Does the Job Perfectly: A Huckleberry of a Petite Sirah

"I will pay you for whatever you do for me."

"Then I'm your huckleberry. Who are you and what do you want to know?"

Edward Stratemeyer, True to Himself (1900)

I always wondered where the phrase "I'm your huckleberry" came from. I started wondering again when I drank my first glass of the oh-so-huckleberry 2008 The Crusher Petite Sirah, made by Don Sebastiani & Sons ($12.99, suggested retail; available in market for $12-$16)

Turns out, in early 20th-century slang, a "huckleberry" was the perfect person for a given job. If you're looking for a wine that delivers great fruit, nice acidity, and excellent complexity at an affordable price, then this wine will do the job perfectly--with excellent QPR.

The wine had a deep, rich purple color with enticing aromas of sweet huckleberry pie, herbs, and eucalyptus. Flavors of deep, smoky huckleberry and blackberry, with high notes of blueberry, make this wine juicy and fruit forward without being cloying or jammy. The spices on the finish reminded me of allspice, and the relatively low alcohol for Petite Sirah (13.5%) made this a wine that you could drink throughout dinner without regretting it the next day. All in all, a stunningly good example of the variety, especially for the price.

Pair this wine with anything you'd have with Syrah--like macaroni and cheese, pulled pork, barbecued chicken, or ribs--and drink it over the next year or so to enjoy its fresh, fruity flavors.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Freaked Out? Not So Much.

I couldn't resist the label--or the name. Give me a picture of the solar system and something that captures my uneven emotional state most days and I'm a goner.

Problem was, I wasn't all that freaked out by the wine inside.

I bought my bottle of 2006 Luna Vineyards Freakout for $12.99 from the Carpinteria Wine Company, a great little wine store on the Central Coast.

The wine inside was a perfectly decent, not terribly exciting, neutral white wine that (for that price) represents good QPR. Blended from Pinot Grigio, Ribolla Gialla, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay the resulting wine is citrusy with earthy undertones that reminded me of cooked lentils. Because of those earthy notes--which I think comes from the Ribolla Gialla, but I'm a relative novice with that variety, so take it with a grain of salt--this wine was much better with food than without. Something made with mushrooms with cream would be an ideal partner for this wine, for instance.

In the end, this wine mystified me. Luna Vineyards are terrific. I like their Pinot Grigio enormously and hey, what's not to like about Ribolla Gialla? But I just couldn't get behind this white blend. Instead of the different varieties working together to produce a whole that was greater than the sum of its part, it seemed mushy and out of focus to me.

If you're looking for an affordable, neutral white wine this one won't disappoint. If you're looking to be freaked out, look somewhere else.

I Have Seen the Future of Wine--And It's Alsace

As someone who focuses on wine values, I've always got my eye out for wine regions that produce excellent wines at affordable prices. Sometimes they're up-and-coming new wine regions. Sometimes, however, I "discover" a wine region that is steeped in tradition but which, for some reason, seems to be flying under the radar of press and consumers. In both cases I feel like I've seen a glimpse of the future, and that it's only a matter of time before more people catch on and start seeking out the region's wines.

I recently caught just such a glimpse of the future when I was invited to taste wines from the northern Alsace made under the Helfrich label. That's Frederic Helfrich to the right, who works with winemaker Benoit Pattin to craft wines that are true to the region's style and aren't manipulated to taste like wines from somewhere else.

As "discoveries" go, this qualifies as one that was just sitting under my nose. They've been growing grapes--mainly white wine grapes--in the Alsace for at least two thousand years along a stretch of French countryside between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River that has swapped allegiances a number of times. In some areas, German is spoken. In other areas, French is the native tongue. What this means is that Alsace wines blend tradition, innovation, and diversity. They also taste great, and are extremely affordable given the quality of what's produced.

I am a huge fan of Riesling and Gewürztraminer, which makes up about 40% of the grapes grown in the Alsace. Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir are also well-represented, and thrive in the region's soil and climate. The region has three AOCs (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée): Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru and Crémant d'Alsace. Well known winemakers from the region include Trimbach, Hugel & Fils, and Domaine Zind-Humbrecht.

