Tag Archives: The Wine Guy

Easy Drinkin’ in the Summer Time

When most of us think of Spanish wine, we think of red wine. And why shouldn’t we? Nearly all of Spain’s well-known wines are red.

Regions such as Rioja (ree-yo-hah) in the north- central and Ribera Del Duero (ree-bear-a-del-dwero) just a click to the south, have been producing tasty reds for decades.

All the fuss about Spanish reds has certainly left their white counterparts in the dust.

Although none of these wines will change your life, there are a few worth mentioning as they can be good choices for everyday drinking and are extremely easy to pair with a wide variety of foods.

White wines made from the Albariño (all-bah-reen-yo) and Verdejo (vare-day-ho) grapes have received widespread praise in recent years for their simplistic and easy-drinking yet tasty style. But there is a couple of other lesser-known Spanish whites that are widely available in supermarkets and wine shops that are bound to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.

White Rioja, which is made from nearly all Viura (vee-your-ah) grapes, is sometimes blended with small parts Malvasia (maul-vay-sia) and Garnacha Blanca (gar-notch-a-blon-ka). Its quality can vary wildly, but if you look hard enough you can find some good ones.

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Filed under Spanish Wines, The Wine Guy, White Wine, Wine

Sip your way to the South of France

Chapoutier’s “Belleruche”

2009 Chapoutier’s “Belleruche”

Purchasing French wine can be not only intimidating, but also extremely confusing.

Quality of vintage (year of release) can vary drastically from year to year in Burgundy, while age is very important in Bordeaux, as you will be be sorely disappointed if you open one up when it is too young.

But the Rhône (roan) River Valley located in the south of France might just be the perfect place to start your journey.

Although widely considered less prestigious than Bordeaux or Burgundy, the Rhône produces delicious wine whose rusticity expresses the heart and soul of French winemaking.

No baby to the industry, M. Chapoutier is regarded as one of the best producers in the Rhône owning vineyards in all of its major viticulture areas and has a history of winemaking dating back to 1808.

You might recognize Chapoutier’s labels in wine stores because they will be the only ones with Braille, or seeing impaired friendly text on them. This is in dedication to a blind member of a family that originally owned one of Chapoutiers most prized vineyards.

Also of note is their vineyards commitment to sustainably,  the wines of Chapoutier are all produced using the biodynamic method.

This practice encourages natural methods of farming and vinification with respect for soil and plant sustainability and recognizes the farm as its own individual and evolving entity.

Essentially, the grapes are grown and the wine is made with as little unnatural interference as possible.

Chapoutier’s most well known wines are red, but its passion for creating food friendly elegant white wines is also notable.

One of their most affordable and widely available whites is the “Belleruche” White Côtes-Du-Rhône. (CDR).

The term Côtes-Du-Rhône (coat-doo-roan) literally meaning hills or slopes of the Rhône, refers to both red and white wines made by the blending of grapes native to the Southern part of the Rhône River Valley.

The 2009 vintage of Chapoutier’s “Belleruche” CDR is a quality French white with a modest sale price of $10.99.

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Not too pricey, not too cheap it’s Italian just right

TreRose Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

2006 TreRose Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

The red wines of Chianti, a smaller region within Tuscany, are Italy’s most recognizable wines as well as some of my favorites.

They are made principally from Tuscany’s most noble red grape called sangiovese (saun-jee-o-vay-zay). The name literally means the blood of Jove, or Jupiter who is the king of the Roman gods and the Greek equivalent of Zeus.

The locals refer to the grape as prugnolo gentile and traditionally considered it so noble that it need not be blended with any other grapes. However, over the years the sangiovese grape has been blended with various native Italian grapes like Canaiolo and Trebbiano, and recently French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

I absolutely enjoy big name Tuscan Wines, the most prestigious being Brunello di Montalcino. This wine is made from a particular clone of sangiovese known as GROSSO in the city of Montalcino.

While Brunellos can certainly stop you dead in your tracks they can also bear outrageous price tags. Therefore I have only had the chance to sample them when a well-to-do customer would offer me a taste or leave a partially full bottle behind. And on occasion my generous manager would break out a bottle from his own private collection.

Now on the opposite end of the spectrum you have cheap Chiantis. These wines are nothing to get excited about as they are typically thin and coarse and about as uneventful as your Grandma’s bridge game.

When one is in the market for a tasty Tuscan that wont break the bank, they should consider a noble wine from Montalcino’s neighbor to the east known as Montepulciano (maun-ti-pool-chee-ah-no). Their most famous wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (VDNM), or the noble wine of Montepulciano, has been recognized as quality since the eighteenth century.

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How the Wine Guy became a Wine Guy

The Wine Guy

The Wine Guy

Who is this Wine Guy, you ask? Well he’s my Sweetie but I have a hunch those of you here to read about wine might appreciate a more comprehensive picture.

And in this case I think Sweets, James, might do a better job of explaining just how he came to be the Wine Guy.

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At $8 this Spanish blend is a steal

Red Guitar Old Vine Tempranillo-Garnacha

Red Guitar Old Vine Tempranillo-Garnacha

When it comes to finding ample yet affordable wines in today’s day and age, the many small wine regions of Spain never cease to deliver.

For less than $10 you can find simple yet luxurious offerings perfect for everyday quaffing, as well as complimenting some of your favorite simple home cooked cuisine.

Gone are the days of Spanish wines pervaded by oxidation and glaring imperfections that exuded less than desirable, and at times, down right offensive odors.

With the advent of modern wine making techniques and cleaner vinification practices, Spain now produces countless wines enjoyed regularly by new world tasters, showcasing clean and fresh fruit flavors with remarkable balance between earth and fruit.

The 2008 vintage of Red Guitar Old Vine Tempranillo-Garnacha blend from Spain’s up and coming North-Central region of Navarra is certainly no exception.

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Sweetie brings something new to the Kitchen

Sweetie

Sweetie

When we first started this blog we hoped to incorporate various wine pairings here and there but turns out I’m a sucker for pink wine so I thought it was about time we add some red and white to this blog with some quality wine reviews courtesy of Sweetie.

Just to be clear the pink wine I drink will be reviewed too, it’s just a tad fancier than the stuff Grandma Carmen used to insist we have at Thanksgiving.

Sweetie knows a ridiculous amount about wine and if you let him he will impress you to death with everything you never knew you wanted to know about wine.

I hope you find as much pleasure as I have the last year and a half learning about what makes this grape juice just so damn good.

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