Budget Vino

Beaulieu Vineyards famous Napa Cabernet. A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc from sites throughout Napa Valley, harvested at optimal maturity. The wine was aged 18 months in oak barrels for a richer texture and a well-integrated new oak component. An Editors Choice, scoring 92 points in Wine Enthusiast Magazine where they said "No one else in Napa Valley could produce a Cabernet of this pedigree, at this price...  

There are certain things that can ruin a winemaker's vintage: heavy rain, hail, disease and rot. Few have to contend with stray rockets and shells. In the Bekaa Valley, the beautiful winemaking region that runs parallel to the Mediterranean between ...  

**** 34% OFF!! **** ...a seriously stylish cabernet..* 90 Score - Wine Spectator 89+ Rating - Robert Parker "...It offers attractive but restrained aromatics of red and black fruits intertwined with an earthy, underbrush character. Medium to full-bodied and slightly austere, with the vintage’s aggressive tannins noticeable in the finish, it needs a few more years of bottle age to round into shape. Pazzo remains the...  

I'm expanding my wine knowledge in 2010. This means trying new kinds of grapes, as well becoming more familiar with European wines. Recently I got to know Vermentino, a white grape grown in Corsica, Sardinia, and coastal Italy and France. The dry white wine is like a cross between Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc. It has the floral, fruity bouquet characteristic of Viognier and the tart finish found in many Sauvignon Blancs. I wasn't able to...  

This Chateau is owned by Frank Mahler-Besse, owner of Chateau Palmer in Margaux and many other first class wine making properties in Bordeaux and around the world. In 1964 his great-great grandmother rebuilt this historic Bergerac property which lies less than six miles from the village of St. Emilion. The terrior is identical to right bank Bordeaux and so the vineyards hold 60 % Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc on clay...  

Budget TravelSonoma: New free, wine-themed toursBudget TravelMauritson Winery is one of four participating vineyards that has launched free walking tours. (Larry Levine) For the first time, a group of Sonoma County ...and more »  

Billy of this blog brought this back with him from a recent trip to Australia. It presents with a vibrant dark purple hue that is darn right "Syrah-like."The nose is pronounced with vegetal, dark blackberry and green spice with an under hint of a chemical odor.Palate--decent structure with sweeter palate with a green after taste and a lighter tannic backbone. Drinkable but meah, even at the $12 or so, price point.--A Review from The Wine Cask...  

If you are looking for a consistently decent zinfandel that's easy to find, check out Rancho Zabaco 2007 Heritage Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma County, $18). The name may sound a little whacky, but this is at least a semi-serious wine sold in many supermarkets. It has a smoky, brambly aroma with dark fruit. The taste is rich with blackberry and spicy with pepper through the lingering finish. Best of all, this wine does not taste cooked or alcoholic...  

By Lenn Thompson, Editor-in-Chief This Benmarl Winery 2008 Cabernet Franc ($20) is yet another bit of ammo in the argument for cabernet franc as New York State's most consistently, and widely, successful red variety. I've tasted several good (or even...  

Must have been a slow news day up in Napa. Because when I saw this headline, I didn't know if I was reading the Onion or the Napa Valley Register. Might have just used the stock "Hometown Boy Makes Good," instead. I'm not complaining about the content of the headline--I have no horses in the Napa vs Bordeaux race--but more about the style of article. In a recent blind tasting, wine trade members and consumers chose M by Michael Mondavi, a...  

We've been excited about Pourtal's month of featuring Malibu wineries, which begins tomorrow, and today we find out about Pinot Days, a three-day festival dedicated to Pinot Noir, thanks to LA Weekly's Squid Ink. "The festival, touting 70+ Pinot Noir producers, primarily from Northern California and Oregon, is the first of its kind on Los Angeles," says the Weekly of the $50 event that begins on the 14th in Santa Monica (an LA Weekly...  

So I thought only Europe had “Appellation d’origine contrôlée” or “Indicazioni Geografica Tipica”–legally defined & demarcated areas where specifically-named wines are grown–but I guess the US has them too. D’oh! I can’t believe *I* didn’t know that. And I called myself a wine snob. If you’d like to sample wines from the uber-local “American Viticultural [...]  

Lewis Cellars is a Napa Valley family winery established in 1992 by Debbie and Randy Lewis, and recently joined by their son Dennis. Total production is 7,500 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah.  

Winery : "Dynamite Red is a delicious blend of enticing grapes. We start with Merlot; add of bit of Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and other tasty varietals and end up with a huge burst of flavors. Fruit forward with smooth layers of mixed berries intermingling with alluring spices and a pleasing finish. The red blend is a winemaker’s wine. It allows us the flexibility to craft an ultimate blend of varietals for an elegant, supple...  

Using the same wine as contestants on PBS's The Winemakers, you'll get an insider's perspective on how wines are blended in this session focused on Syrah and the red Rhone varietals. During this two-hour session, you'll be guided through the same steps used to create blends for the luxury wines produced in Crushpad Winery. Plus, compare the blends you've created against the wine put together by the winner of season one of The Winemakers. No...