But it's worth seeking out wines made by less familiar names. The region is home to hundreds of producers who are making wines with plenty of personality that have an attractive price tag. Helfrich's wines, for example, come in two price tiers: an entry level wine that is $14.99 (and drinks like a $30 wine) and a Grand Cru series that retails for $24.99 (while tasting like a $50 wine).

Here were a few standouts from my tasting. Alsatian wines are perfect for summer--refreshing, aromatic, and flavorful--but I can imagine many other occasions when they would be great to have on hand, such as Thanksgiving, Easter, with clam chowder in January, and with the first picnic in April to name just a few.

2007 Helfrich Riesling (AOC Alsace, $14.99; available for $9-$17). As this crisp wine opens in the glass, it reveals aromas of apple and then peach. These continue on into the flavors, where they remain barely 0ff-dry with plenty of stony, mineral notes to keep the fruit in check. Rich withough being heavy, this is one of the nicest Rieslings I've had at this price point. Excellent QPR.

2007 Helfrich Pinot Gris (AOC Alsace, $14.99; available for $9-$17) Much richer than the Riesling, this Pinot Gris has aromas and flavors of smoke, grass, and apple with a mineral inflection in the finish. It will stand up to rich, fatty foods like foie gras and lobster. Another wine with unusual complexity and personality given its price. Excellent QPR.

2005 Helfrich Gewürztraminer Grand Cru (AOC Alsace Grand Cru, $24.99; available for $14-$23) This stunning, age-worthy wine comes from the Steinklotz Vineyard. It's honey and rose aromas lead you into a wine with lychee and apple flavors and a deliciously spicy aftertaste that is true to the grape and seldom in evidence in modern Gewürztraminers. Excellent QPR on a Grand Cru wine with real style and class. (And if you get a crack at the 2008 vintage, buy it. It is very young now but it will be stunning when it settles down.)

Get to know the Alsace and its wine. They're the future.

Bodegas Montecillo's Albariño Adventure

What happens when a winemaker like Maria Martinez Sierra--known for her red wines at Bodegas Montecillo in the Rioja--turns her attention to white wine instead? Something wonderful if this bottle is any indication.

The 2006 Bodegas Montecillo Verdemar Albariño is made from grapes grown in Spain's Rías Baixas region, and it's the first vintage of the wine available in the US. I found it to be a textbook Albariño with delectable citrus, saline, and bread dough aromas. There were flavors of apple, along with more doughy and citrusy notes, and a salt spray finish. This is an excellent QPR effort from Bodegas Montecillo, with their typical attention to varietal correctness and every element in perfect balance. The suggested retail is $14, and you may be lucky enough to find this (or a later vintage) near you for around $12.

Albariño is a perfect partner for shellfish, and I'm particularly fond of it with clams. So peel yourself some shrimp, crack into a lobster, or steam some Little Necks and enjoy this zesty, summery wine with friends.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Old World/New World: Comparing 2003 Cabernets

The summer puts me within arms' reach of my wine cellar--a long windowseat in a house in the woods that that never goes above 60 degrees. (you can see the tell-all pictures here) Every wine bottle I unearth has some history attached to it--where I bought it, when, why--and it feels like greeting an old friend to see them again.

While puttering in the windowseat I found two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from the 2003 vintage that had entered my cellar the same month--December 2006. One was from France's Haut-Médoc region in the Bordeaux. The other was from California's Alexander Valley. I decided to grill some steaks and open both bottles to compare their taste and their readiness for drinking. I like experimenting with cellaring wines, and usually find that my patience is rewarded.

The first wine, the 2003 Château Cantemerle, cost me $20.99 from K & L Wines. I purchased several bottles in April 2006 as Bordeaux futures. They arrived in December 2006 and were promptly stored in my windowseat cellar. Even six years after harvest and with two and a half years of cellaring I think it might have been a bit early to open up this wine, which is made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. When I pulled the cork, there were aromas of earthy funk and leather. Over the course of the evening, plum and cassis aromas and flavors were added to the earthiness, along with some herbal notes. What I most liked about this wine was its silky texture, and the way the wine tasted like a cross between a Burgundy and Bordeaux. The wine was still awkward, though, a little like a gawky adolescent. Nevertheless, I think it represented very good QPR for Bordeaux, and will be interested to see how the other bottles develop over the next 2-4 years.

