Today on Serious Grape: Wine Survival Strategy for the Holidays

As 12:01 AM today, it is officially that festive time of year known as "the holidays." It is a time of joy, of family celebrations, gift-giving, and--hysteria.

Before you hit the panic button, go out now and get yourself a mixed case of wine so that you've got bottles on hand for emergencies that include: we have nothing in the house for dinner, two people just stopped by with pumpkin bread, and extreme mall fatigue. (photo by dumbledad)

This week on Serious Grape I've got a shopping list for a mixed case of wine that will help you cope with most holiday emergencies. Head over and check it out, and if you have any other holiday entertaining survival strategies, leave them here or over there in the comments section.

There's a New Wine Store In Town: domaineLA

When one of your favorite online retailers opens up a bricks-and-mortar outfit in the town where you live, it's cause for celebration.

domaine547, which has been my regular source for unusual--and affordable--bottles of wine has opened the doors of domaineLA. On chic Melrose Avenue, in one of LA's ubiquitous strip malls, is a new wine store that offers way more than the bottles of wine you see in every other urban wine emporium.

The palate behind the store's selection is Jill Bernheimer, who has been blogging, twittering, and selling wine online for a while now. I like Jill's palate, and trust her recommendations--so much so that she's really the only person I buy sparkling wine from any more, whether its affordable Cava or splurge-worthy Champagne. And I appreciate her efforts to go beyond the normal Cabernet/Chardonnay shuffle and stock wines made from grapes like Poulsard and Assyrtico.

domaineLA is a cool space, with fantastic post-modern grape lighting, a central seating area that feels like a lounge with wine books to leaf through, and a running strip of chalkboard where Jill posts messages and recommendations. There's even a computer in the corner where you can check out wine ratings ("if you must," Jill says).

I bought a case of wine while I was there. As always, I appreciated the time and the good advice that Jill gave me based on what I was looking for and what she knew I'd liked previously. This is the kind of relationship that everyone hopes they can have with a retailer--and all I can say is it really makes a difference.

So what did I buy? I indulged in a 2005 Stéphane Tissot Poulsard Arbois Sans Soufre ($26), a and a N.V. Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Cuvée St. Anne ($45). I got great deals on a 2008 Trajarinho Vinho Verde from the "Wall of Affordable Delicousness" ($9.99), the 2008 Masia del Bielsa Garnacha Campo de Borja Viñas Viejas ($10), and the Charles Syrah Volume II Talcott Vineyard ($10). And I walked on the wild side with a 2008 Mercouri Estate Kallisto ($19.99), a dry 2007 Viñedos de Ithaca Priorat Odysseus Pedro Ximénez ($20), and the 2008 Ludwig Winery Gewürztraminer Dry Single Vineyard Selection ($13.50). Anybody out there had a dry PX before? Me neither!

If you are in LA, check out this great new store. It's worth the trip to replenish your stash of exciting, drinkable wines.

domaineLA is located at 6801 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038 (323) 932-0280

This Week on Serious Grape: "Grape School"

This week on Serious Grape, my regular column on Serious Eats, I've caught the back to school bug. (photo of the Scotland Street School in Glasgow by alexliivet--and is that a dunce cap in the front of the room?!)

My idea? Grape School. While your kids and neighbors kids are learning reading, writing, and arithmetic, why not learn about some new grapes? Why should kids have all the fun?

I've put together a list of twelve grape varieties that you may not be familiar with to take to your favorite wine store. Have them put together a mixed case so that you can have an interesting wine experience whenever the mood takes you this fall. Regular GWU$20 readers might want to look at the "extra credit" grape pick--it's one of my favorites, and it might become one of yours, as well.

So head over to Serious Eats and check it out. And as ever, if you have particular wines to recommend, please do so in the comments.

Is Your Wine Buying Out of Whack?

I drink more white wine than red. I eat more fish than meat, more Asian cuisine than any other kind, and while I know it's perfectly fine to drink red wine with fish, I don't like the combination. And boy do we eat a lot of chicken. (picture of a wine store in Paris, taken this summer by yours truly)

Not surprisingly (given the chicken) I have a fair amount of Pinot Noir, Syrah, and red Rhone blends in the house--all of which I think taste great with bird.

