The Wine Times

"Oops" I did it again.....

2010-03-01T22:36:00.000-08:00

No....sorry to bring Britt into my love of wine-but when you see a label that has Oops on it, you just cant help but break into song!!

This wine was a gift from a friend of mine at work-he gave it to me in celebration of me running the Carlsbad half Marathon for Labrador Rescuers. It was to be my treat after the race-yeah, that was in January and I've waited until now to open this GEM!

What a pleasant easy glass of wine! I opened the bottle last night and had a glass and just poured another glass tonight-I think it's better tonight!!

Oops is made from the "lost grape of Bordeaux" which is found in Chile. It's 100% Carmenere and it's fantastic!! Carmenere is one of the six noble grapes of Bordeaux from the 18th Century. This grape can only be found in Chile now, or at least that's what the bottle says!!! But don't ask me where you can find this wine! He got it at a little wine store in Venice California-but I have never seen this wine anywhere!!! I want him to get me 2 more bottles!!

Now, as I've stated before, I couldn't tell you what the taste is: the bottle says "Spicy Splendor- with vivid red tones, aromas of red ripe fruit and chocolate." The Carmenere grape is somewhere between a Merlot and a Cabernet! I like it ALOT better than a Merlot! As a matter of fact-I think i'll pour myself another glass!

Very smooth......not a harsh taste at all....very nice and palatable....hmm, wish I had another bottle! Or maybe I should have shared this bottle with someone...my dog perhaps????

Here is the website:

www.oopswines.com

Check it out!! Tasty Tasty Tasty!

Grey Wolf Cellars 2006 Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon

2009-08-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

I am a Wolf Pack member of Grey Wolf Cellars, a small family run and owned winery in Paso Robles, California. I stumbled upon this winery years ago and loved the ambience, smallness and the fact that they love animals! There is nothing better than getting wine in the mail! And I have loved every bottle I've received and have opened! I have some still stashed!

I opened their 2006 Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon recently and was very pleasantly surprised! I've truly been in a Pinot Noir mode lately and it's been a long time since I've had a Cab-but I really enjoyed this one! It was super easy to drink-not super heavy, at least for me. Here is the description of the wine from Grey Wolf:

Our Wines - Tasting Notes

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - "Alpha"

In the wolf family, the dominant male and female wield the prestige of “Alpha”. This superior distinction was given to our Cabernet Sauvignon by Grey Wolf’s only two winemakers, our “Alphas.” The 2006 Alpha Cab is most definitely the leader of the pack. Aged over 28 months in barrel, this wine explodes out of the gate with the essence of mint and eucalyptus followed by a cherry filled mouth. Deep cocoa and vanillin mid palate extend through to a firm tannin finish. Great aging wine, but watch out, this dog may bite.

Technical Notes

Harvest Date: October 15th through Nov. 15th
Brix: 24-25.7
Ph: 3.7
Varietal: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Petite Verdot 5% Merlot 5% Malbec

Barrel Program: French, Hungarian And American
70% New 30% Neutral
28 Months
Bottling Date:
Alcohol: 14.5%

I don't profess to be the perfect judge of wine but I do enjoy a nice glass and I know what I like and what I don't like.I enjoyed this bottle! I wish I had another one! Might have to order one!If youa re interested in joining their wine club here is the link you need: Wolf Pack Wine Club

Off the Vine for a Wine Tasting

2009-06-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

Yes I've still been drinking wine-I've just been a slacker with my blog!! So here goes! Since I've been on a mini vacation from my TV show, GLEE, I was able to actual go wine tasting!!! How exciting! I decided to stay local since I was running in a 5K the next morning. So I went to Off the Vine in San Pedro for their Chilean and Argentinian wines. I paid my $12, got my glass and we started with the whites. Now, I don't really like white wine at all. But I'll stomach a taste of it. I just wanted to get to the reds! I tasted about 8 different wines, my favorite being the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2005 Malbec from a winery called Barricas in Argentina. I ended up buying a bottle of each! And they were very reasonably priced for being in a "wine store". I've been drinking the Malbec-I find Malbecs very easy to drink and a good everyday wine! This one is no exception, and at roughly $8 a bottle-not to shabby a price! I really enjoy wine tasting. There are SO many places to go wine tasting all over the country. If you haven't checked out this website, Local Wine Events, look at it and sign up for their weekly newsletter-you'll find wine tastings wherever you live.

