VINEgeek

My cellar has been running low on everyday whites, so when I saw this bottle of Montes Sauvignon Blanc at Costco recently, I grabbed it. Chilean Sauvignon Blanc has impressed me in the past and Montes is a very reliable producer up and down the price scale. This wine is from their “Limited Selection” line and [...]

Tuesday night I opened a bottle of Stickleback Red 2008 from the Aussie winery Heartland. It was a Costco grab that intrigued me with it’s mix of grapes: the back label says it’s a blend of 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Shiraz, 5% Lagrein and 4% Dolcetto. Tastes more like 100% Smuckers. This is a major dark [...]

This wine was provided as a sample for review. — Juicy, zingy nose of citrus crossed with pineapple. A fresh green herb note. Plump citrus fruit on the palate, including a sense of orange zest, yet with a mineral/metallic edge. Nicely crisp. Finishes long, if a little hot for a Sauvignon Blanc. Very enjoyable. A terrific bargain [...]

———————— The photo above is of the BBQ pit at Smitty’s in Lockhart, Texas, one of my absolute favorite BBQ joints. This fire sits practically in the middle of the hallway as you enter and the smell in this little room is heavenly. Put this place on your bucket list. Image credit: jstorer via Flickr [...]

Opened another bottle of Vinho Verde a couple nights ago to go with our fish tacos. In the spirit of this post, I’m just going to serve up a Free Association and leave it at that. Santola Vinho Verde Free association: Image credit: Stéfan via Flickr

I love vinho verde. If you’re not familiar with vinho verde, you’ve got to rectify that. It’s a very light, low alcohol (<10%), slightly effervescent white white from Portugal. (Actually, it is an DOC appellation in Portugal and there are red and pink versions, but the vast majority of vinho verde that is exported is [...]

In the last Mourvèdre Monday post, I reviewed the Lorca 2006 Monastrell from Bodegas del Rosario. I wasn’t planning on doing this Lorca 2008 back-to-back with the last, but our dinner of chorizo, shrimp, olives and rice made me want to go to Spain with my wine choice, and this is the last Spanish Monastrell [...]

I already had a bottle of the 2008 Lorca waiting for it’s turn on Mourvèdre Monday when I saw this 2006 stacked up at Costco. I had high hopes this could be another nice Costco find. I originally intended to do a mini-vertical and open both of these at the same time for this post, [...]

This wine always catches my eye on the shelf, with it’s orange label and simple design. I’ve had past vintages and like it pretty well, so let’s see what’s up with the 2008. Carro Tinto 2008 Producer: Bodega Señorio de Barahonda. They put out 10 or 12 different bottlings of Monastrell or Monastrell blends under [...]

It’s been a little while since a Spanish Monastrell has made an appearance on Mourvèdre Monday. This one comes from Sierra Salinas in the Alicante region focused on the Monastrell grape. Producer: Bodegas Sierra Salinas Grapes: Primarily Monastrell (the Spanish name for Mourvèdre), with Garnacha Tintorera (which is not Garnacha/Grenache, but the same as Alicante [...]