But I've been organizing my wine, and I'm struck by how much Cabernet and Bordeaux blends I have. And when I get emails, I am always tempted to buy more. It's like a sickness. And I wonder why, because some of my favorite whites (Riesling, Chenin Blanc) age well.

Do your wine buying habits reflect your drinking habits? It's easy for your wine buying to get out of whack. The offers come to your mail box, you see a wine on the shelves and sometimes you don't stop to think "do I need this wine, or do I already have 27 bottles just like it--with no plans to drink them anytime soon?"

When was the last time you took stock of what you enjoy drinking, what you buy, and what you have on hand in your cellar? And do you have any tips to share on keeping your wine buying in line with your wine drinking?

This Week on Serious Grape: A Mixed Case to Welcome Spring

Spring has sprung. Why not head out to the wine store and pick yourself up a mixed case of affordable treats that will see you through all the season's culinary adventures? (photo by jesiehart)

I've got a shopping list for you over on Serious Grape, my weekly column on Serious Eats. There are whites and reds just perfect for sipping in the garden, firing up the grill, warming yourself up when it rains, and more.

And if I've left your favorite spring wine off my list, leave a comment here or in the comments over there.

Finding Wine Values on Park Avenue

You probably don't think of "value" and "Park Avenue" in the same breath. (image from Sherry-Lehmann)

When I walked into Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits recently, I wasn't sure if there would be much on the shelves that would be interesting and affordable, given its swishy location and upscale feeling.

Instead, I had a terrific time shopping for some seriously good value wine in one of Manhattan's best neighborhoods. The service and the selection were outstanding, as well.

Sherry-Lehmann, for those of you who don't know it, looks and feels like an exclusive wine boutique. There is warm wood paneling, tasteful displays of wine, and a bevvy of knowledgeable sales assistants to answer questions and help pull your order together. Instead of being intimidating, however, the store feels warm and welcoming--as if you've wandered into a wine library full of people who want you to find the perfect bottle for your needs. If your needs run to $3000 Armagnac, they have that. If, like me, your needs run to a wide variety of under $20 treats, they have that, too.

In California, we don't always have the best selection of French regional wines at affordable prices so I made a beeline for those displays and quickly got lost browsing among the options. The store was crowded, but a member of the sales staff approached and asked if I needed help. I took them up on the offer. I was looking for all kinds of things--wine to go with Chinese takeout, sparkling wine, and affordable bottles of red and white wines for a big party--and we had dinner reservations. I could have spent all day there, but instead my friend and I who were selecting the wine went for a more efficient approach.

The staff member grasped what we were looking for immediately after I squealed at seeing the 2006 Chateau Pesquie Cotes-du-Ventoux Cuvee des Terrasses for $12.95 a bottle. After putting four bottles on the order, she suggested a 2007 Sauvion Quincy "Les Glaneuses" ($14.95) for the party white that would go with the Ch. Pesquie. We also left with a bottle of 2007 Duboeuf Moulin-a-Vent Gamay ($13.95) and a 2006 Trimbach Gewurztraminer ($18.95) for the Chinese takeout. And for toasting? After discussing the pros and cons of various options we happily purchased several bottles of Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgone Rose Perle d'Aurore ($13.95). As a special treat I snagged a bottle of 2005 J. L. Chave St.-Joseph "Offerus" ($23.95).

This staggeringly good selection of affordable wine was purchased after 7 pm on December 30--and I wanted it delivered the next day. That's right. New Year's Eve. Manhattan. All in less than 18 hours. The wine arrived, safely and on time, just as Sherry-Lehmann promised.

In the end, I had to conclude that there is wine shopping and then there is Sherry-Lehmann. It was the most fun I've had buying wine in a long, long time--and it was a total delight to have a person helping me who really knew what she was doing and didn't try to sell me a single inappropriate or overly expensive bottle of wine.

There's just one problem. Sherry-Lehmann is in NYC and I'm on the other side of the country.

Any chance you'd open a branch in LA?

Today on Serious Grape: A Holiday Mixed Case

Buried in to-do lists?

Have you vowed never again to brave the mall/ supermarket/ shopping district until after the holidays? (photo by tomsaint11)

Today on Serious Grape, my weekly column on the fantastic food site Serious Eats, I try to make your life a little bit easier by providing you with a shopping list for a holiday mixed case of wine that should help you avoid those aggravating, last minute trips to the wine store.