Arrington Vineyards Arrington, Tennessee

2008-12-29T18:40:00.001-08:00

Arrington Vineyards. The closest vineyard to Nashville, Tennessee. I decided since I was in nashville visiting my parents, that I'd take them for a wine tasting at the local winery! And since it was only about 30 minutes away-it was an easy drive and a very nice afternoon outing!

We had a wonderful time! My mom loved it and was very enamored with the property and the lovely ladies who were working that day! The tasting is free-you get 4 tastes of quite a large selection of whites, rose's, red and dessert wines. I chose the reds( Merlot,Cabernet, Syrah and then the KB Cabernet) my mom chose the Chardonnay and the Rose and then jumped to two reds and my designated driver, dad, tasted the Syrah and the KB Cabernet.

I was very impressed and we had a lovely time! I bought a bottle of the Merlot and the KB Cabernet.

It was a very pleasant surprise to find a lovely winery in Tennessee!!! Worth a visit!!

LaFond 2002 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills

2008-12-26T18:51:00.000-08:00

I've had this bottle of 2002 Pinot for a few years. I drove back to Tennessee for the holidays and took quite a few bottle of wine back with me! I really enjoy bringing lovely bottles of wine back to share with my Mom and Dad! And this one was really lovely! Smooth! Wonderful. of course, I'm a bit of a Pinot fan...and you never know how a wine will be after letting it sit for a few years. But i was very happy with this one! I'm trying to get my Mom off the box of wine kick and she really enjoyed this bottle! I got her hooked on the Red Guitar so it's now my mission to bring back bottles and have lots of wine tastings!

Both my dad and mom really enjoyed this bottle! As did I! Of course it wasn't cheap. I can't get the price of this one-but their current Pinot's are about $42.00. A lovely wine!

WOW! Been a long time but I've been drinking wine!

2008-05-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

Wow it's may and i haven't posted since March! But don't fret-I've had wine during that time! I've just been SO busy with work that I haven't had the opportunity to post about some delicious wines! I've been working on a television show called Mad Men which airs on AMC-please check it out! Now onto wine.....since it's been so long, I've made a slideshow of some of the bottles I've enjoyed!!! One of which I had last night after work, well actually it was at 3:30am after work. It was an Acacia Pinot Noir, and it was quite tasty!!! Unfortunately, I didn't have a glass to drink out of, I had to slum it by serving it in a plastic cup-but it held it's own! It was very nice-went down very smoothly and didn't have a bite at all! I really enjoyed it and shared it with a few co-workers. All in all we were very pleased and happy with the taste. of course at 3:30am who wouldn't be happy with a nice glass of wine after a 15 hour work day! please check it out!!!

MacMurray 2006 Pinot Noir now this wine, which i had after the Country Music half marathon was wonderful! Smooth, easy to drink-I loved it! I bought it at a wine shop in Nashville, Tennessee and honestly can't remember the price. i think it was around $15-$20. Now that's a bit pricey for me, but I live in California and have such a wide selection of wines to choose from at a low price. But I really enjoyed this wine! It was well worth the money and was a delicious!

Orfila Vineyards 2005 Syrah. Now this is a San Diego vineyard. I stopped by one day on my way home from an AKC sheep herding Trial. I had driven past it numerous times but never stopped-this time I stopped. They have a huge tasting room that was packed! I didn't taste since my dog was in the car, but I bought a bottle of their 2005 Syrah. And took it home. I wasn't expecting alot, but i was pleasantly surprised! It was pretty good! I wouldn't have thought of this area as a wine producing region. But this syrah is pretty tasty! And I enjoyed the bottle. i do believe it cost $25.

El Miracle 2004 Tempranillo Shiraz
Now this wine have had a few times-it's very light and easy to drink and cheap! About $8 a bottle. So it's a nice wine to have when you want to open any bottle. I enjoyed it-it's not too heavy and easy to drink.

I had the Trinchero Family Pinot Noir quite awhile ago so my thoughts are kinda vague on how it was. It's a large collection of wines-sold under alot of different labels-some of the labels are considered cheap but drinkable. Some I've had, some I wouldn't drink again. This was a bottle I bought at Costco and it was drinkable.

