At a friend requested, I am going to start regularly posting what I have bought and drank from the grocery store or from various websites in an effort to help others navigate the enormous world of wine.
This week I had a French Rose, a Sparkling Rose from California, a Sauv Blanc from New Zealand, a Chianti (Sangiovese) from Italy, and a couple Vivac wines that have not yet been released. From the photo you may recognize some of the labels and perhaps you are already purchasing these wines. As always, I am an advocate to drink what you like with what you want so ignore my opinion if it doesn't fit with your likes or dislikes.
Let's start with the still Rose. If you aren't familiar with wine lingo, "still" means not sparkling, it is just a regular wine. I am particularly fond of French Rose wines, from the petal pink citrus ones to the darker lush fruity ones, they all have a place in my heart. And if you are at the grocery store and can get some on a wicked discount, even better! A quick reminder, ALWAYS buy 6 bottles so you get the deep discount. Buy 1 bottle of 6 different wines, if you really like it, take a photo of the label and go back and buy more. Remember that the tag hanging from the shelf shows the regular price at the top, then the sale price on the lower left and the really important one is the one in the lower right that is if you buy 6 bottles (mix and match). If the price difference from the top number and the one in the lower right are at least $5 different, I consider it. In this particular case it took this rose down to under $10. And it was about right at that price. I would not pay over $10 for this wine, but it was just fine for watching TV on the sofa. The fruit was a little thin, the acidity was a bit over the top and it lacked character on the nose. Honestly I would have been just as happy with a can of Underwood.
Next was the Vivac Tempranillo 2021 which as I mentioned is not released yet, the 2020 is still for sale at the Tasting Room. The 2021 is less oaked which I prefer. Of course there are tons of Tempranillo fans out there that love the big smoky wines that are so popular, so please do buy the 2020. For those that like more integration and finesse, get ready to swoon with the 2021! Great mouth feel, nice rhythm of fruit over the palate all the way to the finish. $24 with discounts if you buy 6 or even more if you buy 12 and a big discount if you are a wine club member. I happen to be the best kind of member, an owner so I get mine for free and lets face it, no other wine tastes as good as a free one.
New Zealand Sauv Blanc is a standard in most homes. It has textbook flavors that hit the mark and are reliably constant. This one was on sale for under $10 and exactly what I thought it should be: fresh, fruity, aromatic and balanced. It was a little thin, but that is to be expected when shopping this price range. It is uncomplicated and tasty. We paired it with roast chicken and a warm New Mexican evening.
One of my favorite grapes on the planet, Sangiovese, can be light and tangy or deep and intense. Chianti is arguably the most famous of the world's regions for Sangiovese and for good reason. Chianti, like other regions in old world countries, has legal specifications for their wines and label them as such so that the young fruity rustic ones can be sold cheaply while the ones aging and maturing fetch a bigger price. That is a ridiculously simplified explanation and the winemakers of Chianti would probably not allow me to drink their wines if they knew I had boiled it down to that simplification. But this isn't a class on Chianti, it is a personal review of the wine and I really loved this wine! Ripe cherry with aromas of salami and herbs, a perfect balance of tannin and acid and excellent depth with tons of umami. It smelled and tasted like Tuscany. I bought it on wine.com on sale for $14, and have already reordered. it is fabulous. Tip: join their shipping club so that you pay once and then shipping is free after that. Also order a case at a time (mix and match) to lock in discounts.
The Sparkling Rose from California was on mega sale for $7 so I don't feel like I can really critique it, I mean it was $7! But if pushed, I'd say it was a little sweet for my preference. It is a Brut (dry) wine, but the fruit is overly ripe raspberry that felt cloying after the initial few sips. We sipped it while watching the "Trainwreck: Woodstock 99" documentary which was a nightmare of an event so maybe that colored my interpretation of the wine.
And lastly, is another Vivac wine. This is another sneak peak at a wine that isn't released yet, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2020 (still available at our tasting room) is also impressive, in fact our Cabs have always been stunners and one of the more fun wines to pour for people. Everyone is a self proclaimed Cab expert and this wine always shocks. It is full bodied, but has character and charm with finesse, balance and an appropriate amount of alcohol so that you can enjoy it on its own or with a meal and not feel completely clobbered over the head. The 2021 vintage was so magical, I opened a 2nd bottle because I wasn't ready to relinquish that baked pie fruit and velvety tannin combination. $32 (and don't forget the discount options I mentioned earlier with the Tempranillo) and absolutely worth the money... which sounds silly since I do get it for free, but I swear, if I didn't, I would be buying it in bulk. It isn't an open every day wine at that price, but it is a perfect Friday night dinner date wine, or a gift wine, or a hard week I owe it to myself wine.
Hopefully this helps give you some direction when you start shopping. My store happens to be a Smith's that I find myself at regularly, but they are all pretty similar when talking about these big wineries and they all structure their discounts the same way. Trader Joe's is another fun spot to shop, but I rarely find myself in the city that has one. And my favorite website is wine.com because I can shop from home, they have an excellent selection and you can make notes easily that you can reference later. Obviously Vivac is what I drink most of, but I am always trying other wineries, near and far. It would be easy to say Vivac is the best, but it is all relative... LOL I guess that pun is intended. I regularly analyse the wines, sometimes to my winemaker husband's chagrin, but I would not recommend a wine that I didn't fully stand behind. My personal favorites on our list right now are the Gruner Veltliner and the Chardonnay for the whites, and for the reds currently released, I am in love with the Abbott Merlot, the Montepulciano, the Malbec and the Divino. But honestly, my winemakers are killing it and the wines show a mature wise hand behind the crafting of them.
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