Last minute wine purchases almost never work out as well as those that are planned in advance. And, the craziness out there is only going to increase. So take a moment this weekend and head to your favorite local or online wine store and order a mixed case while the selection is still good, and the sales team isn't too harassed.

Check out my suggestions, and be sure to leave some of your own either here or over there to help your fellow wine enthusiasts. What are your holiday go-to bottles?

"Market Corrections" and Fine Wine

After months of booming business in the fine wine trade, it looks like the wine markets are beginning to feel the effects of the world-wide financial crisis. (photo "at auction" by kflaim)

In late September, two of England's oldest and most distinguished fine wine operations--Berry Brothers and Rudd and Christie's--reported that they were on track to report record profits. The reason why was in part linked to high-rollers and investors looking for alternative places to park their assets to ride out the ups and downs of the stock markets. Christie's sold almost $3,000,000 in Burgundy and old Claret at auction in the space of a few days during this fall. That's a lot of fine wine.

Yesterday, however, Reuters reported that over recent weeks the prices of fine wines have been plunging. Many coveted labels saw 10-20% decreases, and wines that had been the darlings of Russian and Chinese investors were hardest hit.

What does this mean for GWU$20 drinkers? I think we might see these "market corrections" filtering down into wine stores near us in the next six months. Nothing will change immediately, but as the days go by and consumers continue to worry about their finances, demand for the pricier wines is going to soften and merchants are going to find themselves with stock on the shelves that they want to move. I'd keep my eyes out for $50+ wines dropping the most, with smaller decreases in the $20-$50 wines and very little difference in price among the wines you and I drink most.

However, if you've had your eye on some more expensive bottlings, you might be able to get good deals on them in 2009. Isn't it a good thing that you don't pay too much for wine in the normal course of things? You may actually be able to afford a little splurge come spring.

Today on Serious Grape: Wines for Halloween

It's that time of year--when the ghosts, goblins, witches, and vampires come out to play. But why should the kids have all the fun?

This week on Serious Grape, my weekly column on the food site Serious Eats, I suggest six wines that will set the right mood for whatever grown-up fun you've got planned.

All six wines taste great, and represent great value. The most important thing, though, is that all six of the wines come complete with Halloween costumes, as the labels above indicate.

From the Beaujolais to Calaveras County, from the Rhone to Lodi, and from the hills of California to the mountains of Oregon, I've got a Halloween wine that you'll want to drink and serve. Click on over and check my recommendations, and if I've missed a Halloween-appropriate label be sure to leave your suggestions in the comments.

Support Your Favorite Independent Wine Retailers--TODAY

Times are tough. We're all struggling to make it, and to save a few dollars here and there. You may be spending less on wine, or buying less wine altogether. You may be buying more wine in grocery stores and box stores. (photo by iwona_kellie)

Don't forget your local wine store during these tough times.

It can be easy to do. You decide to shop the sale at BevMo. Just this once.

But now more than ever we need to support the independent retailers--both locally and online--who have brought us so much great wine and given us so much good advice over the past months. These small business owners are hurting now, too, and your purchase today can help to make sure that they're still there to shop from when the markets rebound and you're looking for a great bottle of wine from the Loire. Just try finding that at the supermarket.

Jancis Robinson's recent article reminded me how much I depend on independent retailers--like Chronicle Wine Cellar, domaine547, Mission Wines, and the Walla Walla Wine Woman--to share their knowledge and expertise with me and to guide me towards the wine that I want to drink.

Times are tough. But living without independent wine retailers will be even tougher. This weekend, buy a bottle of wine from someone who has given you great service in the past, and help ensure that they're still there in the future. Otherwise, we're looking at a bleak picture filled with chain wines and chain stores.

Do what you can to fight for your wine independence. Support your local independent retailers--TODAY.

Today on Serious Grape: Back to the Barrels?

Today over at Serious Grape, my weekly column on Serious Eats, I've been inspired to think about wine and the environment by fellow wine blogger and author Tyler Colman of Dr. Vino. (photo by brewrat)

I find myself much more sensitive to wine's environmental impact these days because of Colman's work. As a historian I am intrigued that we've been thinking about boxes and other new forms of packaging that might leave less of a carbon footprint than wine bottles when it comes to shipping--but we haven't been thinking as much about the very old-fashioned alternative of buying wines straight from the barrel.