Deloach 2006 Pinot Noir is not one of their signature Pinots. I do believe this is a layman's wine-not too expensive but of a good quality and taste! I've never been disappointed in Deloach wines-this wasn't their top of the line and I've tasted better Pinot's but it was very nice and drinkable and I'd have it again!

BubbleShare

Red Truck 2005 California Red Wine

2008-03-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

For about $8.00 you can have a really nice California table wine that you can drink anytime! And that will go with just about anything! Very smooth and easy to drink. A great bottle to keep for a glass of wine after work or whatever! great price for a decent wine. I've bought this wine quite a bit-and obviusly I keep coming back for more because it's a good deal!

Departure Wine Company tasting

2008-03-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

I went to a wine tasting tonight at morry's of Naples for a very small winery called Departure Wine Company. It was a lovely evening filled with wine, yummy artichoke tapenade and new friends. We tasted four of their wines:
1.2006 Santa Barbara County Viognier which sells for $22
2.2006 Silacci Vineyard Pinot Noir which sells for $38
3.2006 Santa Barbara County Syrah which sells for $22
4.2006 Tierra Alta Vineyard Syrah which sells for $30

My favorite was the Pinot Noir. there's is an unusual Pinot in that it is Unfiltered and a bit sweeter than most. I ended up buying a bottle of the Pinot for future wine drinking! The Viognier was a bit sweet for my liking and it's a white-I don't drink alot of whites-but this would be nice on a really hot day!! The two Syrahs were completely different. I was not fond of the Santa Barbara COunty Syrah-too harsh a taste for me, but the Tierra Alta Syrah was very nice, and I contemplated buying a bottle of that as well.

If you are interested in any of these wines, hurry because all of their wines are small production-not many cases are made.

Check them out: http://www.departurewines.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx

A Pinot Noir wine Flight for $10

2008-03-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

Morry's of Naples, which is just south of Belmont Shore in Southern California, has a great little place called The Backroom. And on tuesdays, they have their wine flight night for $10. You get 3 glasses of wine for $10~what a great deal! I decided this would be a great way to taste rather expensive wines for cheap! The three wines I tasted were Laurier Pinot Noir (carneros) 2006, Departure Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara) 2006 and the Renteria Pinot Noir (Russian River) 2005. All of the wines i paired with an awesome cheese plate!!

Laurier Pinot Noir: This was a nice Pinot, a smooth taste with a hint of blackberries. This was a nice wine-not sure of the price-sorry!

Departure Pinot Noir: This was my favorite-and what an amazing red color it had because it's an unfiltered Pinot! It was light and fruity and delicious! I'd love to go buy a bottle of this, but at $39.99, it wont be happening while I'm not working!!

Renteria Pinot Noir: This was a lovely Pinot, only 307 cases were produced-so I felt very fortunate to get the chance to taste it! It was filtered and had a wonderful blackberry smell and taste. i really enjoyed this Pinot as well and at $34.99-I'll be waiting before I buy this one as well.

St. Clair Winery Meritage, New Mexico

2008-03-03T11:25:00.000-08:00

I decided to dive into a wine I bought while in New Mexico in November 2007. I was working in a small town called Deming, New Mexico~and like I always do when I travel~ I checked out what the town of Deming had to offer. And to my pleasant surprise, they had a winery with a tasting room! SO of course I felt the necessity to go visit and taste! And taste I did-and wow was I pleasantly surprised! The wines are pretty darn good! I bought about 4 bottles and had them shipped back home. Last night, my dad and I opened my first bottle, the Meritage! And again I was pleasantly surprised. What an easy glass of wine to drink! It is a very nice table wine-that went very nicely with the lasagna and spinach salad we had for dinner!

The Meritage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Merlot grapes. A full-bodied wine with hints of cherry, black currant and dark berries. And at $16 a bottle-it was pretty darn good considering I live in California and am surrounded by great wines!

