The Frugal Oenologist

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Rio Diamante Malbec 2008

This Argentine red is somewhat drier than your average Malbec and combines dark berry and vanilla flavors with pronounced tannins at the finish. Alright, but not my favorite in this price range. $7.99.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Woodridge Pinot Grigio 2008

This California wine, from the Robert Mondavi monster combine is an inoffensive but drinkable product with an element of citrus and not much of a bite. But, in these parlous days, one shouldn't be too critical, and if you can find it with an attached instant rebate coupon, it's only $6.24, if you buy two bottles.

Finca La Daniela Tempranillo 2007

The Argentinian Tempranillos tend to be somewhat heavier and duskier than their Spanish counterparts and this one is no exception to that rule. This is a nice wine, with dark cherry and tannins and a touch of smoke. Worth the price of $10.99

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Colorado Caper

Just back from a long weekend in CO where I drank the following:

Di Majo San Giovese 2008. This Italian red manages to be both full bodied and dry, not an easy accomplishment. It tastes of plum, with a didtinctly nutty flavor element. I liked it. $8.99, not on offer in PA.

Gato Negro Cabernet/Merlot 2008. This very simple Chilean red has dark berry flavors tempered by mild tannins. Rather inoffensive but certainly drinkable, and it's cheap. For the feminists among you, it's made under the supervision of a woman wine maker. $5.99, PA offers the straight Merlot at $6.09.

Zamba Malbec 2008. This Argentine red has small admixtures of Syrah and Cabernet Franc. I'm not sure that this is a success. While it's very dry, with elements of cherry, the characteristic chocolaty Malbec element is almost entirely absent. $8.99, not available in PA.

Casa de Campo Malbec 2009. Now here is an eminently likable wine. This Argentine red has a nice, even blend of dark berry flavors with just the right amount of chocolate. It's good now, but being so young, should improve further in the bottle. $8.99, the PA price of $9.99 is not excessive.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Rio Diamante Chardonnay 2008

This Argentine white has elements of apple, is heavily oaked, and has a finish that seems, definitely, to be cinnamon. To my taste, it's a bit more fruity than I like, but I admit that may be an idiosyncracy of mine. $7.99.

Jaboulet-Vercherre Chassy 2008

This red Cotes du Rhone is alright, although on the whole forgettable. It displays some dark berry flavors and soft tannins, but lacks the full bodied character that one associates with the region. On special at $7.99, but is offered for two dollars less elsewhere.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Donna Fugata Sedara 2007

Sicilian reds tend to err on the side of Disneyland, but this one is relatively restrained. The nose has a definite note of tobacco, it tastes of cherry and blackberry, moderated by soft tannins. If you find it with an instant rebate coupon for $2, reducing the price to $9.99, it's worth a try.

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