I purchased the second wine, the 2003 Chateau Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon, in December 2006 at Costco. The price was $14.99, and it's been waiting in my cellar ever since. I expected this bottle to be a bit more integrated and really hitting its stride--and it was. Alexander Valley Cabernets are (in my opinion) a bit "old world" in style, so I was ready for the initially strong aromas of cassis and bell pepper that I associate with red wines from this part of California. As time passed, however, there were more plummy and cassis aromas and flavors, accompanied by some toasty oak, and the vegetal notes faded. I liked this wine's lushness, and its cinnamon-inflected finish. All in all, I thought it was excellent QPR for the price paid and was glad that I'd let the wine sit as long as it did before opening it up. Right now the wine's compexity is evident. If you have any of this wine in your cellar, I suggest opening it up now or over the next two years.

If you've got some 2003 Cabernets in your cellar, are you drinking them yet? And if so, what are your experiences?

Pinot Bianco from the Alto Adige

This month I'm getting to know the wines of Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige region. Tucked up in the northernmost part of Italy, the wines from this part of the country are quite different from the lush southern reds and crisp seaside whites that you might be more familiar with.

My first wine was a Cabernet Franc from the southern part of the Trentino-Alto Adige. My second wine is an aromatic white from the north: the 2007 Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco from the Dolomites. ($9.39 on sale in my local grocery store; available elsewhere for $13-$17) JPK from The Italian Cellar blog recommended "anything by Alois Lageder" in the comments when I announced my regional focus for June, and all I can say is: JPK's got good taste. The wine had terrific aromas of salty, wet stone that practically screamed out for seafood. There were salty and yeasty flavors, that turned citrusy and a nicely bitter lemon pith note in the aftertaste. Excellent QPR, even if you don't find it on sale like I did.

This bright, bracing wine was excellent with this recipe for smoky citrus shrimp with parsley. The shrimp calls for chipotle powder--which I couldn't find for love nor money up here on the Sonoma Coast. So I substituted a mixture of chili powder, smoked pimenton from Spain, and cayenne and it gave a similarly smoky-spicy kick. Because we were having the shrimp with a hunk of bread and some salad, I also enriched the sauce by whisking a tablespoon of butter into it when it was finish. The wine's salty and yeasty notes were great with the shrimp and bread and the citrus in the wine and the citrus in the sauce were perfect partners, too.

Thanks to JPK for the excellent suggestion of Alois Lageder. That's a name that's going on my short list of "go-to" winemakers.

New Grape of the Month: Rkatsiteli

And no, I didn't spell it wrong.

Rkatsiteli is a new grape to me and I suspect that's true for many of you reading this post. It's the kind of grape that has us all channeling our inner wine geek and scurrying to dig out our Oxford Companion to Wine.

When you find your reference books, you'll discover that Rkatsiteli (pronounced "rkah-tsee-tely") is widely planted in eastern Europe, especially in places like Georgia, Bulgaria, and the Ukraine. In Russia, they make fortified wines (akin to Sherry) from the grape, and even turn it into brandy.

So how did it get to the Sierra Foothills, which is where the bottling I tasted came from? Rob and Marilyn Chrisman of Avanguardia Wines like relatively unknown and untrodden grapes even more than I do and have specialized in growing and making wine from them since 2004. Avanguardia grows Italian, French, Russian, and University of California crosses like Refosco, Peverella, Forestera, and Rkatsiteli. Some indication of their independent spirit can be seen in this statement from their web site: "As California wines go, our wines are somewhat atypical: we don't produce high alcohol wines, we don't like 'fruit bombs'. Only subtle oak is OK. Acidity is higher than most in order make them food friendly. Balance is everything here at Avanguardia." I've had two of their wines (so far) and they are terrific value and some of the most interesting wine I've had from my home state, so check them out if you're in need of spicing up your cellar.