I buy all kinds of things from big, bulk containers in Whole Foods that I would never imagined I would buy this way ten years ago. I can even make jam and take it home in a plastic container if I'm really serious about lowering my carbon foot print!

Why not wine?

Of course, there are probably laws standing between me and taking a clean jug to Whole Foods to be filled with red table wine. But they can be changed. What do you think? Head over and join in the discussion. If you could, would you buy wine from the barrel? If not, why not?

Today on Serious Grape: Wine Survival for Early Fall

It's crazy time.

Back to school. Back to work after summer vacations. Back to clothes with waistbands and shirts with buttons. (picture by Avolore)

Today on Serious Grape, the wine column I write for the fantastic food site Serious Eats, I've got a wine survival guide to get you over the late summer blues and through the early fall crazies.

It includes my shopping list for a mixed case of wine so you will always have the right bottle to try with your takeout, put on your table when entertaining, and pair with all your transitional meals. Rather than running to the store every time you need some wine, this will give you that comfortable feeling that you're ready for any eventuality. A mixed case is kind of the wine equivalent of restocking all your pens, paperclips, and computer supplies. Check it out and see what you think.

Most importantly, remember to ask your wine merchant for a mixed case discount. It's a typical courtesy that many of us don't take advantage of, but if there's a time to take every discount coming to you, it's now.

Wine Finders and Keepers: Adegga

A number of new wine finder and cellar management programs have been unveiled that help consumers find wines that they might like, assist them in locating retailers who stock the wine, and then keep track of the wine you have and what you thought of it when you tasted it. I'll be reviewing some of these sites in the upcoming weeks. If you have suggestions for sites I should take a look at, please let me know in the comments below. (image by Mike "Dakinewavamo" Kline)

Maybe you have a relatively small stash of wine and are thinking of keeping track of it. Maybe you have been keeping tasting notes on slips of paper and you would like to have a more permanent record. Maybe you like reading wine blogs like Catavino and you'd like a way to link up your favorite blogs with the wines that you buy. If any of these possible scenarios describe you, then you might want to check out Adegga.

Adegga is self-described as a "Social Wine Discovery" site. The goal is to help you find wine you might like based on what others are drinking, rating, and writing about. The discovery process revolves around "watchlists" of people, wine producers, wines, wine shops, and blogs that you enjoy. Once you've put a person, place, or thing on your watchlist, your homepage automatically notifies you about new purchases, posts, and offers related to your wine interests. The site is colorful and intuitive, with a smart use of graphics to help you navigate. Nearly everything you click on brings up a new screen with new features, and its very easy to figure out the basics of how to work the site. If you click on the screenshot here, for example, you will get a sense of the many different kinds of information--blog posts, ratings, and more--that come up for each wine.

Adegga is a free site, and signing up for it only takes a few minutes. At the present time, the majority of data entered into Adegga is related to Spanish and Portuguese wine, so if you typically drink American wines you may find yourself entering a lot of information. Fewer than 100 wines on the site are from the US but every time someone else joins the site and starts entering their information the database will grow and develop. And it only takes about 2 minutes to enter wine information with a combination of typing and pull-down menus. (this is a good activity to do in front of summer reruns)

As with any of the online cellar/wine finder tools, there are small glitches and things that you wish worked a different way. Because I'm a variety hound, for instance, I wish I didn't have to go to a second screen and enter grapes for a wine after entering all the other information. Right now it's not possible for me to link a wine that I want to buy with a store in my area that might carry it, which would be nice. And sometimes the autofill function can trip you up and enter a wine name that you never intended. But these are pretty minor tics in an otherwise smooth program, and I've found Adegga quite responsive when I've made a mistake entering a wine and need something fixed.

There are sites out there with more data and with more users, but this site is the one that has the most integrated approach to the question of "how do I find the name of a good wine that I might like?" The Adegga team (André Ribeirinho, André Cid, Emidio Santos, and Bruno Pedro) should be congratulated for thinking how all the pieces of the social media puzzle might fit together in the service of locating a good bottle. Perhaps their success is related to the fact that they are active participants in this brave new world, and keep a blog as well as a presence on Twitter. If you are twittering like mad, have a Facebook account, and enjoy text messaging I think you'll like Adegga, so head over there and check out the site's features. There's no "one site fits all" cellar management program on the internet. You need to figure out what's important to you. Once you do, you will be able to find a program that fits you to a tee--and it just might be Adegga.

