The Frugal Oenologist

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Simply Naked Sauvignon Blanc 2011

As its name suggests, this unoaked New Zealand white is fairly uncomplicated. It's fruit forward, with elements of tangerine, melon and white peach, and only the merest hint of the freshly mown grass taste characteristic of N. Z. whites. I find it a pleasant drinking wine, so long as you don't expect something extremely dry and flinty.$7.99, available for a dollar less most places.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Gestos Malbec 2012

This Argentine red from Finca Flichman is slightly better than the '11 I reported on last year (which itself was quite good) but, at $8,99,also a dollar more.Inflation, or simply price hike?

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

El Agosto Menzia 2010

I've had generally good experiences with wines from the Bierzo in N.W, Spain. (Some listings put this area in Castilla y Leon:This would lead to instant ostracism of the bloggers on the spot. The Bierzans are fiercely independent and consider themselves to be a separate province). The wine, aged for eight monhs in French oak, is a little on the assertive side with a bit of a dusty flavor along with its red berry elements. Still, a pleasant drinking experience. $11.99.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Jacob's Creek Pinot Noir Reserve

This non vintage red is one of the better products coming from this gigantic Australian combine. It displays elements of strawberry and red cherry and a touch of acidity in the finish. $9,99, can be had for a dollar less.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Alta Max Malbec 2011

Still another Malbec from Argentina's Mendoza region; it would seem that I'm determined to try all of them in my price range. This one is characteristic of the breed, with nice, plummy flavors and the trademark touch of chocolate. $8,99 after instant rebate coupon, which makes it a nice buy.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Crucillon Garnacha 2011

This Aragonese red is a Campo di Borja, the region that gave the world two Borgia popes. The wine is moderately aggressive, with cherry and plum flavors and a touch of the nutty. Unfortunately the PA price of $9.99 is well above the norm.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Telmo Rodriguz Basa Blanco 2011

This white blend from Rueda, northwest of Madrid, has just enough Sauvignon Blanc in it to give it a grassy element, reminiscent of a New Zealand white. A very smooth drinking wine, making it an ideal companion to pork and chicken dishes. $9.99.

Some Personal Notes...

I was born and grew up in Belgium. There, as in all of the francophone world, children, as soon as they were old enough to sit up at table to have their dinners (usually at midday) with the adults, were allowed a glass of wine. The thought behind this was that they should enter their turbulent teens already accustomed to alcohol and not treat it as yet another exciting discovery, to be abused with the ungovernable energy that the hormonal storms of those years produce. By and large, this premise was a sound one. The level of alcoholism in the French-speaking countries tends to be well below that of the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian ones, never mind the United States. To be sure, this datum can be challenged on a matter of definition: while there may be fewer binge drinkers who get raging drunk whenever they have access to alcohol, a goodly proportion of the working class, which habitually has a glass or two of wine with breakfast, is working on a mild buzz throughout the day. Still, the results are less deletirious: they function. At one point a Prime Minister of France, appropriately named Mendes-France, himself an anti alcohol crusader, launched an initiative to persuade the French to throw away their wine and drink milk instead. Needless to say, the project was still-born. The French consume as much wine as ever. The point I'm trying to make is that it seems to me that it is eminently possible to go through life enjoying one's wine without being seriously impaired in one's judgement or one's work level. In the old days in Europe one had the main meal of the day at noon, invariably following that up with a nap, so that when one returned to work one's mind was again clear. Nowadays dinner tends to be taken in the evenings, which means that one isn't really fit to do much serious work afterward, but I would argue, pace all you workoholics, that one's evenings should be devoted to less demanding and more congenial activities. I have enjoyed my evening wine throughout a long life, I've drunk some very good bottles and remember them fondly, and I would urge you to do the same.S