National Drink Wine Day - February 18, 2012

I guess I haven’t been keeping up with the Jones’ but I was just told February 18, 2012 is National Drink Wine Day.  What a great excuse to enjoy some vino.  Open a bottle of your standard stuff or even a new find.

The list of benefits for drinking wine is growing. A glass of wine a day has been shown to improve heart health, reduce forgetfulness, help you lose weight, boost your immunity, and help prevent bone loss.  Yikes, it almost sounds like a magical cure for all things bad.

Wine has been made for thousands of years and the making of it has been refined over the years.  European wine making dates back more than 6,000 years.  There are over 20 million acres in the world dedicated to growing grapes for the sole purpose of making wine.

To celebrate National Drink Wine Day, visit your local wineries, bars, restaurants and liquor stores.  Why not create an excuse to host a wine tasting party?  Either way, go enjoy some wine in whatever way you like.  

As my Italian mother would say, Cin-Cin!

Sebastiani Merlot '07 $9 (on sale)

Sonoma County, CA

I really haven't had a desire to pickup a Merlot lately and I have no good reason why. As some of you may remember the movie, Sideways and how it really hurt Merlot sales years ago...we should all be over that I hope. I guess I just think of the wine as being overly fruity and I must admit its not...at least not this one.

At first pour a musty kind of barnyard scent came at me. I almost turned away but it just needed 5-10 minutes in the glass to open up. A black pepper spice blended with ripe currants, toasted oak and a hint of fallen leaves made for a nice rounded aroma.

Flavors were full of ripe dark fruit, plums and a subtle spice. Medium tannins with traces of cocoa completed the finish. After an hour of tasting, the wine really opened up more to show a very smooth, medium body. The tannins softened along with the black pepper spice to really appreciate this wine. Very nice!

Borsao Crianza Seleccion '07 $12

Campo de Borja, Spain

As stated in text message language...OMG! This was an incredibly delicious, smooth drinking wine with character. Beginning with aromas of crushed dark cherries, hints of warm toasted wood and finishing with a subtle touch of vanilla, I was ready to jump into tasting this. Patience, I know isn't my best trait.

The flavors on this blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Tempranillo and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon brought on dark cherries, as found in the nose, along with a creamy vanilla. Traces of plum and cocoa on the finish support the smooth tannins. The oak, on the finish is just enough to not be over powering. Aged in 50/50 French and American oak for 10 months, then 14 months in the bottle goes to show great care in producing a nice wine.

I'd like to give a big thanks to Andres at The Wine Barn for introducing me to this wine. I'm on my way to buy more before it's out.

Francois Lurton Hacienda Aravcano, "Clos de Lolol" '07 $20

Colchagua Valley, Chille

First off, this was an amazing wine!  I wasn't sure what to expect however I'm always a fan of red blends.  I think it's just finding the right balance and grape varietals to marry together.  Something all of us can thank a good wine maker for doing.  With a blend of Syrah 36%, Cab Franc 33% and Carmenere 31% it's pretty much equal for all 3.


Taking the blend aside, this will be a bottle I buy more of.  The aromas were filled with blueberries, ripe plums, hints of cracked pepper corns and toasted cedar.  Warm flavors of crushed blackberries, plums and hints of mocha made for a wonderful mouth feel.  Medium body, soft tannins and a slightly dry yet clean finish gave this wine high rankings for me.


The wine is aged in French oak for 18 months which is another reason I believe it has such a great combination of pleasing aromas and flavor.  I served it with an Ancho Chille & Brown Sugar rubbed pork tenderloin.  Seared and finished in the oven for a perfect match with this wine.

Cruz Alta, Malbec '10 $13

Mendoza, Argentina

Crushed dark cherries, plum, subtle oak and what some might call a barnyard aroma all blended together to give this wine an interesting start. I wouldn't get too concerned on the barnyard thing as being anything disgusting. This is mostly to describe a wine that is young and the acid & tannins are up front while the fruit flavors are hiding behind. This could be also called a "backward" wine. Sometimes a backward wine will open up with aeration in your glass or a decanter. I can attest this wine definitely improved over time.

The flavors held together dark berries and hints of cocoa to offer up a nice balance on this easy drinking red. The body is somewhat light which could make this a good every day drinking wine. The finish was clean and I could see this going well with roasted chicken or grilled fish. I had it with a few aged cheeses before dinner which went quite nice. Gouda, Cheddar and Pecorino Romano were included in the selection.

Sean Minor, Pinot Noir ‘09 ($14)

Napa Valley, CA

A few months ago I posted the Cab Sav. by Sean Minor and from what I’ve heard the market went crazy for it.  A great wine at a great value so go figure, the price also went up $3-$4 since then.  Congrats on market penetration with a great wine…I’ll still pay $18/$20 for it.

The ‘09 Pinot Noir is no exception for another great wine from Sean Minor however, I’m not sure pricing will jump like the Cab. so find some of the ’09 Pinot while it’s still on the shelf.  Aromas of cherry jam, black pepper and lightly toasted oak all found to be pretty typical of a Pinot Noir.  The flavors of sweet plums, blackberries and cocoa really measured up to a well-balanced wine.  Hints of vanilla and caramel supported smooth tannins on the finish.

The wine went unbelievably well with dinner of grilled pork loin, grilled asparagus and a porcini mushroom risotto.  Aged for 9 months in French oak gives this wine a nice flavor and shows care in the wine making process.  Sean Minor seems to genuinely care how his wines are made and it shows in the finished product.  You can read more about them at www.seanminorwines.com

Celeste Crianza, ’07 $15

Ribera del Duero, Spain

With many Tempranillo wines out there, I’m always hesitant to just pick one up and try it at this price point.  You can definitely find cheaper however I’m starting to learn the $12-$20 range tends to have better tasting wines.  I hate admitting the price thing is making a difference but it’s proven true for most of the Temps I’ve had.

With this wine the aromas were full of crushed dark cherries, plum and a hint of black pepper.  Toasted oak scents were mild and complimented the stone fruits.  Flavors of ripe blackberries, dark cherries and a subtle nutty trace brought the fruit forward tastes together quite nice.  Mellow tannins and a medium body give it an “easy drinking” classification for me.  I would say though, day 2 of drinking this wine was even better.  It almost felt like a more full bodied wine.

I found this wine to go good with a simple marinated skirt steak of salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and olive oil.  Grill it over a high heat to give it a nice crust.  You won't be disappointed!