Wine Shopping in San Francisco, Italian Style

I'm warning you right now that you may feel a little shlubby if you wander into the chic wine store Biondivino in San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhod wearing worn-out yoga pants and a sweatshirt. I was wearing one of my more presentable vacation-type outfits, which is not saying much admittedly, and I still felt underdressed. Biondivino is staffed by young, good looking, and hip people who can climb ladders and pull wine off of vertical displays gracefully. This does not precisely describe me, so I kept pulling at my shirt tails and hoping that no one noticed that I was solely responsible for raising the average age of people in the store by about a decade. (photo of the store's owner, Ceri, doing the death defying ladder crawl at Biondivino, courtesy of Yelp!)

The reason to go to Biondivino is not to feel dumpy or old, however. The reason to go is this: they have an astonishing range of affordable Italian wines for sale. What's more, handy little bright orange tags on the bottles indicate (even if the bottles are way up there and you are way down on the floor) that the wine is under $20.

Because of the layout, the store is not a browsing kind of store. It's not that browsing is prohibited--they were happy to let me stroll around--it's just that you can't just pick up and put down bottles on your own and read the back of labels given that some of them are accessible only by the aforementioned ladder. Instead, you are dependent upon the sales staff to help you out, which might frustrate you if you are used to anonymity in the wine shop. The good news on this front is that the staff knows what they're talking about. I waltzed in and started asking for Sardinian reds and roses from Abruzzo, and (!) a white wine from Basilicata and there was nothing that the store didn't have and the staff knew where it all was, too. At Biondivino they arrange the wines from the north of Italy to the south on vertical shelves, so as long as you (or they) know the geography you can head for more or less the right part of the display. I kept insisting that maybe the Pecorino I reviewed yesterday was actually from Le Marche, and they just shook their heads, smiled, and said firmly that it really was from Abruzzo. (Once I got the bottle in my hands and checked the back label I had to admit they were right.)

You can find a regional list of their offerings here and see for yourself what an excellent assortment of Italian bottles they have. I can't get the search function to work on their website, so you have to browse this list for a sense of what the store carries. They are happy to special order wine for you, and the day I visited the shop a special party was being arranged for some customers--so it's definitely a full-service wine store. They even do private tasting events for 10-15 people at their big, central table. If you are in San Francisco and looking for a fun idea for a birthday, anniversary, or even a "just for the hell of it" event, this might be a good option for you.

Biondivino is located at 1415 Green Street at the intersection of Green and Polk--aka the food and wine danger zone. If you're out and about in the Russian Hill neighborhood one day, stop in and see what Ceri's got in stock. I would have no hesitation in contacting her with any Italian wine questions you might have, and inquire about whether she can ship to you if you aren't in the area. I saw wines in that small store that I have not seen anywhere else, and I've not had a bad bottle yet from the small stash I purchased.

Wine & Spirits Hot Picks Next Week

Just a reminder that next Thursday (May 22) Wine & Spirits magazine is coming to town with their Hot Picks event, to be held from 7-10 pm in the chic MODAA gallery in Culver City. You can click on the logo to the left for more information and to purchase a ticket online.

For $75 you get a year's subscription to the magazine as well as the chance to taste some great wines selected for their excellent taste and great value--which is bound to appeal to a GWU$20 reader. These wine picks are highlighted in the June issue of Wine & Spirits, which features the 100 top values in wine and goes on sale the same day.

You will also get a chance to talk with some of LA's up-and-coming wine professionals, and mingle with local retailers (like Jill from domaine547, one of the event's partners). I'll be there, too, so if you recognize me come up and introduce yourself.

$5 of every ticket purchased goes to benefit Surfrider's efforts at water conservation and preservation.

Great wine, a worthy cause, and the inside track on some wallet-friendly options for your next shopping trip--all for $75. See you at the MODAA Gallery next Thursday night.

Vintage 1906: Buying Wine In Los Angeles

I spend lots of time in libraries and archives. I thought it might be fun to share some of the information I pick up about wine history along the way.