Summerland 2006 Pinot Noir

2008-02-24T15:42:00.001-08:00

Summerland Winery has two different collections, the Central Valley Collection, which this Pinot belongs, and the Single Vineyard Collection. Summerland has access to numerous wine areas. This 2006 Pinot, at $22 a bottle, has quite a black cherry taste and very smooth! Yet again it's another Pinot that impressed! I'm just a fan of Pinot's right now. I could probably drink Pinot's every night! I would say that this wine would go with just about any dish you wanted to eat-or drink it by itself and enjoy it's smooth quality!

http://www.summerlandwine.com/index1.html

Summerland Winery Boutique
2330 Lillie Ave. Summerland, CA 93067
Phone 805-565-WINE (9463) Fax 805-695-0300

Tres Hermanas 2004 Syrah

2008-02-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

A delicious $24 Syrah from a family owned Winery in Santa Barbara County. It was wonderful! A very nice glass of wine even a day after the bottle had been opened-actually it really allowed the wine to take on an entirely different characteristic! I do believe the only way to get this wine is to either go to the winery or join their wine club!

A nice taste of Berries and very smooth-it was a lovely bottle of wine! I wish I had another!! I drank this with a bean and cheese burrito and a spinach salad. It goes with anything!!!

9660 Foxen Canyon Road
Santa Maria
Between Zaca Mesa and Foxen Wineries
Tel: 805 937-8451
Fax: 805-937-8471
http://www.treshermanaswinery.com/wines.html

Fat Cat 2006 Pinot Noir and Red Guitar 2006 Navarra Old Vine Tempranillo

2008-02-12T19:38:00.000-08:00

I decided to combine the two bottles I've had over the period of this week. No they weren't both consumed in one day! I'll start with the Fat Cat Pinot. Now I'll be honest with you-I buy this because I have 3 cats-they all used to be fat, now only one is fluffy and slightly chubby! So i have a personal attachment to this wine, and seriously, what a cute label! A fat cat with glasses! It sells for about $8.99. I bought it at our local Henry's which is similar to a Whole Foods or Wild Oats. They were having their 20% off wine sale! Woo Hoo! It's not a bad Pinot-I'm into Pinot's right now! Very drinkable with a nice berry taste and smell...I paired it with a spinach salad and tomato soup last night and it was quite nice. Yeah Pinot's are my favorite right now. So easy to drink!!

The Red Guitar is one of my favorite Spanish Wines. I always seem to gravitate towards it. You can buy it at Bevmo for around $9/bottle. Nice price for a very nice wine. I took my mom out to dinner in Nashville, Tennessee last year and this wine was one of the selections and she loved it! It's 55% Tempranillo and 45% Gamacha-Spanish. Other than that I'm not too proficient on these grapes~other than I seem to really like the wines. It's a great everyday wine! Nice to have around the house for everyday or for visitors. And for the price you can't beat it! I can't remember what food I paired it with-it would have been fish of some sort and vegies. You know I think it fits in nicely with food or by itself! It's a nice tasting sturdy wine! Try it!!!
www.redguitarwines.com

You have to admit~both of these labels are rather nice!!! Very Colorful! they stand out!

Wine Bottle Plant Nannies

2008-02-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Ok...I'm going off on a bit of a tangent because I think these are COOL! Especially considering I drink wine and have plants that I constantly forget to water!!! I may have to order these! Check out the Wine Bottle Plant nanny-of course I want to know what brain thought of this idea!!! Check it out...and if you happen to buy some before I do-please let me know how they work. What a great idea for those forgotten, empty, already drunk wine bottles...they no longer need to feel unwanted!!

http://www.napastyle.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=3190&rcode=em080212b&cm_mmc=em-_-080212b-_-p-_-PlantPrice

Greg Norman 2005 Cabernet Savignon

2008-02-09T12:53:00.001-08:00

Greg Norman 2005 Cab is actually a California wine-yeah surprise surprise. I've had it a few times-usually I've been out eating dinner or just having drinks. Last night I went out and had 2 glasses of the Cab at $8 a glass (ok it was happy hour so they were only $6 a glass woo hoo!!). The Greg Norman is a nice wine. I smelled a bit of mint and blueberries, didn't taste the mint just smelled it. Unfortunately I didn't pair this with any food-since the bar didn't serve food. It's a nice full bodied wine that was pretty easy to drink. I'm beginning to think I'm just not in a Cabernet mood right now. Because I have had this wine before and really liked it, but last night I was just ok. On a plus side-it was nice getting out of the house and having a glass of wine in a social setting and at happy hour prices. hell going to happy hour is kinda fun!!!

Barking Sheep 2006 Malbec Bonarda

2008-02-04T17:06:00.001-08:00

The WINE
The Dog-who on occasion barks-usually at sheep
Look SHEEP!
A close-up of the SHEEP!