The 2006 Avanguardia Cristallo I tasted recently is made with around 85% Rkatsiteli, with the remainder of the juice coming from Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Melon de Bourgogne. (available direct from the winery for $14) With nothing to compare it to in terms of varietal characteristics, I have to say that whether it is "correct" or not I really liked this wine. It smelled of fresh shucked corn--green and creamy at the same time. The palate is creamy, too, but it retains its herbal acidity and freshness, with grassy and floral notes. If you like your wines fresh and zesty, you will think this is a very good QPR pick. If you like your wines fresh, zesty AND geeky (as I do), you will think it has excellent QPR.

With your Rkatsiteli, I'd suggest some grilled fish. We had it with grilled halibut with a roasted pepper relish and some green beans with basil. The fresh, creaminess of the fish was a nice pairing for the creamy aspects of the wine, and the wine's herbaceousness accented the roasted peppers.

Calling all Rkatsiteli lovers: tell me your experiences with the grape in the comments below. Let's get a Rkatsiteli fan club going, ok?

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

An Italian White for Summery Food

I don't know what it is, but after Memorial Day it's as if a switch goes off in my head and I start craving salads, vegetables, and fish. If that sounds like you, you might be on the prowl for a summery white that will go well with greens.

Finding one is not as easy as it seems. Some Sauvignon Blancs are too grassy and actually clash with foods like lettuce, and Chardonnay can be too rich.

One of the wines I've had recently that I think would be great with summer food is the 2007 Antinori Villa Antinori Bianco (suggested retail $12; available for $10-$13) This delicious Italian white blend is made from a mix of Trebbiano, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and Pinot Grigio. It has fresh aromas of straw, citrus peel, some banana, and a saline note that reminds me of the beach. I enjoyed the refreshing, citrusy palate with its shades of richer banana and a green acidity at the core that's mouth-watering. Very good QPR.

This wine would be terrific with salad, a vegetable soup, shellfish, halibut, or even just some guacamole and chips on your back deck some lazy afternoon.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Why I Love Spanish Wine--Especially In Summer

There are many reasons I love Spanish wine any time of year. Many are made with indigenous grapes (always a plus for me). They're food friendly. They're good value. In summer, though, I add another reason to my list: they go great with grilled food.

If you'll be taking your BBQ out for its maiden voyage of the 2009 season this weekend, pick up a bottle of one of these Spanish wines to have with whatever you put on the grill.

2005 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Crianza (suggested retail, $12; available for $7-$13) Year in and year out this is my favorite entry-level Spanish Tempranillo. It will appeal to traditionalists, who want their Tempranillo to have the earthy, herbal, leathery loveliness of the grape. Aromas of leather, earth, and herbs will greet you first, with black cherry notes in the background. In the flavors, expect juicy cherries and berries, with a lovely, long aftertaste. For $12? Impossible to beat, in my opinion. Excellent QPR.

2006 Martín Códax Rioja Ergo (available $9-$15) Also made with Tempranillo, this wine walks the line between Old World restraint and New World fruit with its black cherry, mint, and chocolate aromas. Rich berry and cherry flavors have a gamey edge that will pair beautifully with steak, burgers, or lamb. Very good QPR.

2007 Tapena Grenache (suggested retail $9.99; available for $7-$12) This is a bold, fruity wine with aromas of blackberries and cherries. You'll find more sweet blackberry fruit in the flavors along with some cinnamon, all wrapped up in a softly textured package. An enjoyable wine that will go with a wide range of foods, including grilled vegetables and chicken. Very Good QPR.

Full Disclosure: I received these wines as samples.

A Genuine Bargain in Sauvignon Blanc

It's Sauvignon Blanc weather here in southern California--the kind of weather that invites cool, crisp wines and firing up the barbecue.

I like really fresh Sauvignon Blancs--including the grassy, tangy bottles from New Zealand. Sometimes, though, these can be a bit assertive and hard to handle.

