Taking the world one wine at a time.
Grape 100% Malbec (fortified with brandy) Facts Q: When is a Port not a Port? A: When it’s made in Argentina. – The Malamado holds the title of the first ever fortified Malbec produced in Argentina; however it can’t be considered a true Port since it isn’t actually made in Portugal, even though it’s produced in the same style. – All Zuccardi wines are made from estate-grown grapes (they generally don’t buy from…
Read More
Grape(s) 81% Cabernet, 19% Merlot. Facts I was thinking to myself the other day; “I wonder if readers of my website think that I’ve decided to take a stance toward only featuring affordable wines?” Not that this is too far from the truth, but the real reason that I feature a great deal of wines under the $20 retail mark, is that I purchase the wines for review myself. Affordability is therefore key!…
Read More
Grape 100% Riesling Facts Let’s get this out of the way before we start! Riesling, by most standards, is considered a sweet and almost dessert-style wine. Quite often begin shunned by most “serious” wine drinkers, with ridiculous rhetoric like “sugar water” and “soda pop”! But let me tell you a quick story that hopefully might cause you to think about Riesling in a different light! Many moons ago (2006), after I sat my…
Read More
Grape 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Facts Vinaceous is a fairly new Australian brand which has fairly recently started gaining some traction on the US market, so I thought their Raconteur Cab was worth reviewing. Name development and design behind Vinaceous apparently took 2 years of development, and they have a beautiful website, so make sure you check it out. The Cabernet Sauvignon grape was never discovered growing wild in nature. It’s actually a hybrid…
Read More
Grape 100% Blaufrankisch [blouw-fran-keesh] (say it with a ridiculously strong German accent just for fun). Facts Don’t confuse this wine for Blue Steel. They’re two very different things. Of-course you’re forgiven if you haven’t heard of Blaufrankisch before! Otherwise known as ‘Lemberger’ in Germany and Austria, it’s super-obscure, and not too many wineries in the U.S bother to grow it. Winemaker Jed Steele gained a enology degree from UC Davis (before it was cool),…
Read MoreWine Del Fin Del Mundo Grape 100% Malbec Place Patagonia, Argentina Price $16.99
Read More
Grape 100% Syrah Facts In France, Syrah dominates the Rhone region where it’s often blended with small amounts of Viognier (a white grape) in order to add “aromatic complexity”, and mellow the wines out a little. Dante Robino was born in Canelli in the Piedmont region of North-West Italy in 1885. After learning the art of turning grapes into wine, he emigrated to Argentina, starting his own winery in 1920. …
Read More
Grape 100% Torrontes [Tohr-ron-tez] Facts Torrontes is to Argentina, what Pinot Grigio is to Italy. Not quite as famous yet, but certainly has already become the signature white grape of the country. Torrontes is the most planted white grape in Argentina, leaving Chardonnay trailing waaaay behind. The current vintage of Dante Robino Torrontes is 2010, meaning that this wine (and Torrontes in general) is meant to be drank in its youth, and…
Read More
This is a featured post from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Daily Grape Newsletter Grape 100% Pinot Noir Rating 91 Points Price $68 MSRP Gary’s explanation: California Pinot Noir producers have one man to thank for the ability to routinely price their wines over $50: Rex Pickett. The author of the book-made-movie, Sideways, single handedly skyrocketed the popularity of Pinot Noir almost overnight with his $71 million grossing blockbuster. Yet so much of the…
Read More
Grapes A blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara (don’t worry if you haven’t heard of them before, these grapes are generally only used in Italy in the wines of Valpolicella). Facts Read that title again! What a mouthful…….and that’s why your “average” wine buyer normally misses out on these awesome wines! The labels are no doubt very confusing, and the wines even more so; however if you’re feeling adventurous, the red wines from the Veneto…
Read More
Grape 100% Montepulciano [Mawn-teh-pool-CHA-noh] It’s a fun grape to say, especially if you do so with a really bad Italian accent. Say it with me: “Montepulciano!!!” Facts I hope you’re paying attention, because this is going to get tricky for a second! This wine is made from the Montepulciano grape; however there is ALSO a town called Montepulciano in Tuscany, which as it happens is nowhere near the Abruzzo region where this wine hails from….
Read More
Grapes 83% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot Facts Good God I love this stuff! Probably my favorite all time Merlot, and not just due to the cool bottle! It’s also probably my most recommended wine for someone looking to give a bottle as a gift. The Handprint Merlot can really be considered the signature wine out of the whole Meeker lineup. Each bottle is touched…
Read More