First of all let me preface this by saying I love buying wines for the label! The prettier the label the more it catches my eye. I'm sure I'm not the only one who notices wine this way! So when I was in Target one day (yes Target in California-don't know what other states allow Target to carry wine) I stumbled upon this wine that was screaming BUY ME so I did. Let me tell you why. I own an Australian Cattle Dog, a herding dog. And I take her sheep herding(it's easier to find sheep to herd than cattle here in LA). So when i saw this bottle that said Barking Sheep I thought to myself-how perfect for my house!!! At $8.99 it wasn't expensive and what an appropriate label......so off I went with my bottle of Barking Sheep Malbec.

Now as you figured the Malbec is a wine from Argentina. This one is 50% Malbec and 50% Bonarda. I didn't know and still don't know what the Bonarda grape is....but you know what it was pretty darn good. A nice fruity taste that went down easily and nicely. I baked a piece of Herb encrusted Cod and made a spinach salad and sat down to eat dinner with this wine. Very Nice. Mind you i think this wine would go well with just about anything-sometimes i drink my wine with potato chips-I know what kind of wine connoisseur am I? Ha the normal no pretentious kind.....

I enjoyed this wine. It was best the day I opened the bottle-didn't really hold very well the next day. But I drank it anyway....how can one waste a Barking Sheep!!! I've never seen a Barking Sheep!!

Grey Wolf Cellars Soulmate 2005 Paso Robles Red Wine

2008-01-31T17:39:00.001-08:00

Yummy-ok maybe I just love red wine. I guess the wines I have at my house I do like alot because I'm a member of their wine clubs....I'll have to start going out and drinking wine elsewhere( of course it will help once the WGA strike ends and I get back to work!)

This Grey Wolf is delicious and immediately drinkable. It's a very easy drink-not harsh at all. I tasted the berries as it smoothly went down my throat......I smell berries and a slight oak smell-it's a nice smell! I paired it with a herb crusted baked piece of cod and steamed veggies and the entire meal with the wine was very tasty!! Of course I pair just about any meal with wine-what does that say about me???? I love wine and I love cooking!

Babcock 2005 Syrah Frying Pan

2008-01-27T08:59:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately this wine is sold out! This is the 2005 Syrah Frying Pan from Babcock Winery. It is very easy to drink-it's a big bold Syrah-and you will be able to taste and smell the fruit! I've had this bottle opened for a few days and it's held! It goes down smooth and didn't need alot of time to breathe. The Babcock wines are very interesting-and very good. I stumbled upon this winery while I was camping in the Lompoc area of Southern california. It's a very unassuming winery-they want to make the best wines they can! And they ship all over the country!!!

Carhartt 2006 Pinot Noir Rancho Santa Rosa, Santa Rita Hills

2008-01-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Yummy, Yummy Yummy. I think Pinot's are my favorite. I've always loved them but they are so smooth and easy to drink! It makes for such a pleasurable glass of wine! I opened this bottle and poured a glass-should have let it breathe a bit longer than I did!!! But it was delicious! I really tasted the berries! The description of the wine on the Carhartt Winery website says it has a hint of spice and pepper-yeah it was the berries that really stood out for me! And what a smooth finish as it 's going down. For me that's very important!! It was very nice-and actually great the next night as well!

Tessa Marie Coquette 2005

2008-01-19T12:06:00.001-08:00

Tessa Marie Coquette 2005, is a VERY SMALL LOT wine. It comes from Ephiphany Cellars in Santa Maria, California. And Ephiphany is an off-shoot from Fess Parker. But what is amazing is that Tessa Marie is a teenager!!! Yes, a 16 or 17 year old teenager makes this wine-and for that reason alone it's damn good! She's doing what I would LOVE to do!! She's going to make some kick-ass wines as she gets older. I do believe you can only gets this wine in the Ephiphany Cellars tasting room in Los Olivos. I wish I had bought more than one!