If you like your Sauvignon Blancs fresh but can do without that piercing quality that can be too intense to go with your food, look for an excellent QPR bottle of the 2008 Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa's Western Cape region. It retails in most places for under $10, and has a screwcap closure so it's perfect for picnics and dining al fresco. With its aromas of gooseberry and straw and flavors of tart gooseberries and lime zest, it's a fabulously unfussy way to enjoy the grape. While its reminiscent of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, you'll find it far less grassy and a tad easier to pair with food.

What to have it with? How about a simple omelette with some goat cheese and asparagus inside? It will go beautifully with it, and you'll be in and out of the kitchen before you break a sweat.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Summery Riesling

Summery food and warmer temperatures seem to cry out for an equally summery wine.

In my book, there's nothing quite so summery as Riesling. Is it because many smell of peaches and honey? Perhaps. Is it because they pair so well with the spicy food that makes you sweat? Quite possibly. Or is it because their lower alcohol levels mean that they are refreshing? The answer, I suspect, is all three.

If you are are in the market for a Riesling as the mercury rises, the 2008 Estancia Riesling is a very good QPR from California's Central Coast. ($15 suggested retail; available online for under $15) There were summery aromas of apple, peach, and white flowers with the tiniest whiff of a mineral note. The flavors are very peachy, like biting into the ripest summer fruit, but there is plenty of acidity to keep it all in balance. The wine is off-dry, which will make it perfect for Thai, Vietnamese, or spicy Chinese food. Or chill down a bottle to go with some spicy peel and eat shrimp or some Sushi.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Stylish, Affordable Malbec

Stylish is one of those wine words that critics use in all sorts of ways. When I describe a wine as "stylish," it doesn't mean that the wine is trendy. Instead, it mean that the wine has classic flavor profiles with all the right accessories--in terms of aromas and aftertaste--to convince you that you are drinking a well-made, varietally-correct bottle. It has to have complexity, a certain charm, and of course it always helps if you can get it for a great price.

I found just such a bottle in the 2007 Diseno Malbec. (suggested retail $12.99; available for $8-$19) It had abundant aromas of blackberry, black tea, and flowers. Right away I was taken with the wine, given the complexity of the layered smells wafting by my nose. There was bright blackberry fruit in the center, with nice acidity that cried out for food and gave this wine a lot of lift. The aftertaste had deeper, darker notes of black tea, tobacco, and violet to keep it all interesting from one sip to the next. Excellent QPR.

Malbec is terrific with grilled steak and some traditional sides like baked potatoes or french fries. This would be a great wine to have on hand if you are preparing your grill for the first trial run of the summer. The wine has enough acidity to hold up to most anything you have to accompany your steak, and the rich flavors will pick up every nuance in the grilled meat.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

A Summery White for Chilling and Grilling

We had a heat wave in LA recently, with temperatures well into the 90s. It was a not-so-gentle reminder of the high temperatures to come. Do you have your summer whites on hand for the first time the mercury climbs into the stratosphere?

If not, consider picking up the 2007 Big House Wine Company Big House White. (suggested retail $9.99; available for $7-$12 throughout the country) It's a blend of Muscat Canelli, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia Bianca, Vermentino, and Muscat de Gaillo. And while some wines blended from this many grapes can be a bit mushy in the taste department and leave you wondering why they bothered to mix them all together, this blend works to produce a white wine that is perfect for chilling down and sipping on the patio while you grill up some fish or chicken. This may be the quintessential summer sipper with its aromas of peach, apricot, and blood orange lurking under a Stelvin closure. Flavors of blood orange and peach predominate, all wrapped up in a sweet and honeyed aftertaste. Even so, there's enough acidity to keep the wine lively and interesting. Excellent QPR given the wine's price and its well-balanced flavors.

This wine would be just as at home with spicy Asian food as it would be with grilled food, and it's a perfect partner for salads, too. We had ours with the cover recipe from a recent issue of Bon Appetit: a salad of grilled chicken, radish, cucumber, and tarragon pesto. I often pair tarragon with Sauvignon Blanc, but if you don't get it just right the tastes can sometimes be jarring. This wine was great with the strong flavors of the radish and tarragon, and had the right blend of softness and acidity to pair with the cucumbers and greens.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Primitivo from Puglia

This month's Italian wine focus was on Puglia, the heel of the Italian peninsula's boot.

