Exhibits fresh, sweet aromas of apricots and Satsuma oranges. Lots of apricot comes through on the palate. Sweet but not sickeningly sweet. Very crisp and refreshing. The perfect dessert wine (with or without any dessert).
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Esquin (Seattle), $12.99, NapaCabs (California), $11.95

What is your favorite Moscato d’Asti wine? If you’ve never had one, what is your favorite summer dessert wine?

Nivole was originally posted on Wine Peeps on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:18 UTC. Wine Peeps - Your link to great QPR wines from Washington State and beyond.