I'm sure I should have let this wine store a bit longer-it was quite young. It's a blend: 70% Sangiovese and 30% Syrah. But very drinkable and tasty. It wasn't hard to drink, had a very nice berry taste and no bitter after taste!

http://www.epiphanycellars.com/index.htm

Mano A Mano 100% Tempranillo

2008-01-19T11:57:00.001-08:00

Yummy! And a great price at $7.99/bottle from Cost Plus World Market. This is a Spanish wine, 100% Tempranillo-I'm not quite sure what kind of berry that is, but I seem to like the wines! It definitely has a berry taste and is a bit spicy...when you drink it the taste is berries and then slight pepper that remains with you after the wine has gone down. i ate it with pasta-yeah I know it's not spanish food~guess I didn't think about planning my dinner and drink....but it was fine. It's a nice change of pace from what I normally drink, which is the Californian wines.

Stevenot 2005 Danza Roja California

2008-01-13T09:26:00.001-08:00

This wine is from the oldest winery in Murphy~up in the Sierra Nevadas. It's estate grown and this particular wine was a blend of numerous grapes-I looked at the back of the bottle but forgot to write what it was composed of~bad me!

We drank this right after the Pinot so it was completely different! It wasn't as smooth as the Pinot-but it shouldn't be since it's not a Pinot! It was a very nice bold wine! Very full bodied~it was a much stronger wine in terms of berries.

http://www.stevenotwinery.com/

Melville 2005 Pinot Noir Carrie's

2008-01-13T09:19:00.001-08:00

First of all...one of the best Pinot's I've tasted in a very long time! And my two companions last nite agreed! This Pinot smelled like heaven! And then when you drank it-it was wonderful! So smooth`as far as Pinot's go this one was full bodied but incredibly smooth and easy going down! The bottle was gone in a heartbeat and we so wished we had another!!!! Why didn't I buy two or more?? It was wonderful!

http://www.melvillevineyards.com/index2.html

Robert Hall 2005 Merlot Paso Robles

2008-01-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Robert Hall is one of my favorite vineyards in Paso Robles-and of course Paso is one of my favorite regions. I purchased this bottle in September 2007 for $18.00-it was a mad dash wine taste during the labor day weekend and at the tail end of their wine tasting day.

Now....to the way I tasted it-you know I must not have the nose that all these wine tasters have because there are just some berries I cant distinguish when I drink. It is a silky wine-I tasted the blackberries but no way could I taste the raspberries-and I LOVE raspberries! Maybe that's the problem. I felt there was a slight hint of tobacco-it's a taste I wouldn't have been able to distinguish without reading what was said about the wine~because there is a slight after taste....a lingering taste-and you know what I could see where that would be a slight tobacco taste. I'm not completely enthralled with this wine-maybe I'm not in the mood for a merlot! Just not the taste for me right now. And I normally like Robert Hall wines-oh you know what I just swirled the wine in my mouth-tasted quite a few berries in that one and the lingering after taste didn't linger as long-but come on people...that's not how I drink wine.

twin fin 2005 California Shiraz Day #2

2008-01-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

I think it's a little better on day two! It's had time to breathe-which, I think the cheaper wines need, and it doesn't have the bite that it had when I first opened it last night. That's promising for a $5.99 bottle of wine. Tonight it's a much smoother drink. This would be the perfect wine for someone who doesn't like strong wines or doesn't normally drink wines-especially on day two.

twin fin 2005 California Shiraz

2008-01-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Twin Fin-a $5.99 bottle of California Shiraz that I buy from Trader Joes. You can also find it in BevMo and Cost Plus World Market (three of my favorite places to shop for decent priced wines!)

Twin Fin is nothing fancy-but a very drinkable everyday Shiraz. Not too heavy but not watered down and nasty. It says it has flavors of blackberry, red raspberry and freshly cracked pepper-ok I just taste the blackberries...maybe you're palette can decipher the different flavors. I've bought many bottles of this wine-it doesn't have a cork-twist cap-so it should keep longer than most. It's a good everyday wine-if you have a special occasion some people might freak out by the twist cap-even though more and more wineries are going to this.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money but want a decent tasting glass of wine from two fun winemakers give twin fin a chance. They pride themselves on not being typical winemakers. For $5.99 it's a pretty darn good bottle of wine!

And NO- the $5.99 isn't on the label-I did that so i wouldn't forget!! But it's a nice looking label-and you know what-sometime the label is what catches your eye first! I know it does mine!

www.twinfinwines.com

Tres Hermanas Wines...

2008-01-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Yummy Yummy wines! And the owners make the wine tasting experience even nicer!!!