The best known Puglian red grape variety is Primitivo, a grape that has a close relationship to Zinfandel. Both Primitivo and Zinfandel are descended from a common ancestor: the Croatian grape Crljenak. Zinfandel is identical to Crljenak, while Primitivo is a clone of Crljenak. You can find more information about the mysterious identity of Zinfandel and the genetic decoding of it by clicking here.

I used to drink a lot of Zin, but in recent years I've found them overwhelming and difficult to pair with food. So I was intrigued to see what an Italian Primitivo would be like.

The 2007 Petraio Primitivo was proof that you can make a wine with this group of grapes that comes in at around 13% alc/vol--and that it's a good thing when it does. There were faint raspberry and chalk aromas that were restrained and opened up slowly with air. These were followed by crisp blackberry fruit, some spice, and a nice acidity at the core that will make it a great pair for pasta with red sauce or pizza.

Best of all is the price. With a suggested retail of $8.50, this wine is guaranteed to please for a budget price and represents very good QPR. This is a new vintage, but expect to see it soon at stores such as Specs (where you can find the 2005 vintage). For more information on when and where it might become available near you, contact the importer, The Marchetti Company.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

A House White from Washington State

Everybody likes to have a house wine at the ready. You know, one of those wines that go with everything and please most people's tastebuds.

If you're on the lookout for a new house white, why not try one from Washington? As regular readers know, I'm trying to learn more about the wines from this part of the world, and to do so I picked up this bottle from Washington's Columbia Valley.

The 2006 Kamiak Cellar Select White Blend was a nice, soft wine made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Gewurztraminer by Gordon Brothers Winery. I purchased it in a local independent grocery store for $9.99, and it's available from other merchants for $8-$13. There were aromas and flavors of citrus and golden delicious apples, which was not surprising given the grapes that went into this bottle. The wine had a round but fresh mouthfeel, and the wine was accented in the aftertaste but a subtle hint of blood orange. For the price, this is a great contender for your next house white, and represented very good QPR.

As proof of this wine's versatility, we had it with a creamy goat cheese and asparagus pasta dish that was healthier than it sounds because no cream is used to make it. Asparagus is a notoriously finicky vegetable when it comes to wine pairing, and sometimes I find Sauvignon Blanc brings out its harsher characteristics. Not so this wine. The Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer provided just enough softness, while the Sauvignon Blanc picked out the green freshness of the vegetables and went well with the goat cheese, too.

$10 Pizza Wine Find

Yesterday I reviewed an excellent, traditional Sangiovese. If you want to try another bottle, this one priced to cost less than your next takeout pizza, I have one for you.

It's the 2007 Marchesi de' Frescobaldi Rèmole Toscana IGT, a Sangiovese with some Cabernet Sauvignon blended into it. (suggested retail $10; this is a new vintage, but previous vintages can be found for $8-$14). It has sour cherry aromas touched with green, peppery notes. These aromas can be found in the flavors, too, and there is a fruity, juicy finish touched with cedar and smoke. I can't think of a wine that would go better with a sausage pizza, or one with mushrooms and green peppers.

And for $10, it's a no-brainer. And though very different in style from yesterday's Sangiovese, this one also represents excellent QPR for its affordability and taste.

If you're looking for more wine finds that are $10 and under, it's always worth checking out the recommendations made by my friends Taster A and Taster B over at Smells Like Grape. Every Tuesday they highlight their latest $10 wine, so head over there now to see what they're sipping.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

Seaside Whites from Puglia--Drink Them Young

Today I've got the first of my Puglian wines to share with you.

I tried a white wine, the 2005 Botromagno from Gravina. I paid just over $10 for it in a local grocery store, and you can find various vintages for $7-$16. My advice to you is this: buy the youngest wine you can, from the most recent vintage. Why? Well, I don't know much about wine from Puglia but I suspected that this bottle was just a bit over the hill.

The wine is made from a blend of Greco and Malvasia grapes, and had faint aromas of almonds, minerals, and lemon all of which were echoed in the flavors. It reminded me a bit of Fino Sherry, and made me wonder if the wine wasn't oxidized just a bit. There was a bitter acidity in the aftertaste, too.