Imagine yourself in Los Angeles in 1906. The streets would have looked like the one to your left, with an electric tram, horses and carriages still on the streets, colorful awnings,and low-slung brick buildings. (Los Angeles street scene from 1906, courtesy of the LA Public Library and LA Fire Department Engine Co. No. 3)

While walking along, readers of this blog would be scanning the stores for wine. Where could you have purchased it in 1906? One option would have been the Crescent Wine Company, established in 1890 and still serving up wine and spirits, as well as olive oil and bottled water, to Los Angeles residents after the turn of the century. Located downtown on West Seventh Street, the company's motto was "Quality like Truth commends itself." Their 1906 price list proudly stated: “We do not keep nor offer for sale any imitation goods, or goods bearing counterfeit labels, and every article in this list is of irreproachable quality and even the cheapest goods quoted are choice.” Truth in advertising--and labeling--was an issue back then, just as it is now.

What the Crescent Wine Company meant by that statement, however, would not pass muster today. They sold California wines in bulk under the categories of Claret (both "Table" Claret and "Old" Claret) and Zinfandel, but also advertised California Burgundy, California Hock, California Riesling, and California Sauternes. The price? Well that ranged from 50 cents to $1.50--a gallon. You could get your Claret in a quart bottle for an extra 10 cents, and when you brought the bottles back for a refill you got a 3 cent credit. Recycling, 1906 style.

Name-brand, bottled wines were also available, including Italian-Swiss Colony Tipo Chianti; Inglenook Sparkling Moselle, Burgundy, and (eek!) Sparkling Sauternes; Cresta Blanca sparkling wines; Paul Masson; and Champagne from Coste-Follcher, Mumm's, Veuve Clicquot, and Moet & Chandon. And, for those of you reading this from the east coast, the Crescent Wine Company also sold bottles of wine produced in your neck of the woods, including Virginia Dare wine (65 cents a bottle) and Concord Port. (image from bottlebooks.com)

Those of you who know about the 19th and early 20th century may also know that medicinal "tonics" (most of which were laced with opium, cocaine, and other potent substances) were hugely popular. Crescent Wine Company sold its own medicinal tonic, called "Tone-up Port." They described it as a "perfect, all the year around tonic and nutritive for restoring debilitated conditions. A perfect food and tonic combined. As an appetizer it has no equal; invigorates and tones up the whole system; makes rich, red blood, and is especially recommended for building up “run-down” constitutions." What was in the bottle was a carefully-guarded secret, but they offered free local shipping on 6 large bottles (which cost you $4).

Finally, the cocktail was coming into its own around 1906, and mixed drinks were all the rage. Not to be left out of the fun, the Crescent Wine Company included a number of "wine cocktail" recipes in their 1906 price list. My favorite--and a perfect follow-up to Wine Blogging Wednesday #45's Riesling theme--was this recipe for Rhine Wine Lemonade:

"Use large bar glass; 1 tablespoon sugar, juice of 1 orange, ½ glass of ice; fill up with Rhine wine. Stir well, add slice or orange with straws, and serve."

Coming in a close second was the California Wine Cobbler:

"A large bar glass half full of ice; ½ tablespoonful of sugar, juice of 1 orange, 1 wine glass California wine. Stir well, fill up with ice, dash with claret, dress with fruit, serve with a straw."

There was something strangely familiar about this price list, and it reminded me of surfing the web and browsing wine selections at local stores like domaine547 and Wally's, reading their advice about how to serve wine, and dreaming of making a big purchase. Despite the ways in which the experience was quite different from today, what I was most struck by were the ways in which buying wine from Crescent Wine Company seemed strangely modern with its recycled containers and free shipping offers. It made me think that someone from 1906 would be at home in our world of e-commerce and be delighted to shop for wine from the comfort of their own living room in 2008. It's fun to be able to imagine what it would have been like to buy wine in Los Angeles more than a century ago--although I'm not sure the Sparkling Sauternes would have made it into my cart.

Tax Windfall? Go Wine Shopping

I was in the first wave of tax payers to get a tax rebate this year, although I'm sure Uncle Sam would prefer you to use the phrase "economic stimulus payment." Why? Because the government wants you to spend your check--not use it for savings or to pay off credit cards (which is what I'm going to do). (image from klewtv.com)

So if you're a wine lover, what should you do? If you are looking to help out the economy by spending your check in the wonderful world of retail, here are some ways to do so while feeding your wine habit, too.