If you are ever up in the Santa Barbara Wine area of California, you must stop at Tres Hermanas Winery. It's a fairly new winery. Their first harvest was the fall of 2003 and just this past July 2007 they opened their tasting room. It's not on the maps of the wine region but it's a must go! The owners Marvin and Paulette Teixeira are wonderful, kind people! This winery is their baby and is named after their 3 daughters. Marvin has such amazing ideas about bringing people to his winery. He wants to show movies in the summer, have camping facilities...he wants it to be a destination-a place where you come and stay for the weekend! You can already RV here and book nights in the guest house at their horse ranch-if you're a wine club member. Tres Hermanas is a lovely winery and owned and operated by generous, kind and loving people! It's a must stop on any wine tasting outing!

http://www.treshermanaswinery.com/

You Can Find Them At

9660 Foxen Canyon Road
Santa Maria, CA
Between Zaca Mesa and Foxen Wineries
Tel: 805 937-8451
Fax: 805-937-8471

For Information: email info@treshermanaswinery.com

For Winemaker:
luke@treshermanaswinery.com

For Events Coordinator:
teresa@treshermanaswinery.com

I have a signed bottle that i'm saving for a special occasion! But I tasted it at the tasting Room.
It's a Syrah 70% and Sangiovese 30%.
And I can't wait to open it!

Please check this wonderful family owned winery out! They will not disappoint!!

Grey Wolf Zinfandel Barton Family Reserve 2005 Paso Robles

2008-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

Life is too short to drink bad wine

I have been a wine club member of Grey Wolf Cellars for many years! I stumbled upon them one may during the Paso Robles Wine festival that is held every May. I liked their name! It was that simple. Their tasting room is very unassuming ,it's a converted farm house-it's a very family, friendly place and I was immediately taken to that so in i went! And I joined the wine club and now get shipments twice a year! And I do look forward to my wines arriving!

Paso is a great wine area-I think it's my favorite! I love the wines that come from this area and this 2005 Zinfandel is no exception. This wine is a big Zin but easy to drink and drink and drink-not as spicy as the Carhartt Zinfandel but still very delicious and fruity! I'm having a glass right now and it's a very easy wine to drink!

Please check out Grey Wolf Cellars online or in person! And taste some of their wonderful wines! Then you too might become Wolf Pack members!

http://www.greywolfcellars.com/home.fsp

Carhartt 2006 Zinfandel Lockshaw Vineyard Paso Robles Westside

2008-01-03T10:49:00.001-08:00

Carhartt Vineyards is a very small vineyard in Solvang, California. The owners, Mike and Brooke Carhartt, have a 10 acre vineyard that has been in their family for years.

Carhartt Vineyards produces a few estate wines from their 10 acre vineyard but also has small-lot wines from different vineyards that are farmed similar to the Carhartt Vineyards. This 2006 Zinfandel is from a small-lot vineyard in Paso Robles.

I opened this bottle last night and allowed it to breathe, in the bottle, just a bit. I'm learning that if I start drinking it as soon as I open it I miss it's true taste! So breathing is done with every bottle now!

I really enjoyed this wine. My first glass was a bit startling-I think I needed to let it breathe just a bit longer but once it was in my glass I really enjoyed it. It's quite a powerful Zin-and yes it is does have a spicy finish. We were trying to figure out last nite what to call the finish-I guess the winemakers know best! I was cooking a scallop stir fry and drinking this wine-The wine was definitely more powerful than the food! I enjoy a deep strong powerful Zinfandel-and this is one. But there aren't many of these since it is a small lot! I thought it was pretty yummy-and yes the bottle was finished!

Please check out the Vineyard online at http://carharttvineyard.com/index.html
or go visit them in Los Olivos, California. Carhartt Vineyards has the smallest tasting room in the state-yes it is tiny tiny tiny very quaint and unlike any other Tasting Rooms in Los Olivos , Mike Carhartt ,the owner, will actually serve you his wines! How awesome is that!I loved it!

Because I love wine.....

2008-01-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

First of all i decided to write this because I love wine! I'm not a professional nor can I pick out each flavor but I enjoy a nice wine as I'm sure alot of people do and I do know what I like and dislike. So I thought I'd share my thoughts on wine and write about some of the wines I get to drink since I live in California! So here it is! I hope you enjoy this and please feel free to comment or visit some of the websites of the wines I mention!

Thanks!