As a result it was impossible to assess QPR on this wine. My suspicion is that a 2007 bottling would be fresh, lemony, and lively--and perfect with oysters, which are very popular in Puglia. So I'll have to try to get myself another bottle of this wine and reserve QPR judgement until then.

Adding Some Zip to Your Spring Zing

Last week I encouraged everybody to get some zingy Sauvignon Blanc in the house to help you get in the mood for spring. So what about a spring red that's got some zip to go along with it?

In spring, I tend to head for reds made with traditional Spanish grapes like Tempranillo and Grenache. To me, they provide a viticultural bridge between the last of the soups/stews/casseroles and the first of the barbecues.

Of course, Spanish grape varieties are now grown all over the world. I recently had the 2006 Matchbook Tempranillo from California's Dunnigan Hills AVA (suggested retail $14.99; available for $13-$19). This wine contained mostly Tempranillo with some Petite Sirah (14%) and Graciano (9%). At first opening, the aromas were a bit hot with winey, grapey notes. This sensation blew off fairly quickly--the wine has 13.6% alc/vol, so I'm guessing it was simply a tad warm when I served it--and berry and herbaceous notes came forward. It had a marvelous set of flavors, too: tamari sauce, cherries, and chocolate. This was a flavorful, exceptionally savory wine and represented very good QPR.

We had the wine with an Escabèche of Mushrooms served over polenta. This is a vegetarian version of the traditional Spanish dish, which is known for its sharply acidic sauce. It was fantastic with the wine and accentuated the savory qualities of the wine.

Full Disclosure: I received this wine as a sample.

No, This Is Not a Joke: Malbec from the Loire

Happy April's Fool Day. Today I've got a wine that seems like a joke, but isn't. It's a Malbec from the Loire Valley of all places.

When I think Malbec I think of sunny South America, but the grapes for this wine come from one of France's cooler viticultural areas. In France, they call Malbec Côt, and it's been grown in France for centuries. To find out more about Côt, check out these articles on AbleGrape.

The 2005 Mikael Bouges Les Côts Hauts was deep purple in color and had grapey aromas and flavors. Overall, I found it rustic and a bit thin. I was expecting something green and tannic, but instead all I tasted was blue and purple.

I got this wine from Garagiste for $11.83--and I must say that I felt I paid too much for this wine. If it had been around $8, I might have felt differently, but at this price it represented poor QPR.

Of course, I bought it for the curiosity value--Malbec from the Loire? If you are interested in tasting a Côt wine, there are plenty available in the market for between $8 and $30. If you take the plunge, let me know how it turns out. I'd love to know if this Côt was typical, or if I should give Côt another try.

And if you're looking for some more April Foolery, check out The Dregs Report, a tongue-in-cheek look at the world of wine.

Zing for Spring: New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs

Now that it's officially spring, it's time to put some zing in your step--and in your wine glass, too.

If you've got a bit of the late winter doldrums, why not get yourself a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand? This always does the trick for me, and puts me in the mood for the warmer months and longer days ahead.

I've had two bottles of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc recently that I liked. Both qualify as excellent QPR, and come in at different price points. One is just under $20, and the other just under $15.

The 2008 Matua Sauvignon Blanc Lime is the more straightforward of the two, and has the lower price point. (suggested retail $13; available for $7-$19) At present, this wine is all about the lime. There is tangy lime zest in the aromas, and lime juice in the palate with fresh herbal notes coming forward as the wine is exposed to air. It's tang and refreshing--the perfect spring into summer sipper.

The 2008 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc has greater complexity and a slightly higher pricepoint--but it's still a great buy. (suggested retail $19; available for $14-23) Year in and year out this is a winner. This year, the wine has persistent, focused pink grapefruit and lime zest aromas and flavors. Herbal and mineral notes linger in your mouth after you've swallowed. This is an exceptionally flavorful wine for the price, and a great example of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

You can't go wrong with either of these wines this spring.

Full Disclosure: I received these wines as samples.