If your rebate is $600, then why not buy yourself a 30-50 bottle wine fridge? These are great for kitchens, small apartments, and small wine collections. Yes, you will fill it all too soon, but with warm weather on the way this would be a nice little treat for you and your wine. Drinking cellar temperature reds in summer is one of life's great pleasures, since the wines warm up slowly in the heat.

If your rebate is $500, then why not invest in some 2005 Bordeaux including some Sauternes, and plan to open them in the next 5-10 years? I'd look for bottles that cost between $25 and $50 and buy 6 bottles of red and 6 bottles of Sauternes. These are likely to increase in value (although, like any investment there's no guarantees), so take care of them and store them carefully.

If your rebate is $400, consider joining a wine club and pay in advance for the whole year. If you love Pinot Noir, Pinotage, and Chardonnay, take a look at the Fort Ross Vineyard Collector Club which sends you 3 bottles 4 times a year, with shipments varying from $80-$110 plus shipping and taxes. If you love Rhone varieties, then maybe the Tablas Creek Vinsiders is for you, with 2 shipments of 6 bottles a year, for $150-$190 per shipment plus shipping and taxes. If you like wines with a sense of adventure, join the Twisted Few, Twisted Oak's wine club. They send you 2 bottles every other month, and mix them up with whites and reds and whatever else the gang feels like putting in there. All of these club memberships come with discounts on wine and shipping throughout the year, so you will not only get a great selection of wine over the year, you'll have a chance to rebuy at a lower price when you discover a new favorite.

If your rebate is $300, why not buy a small thermo-electric counter-top wine fridge and a few bottles of white and red to put into it? You can find these little units on sale for under $150, which leaves you with another $150 to buy some reds or whites to put into it. One blogger, Monkuwino of One Wine Per Week, scored an Emerson unit that holds 8 bottles last year for $59. Looking for tips on which wines to cellar? Food and Wine Magazine had a great list of suggested wines in January, including 2004 Ribero del Duero wines (cellar 3-10 years), 2005 Grand Cru Chablis (cellar 7-10 years), and 2004 Barolo (cellar for 15 years and more).

When you get a windfall, it's nice to get something that you'll not only enjoy now, but enjoy throughout the next 12 months. If you pick one of these options, you will be investing in your wine enjoyment in the short and long term, and giving a little boost to the economy as well.

Or you can do the really prudent thing: pay off your wine bills from last month that are still sitting on your credit card!

Taking the "Where?" Out of Buying Washington Wine

Does anyone else remember WBW #34? It was hosted by Catie, the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman and we were asked to find a Washington Cabernet to drink for the event. As a special request, Catie suggested we try to find something NOT made by Chateau Ste. Michelle--a great producer, to be sure, but she wanted us to experience a wider range of Washington State choices.

I went to four stores, came up empty, and ended up drinking Chateau Ste. Michelle. I'm all for Washington wines, but where are you supposed to find them in Southern California?

The Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman wants you to drink Washington wine. And to help you, she's opened up her own online wine store with a terrific choice of bottles to tempt your tastebuds. I had my first shopping experience with her just a few weeks ago, and though I haven't tried any of the wines yet, I wanted to urge you to go and see what Catie has on her virtual shelves.

I checked out with some Lemberger from College Cellars, an Austrian grape variety that is widely planted in Washington state. Also in my basket were a Sauvignon Blanc with a great story behind it from Couvillion, and a dessert wine from Forgeron made with Gewurztraminer. I bought six bottles in all (full haul pictured at left), and the best part was not a single bottle cost more than $20. For those of you who are interested in a splurge wine, I'd suggest you consider one of the great Washington Cabernets that Catie has in stock, from wineries such as Couvillion, DaMa, and Garrison Creek. Click here for details on all the wines that are available. If you spend more than $100, you will get a free Wild Walla Walla Woman corkscrew made by Rialto. I love mine--it's sturdy enough that I seriously considered using it for a small home improvement project, and it is compact enough to pack in your picnic basket this summer.

Thanks to Catie for providing those of us who don't live in Washington state with such a great resource for its wines. I'll be updating you on these bottles after they've settled down a bit from their shipping over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

What's Your Wine Worth?

I don't buy wine as an investment, though some people do. Still, it's fascinating to know what your wine is worth and how much (if at all) it's going up in value. (terrific photo by Tonx)

Thanks to CellarTracker's built-in cellar value feature, and their tie-in with the wine auction site WineBid.com, I've been watching my wine values for the last few months and recently noticed that my cellar value was going up. I knew I was still spending well under $20 a bottle for most of my wine. So I wondered what was going on and looked further into the depths of my small cellar for more information.

Turns out that Bordeaux really does go up in value. My 2003 Chateau La Vieille Cure purchased at Costco last June has crept up in value from $21 to $35. So, too, do some Italian and Australian reds. A 2001 Stefano Farina Barolo I bought for $28 in December 2006 is now worth $40, for example. And, I bought a 2005 d'Arenberg Laughing Magpie Shiraz-Viognier about a year ago for $19--and it's now worth $34.

In my cellar, it also turns out that the more you spend on wine in the first place the more likely it is to increase in value. I bought a 750ml 2003 Chateau Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes from BevMo for $45 back in October of 2006. It's now worth around $75, according to WineBid.com's quarterly average price. This is the most expensive bottle of wine I've ever bought. It's now the 2nd most valuable bottle I've got in my cellar--the bottle that beat it was a gift.

Do you know what your wine's worth? Even if you're not an investor, and even if you spend relatively little on your wine in the first place you may be surprised. But remember: a wine's value is relative to its condition, so think about storage conditions. And always consult a professional if you are making serious wine investments.

Three Spring Party Whites

It's spring. The clocks have been set forward, the days are longer, and we're looking at a new season of family meals, christenings, graduations, birthdays, and showers. Not the spring kind, either. The wedding kind. (photo by Gregor Rohrig)

You may be in the position of hosting such an event. What to serve in the wine department? Not a red, with the increasing temperatures and the fresh vegetables that crop up on most party tables this kind of year.

What you need is easy, quaffable whites. But you don't want factory-style whites--you want something a bit more distinctive. And you don't want to spend a king's ransom on the wines, either, especially not if you are hosting more than 50.

So here are three recommended whites, all of which go with a different kind of spring food, and all of which can be had for around $10. Some a bit more, some a bit less. All are delicious, and were just tested out on 75 guinea pigs--I mean guests.
If you are serving roast chicken, pasta with a creamy sauce, or varied cheeses: Get yourself some 2006 Razor's Edge Chardonnay. I got mine from domaine547 (my new party wine headquarters) for $9.99/bottle, but I cleaned them out of the stuff, so you may have to elsewhere for yours. This is an unoaked chardonnay that has a zesty yet creamy set of flavors and aromas that will be a nice pairing for the food you are serving. There are smooth apple aromas, a nice apple and honeydew melon set of flavors, and a freshness that keeps you coming back for more. Good chilled, but because it's not oaked it's not horrible when it warms up a bit (as it's bound to do during your party). Excellent QPR.

If you are serving asparagus frittata, goat cheese, or vegetarian dishes: Get yourself some 2006 Cameron Hughes Lot 26 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for $11. This was released last apring, and I've already given it a thumbs-up, but I had a bottle this week and its every bit as fresh and delicious as it was 9 months ago. Check out the full review here, and pick some up at your local Costco or directly from Cameron Hughes. The zingy herbal profile of the wine is made for salads, it sings with goat cheese, and it is just fine with one of the world's most-difficult-to-eat-with wine vegetables: asparagus. Excellent QPR.

If you are serving mixed appetizers and dishes: The wine for you is the 2006 Zonin Pinot Grigio Amore. I received this wine as a sample, but you should be able to find it in a store near you for around $8. This is a simple, straightforward, classic Pinot Grigio, which is seems has become the default wine option in bars and restaurants all over America. It has abundant bitter lemon aromas, and a citrusy flavor with a pithy edge that keeps the wine fresh and interesting. This is not a wine to have with a burger, but it will certainly shine with anything in the appetizer department, and the price is right to keep you (and your guests) happy. Very good QPR.

If none of these sound right, or you just want some help picking the perfect wine for your special occasion, ask your favorite wine merchant for some suggestions that fit within your budget. In the past, I've gone to BevMo and done my best, but a lot of stress was taken off my shoulders this year when I simply asked domaine547 for their recommendations. The wine they suggested was terrific--and we ran out. Is there a better endorsement?

Good luck with your spring parties and if you know there's one in your future get the wine you want NOW. It will be one less thing to worry about.