Good morning, everyone! I hope you had a good Thanksgiving Day in this strangest of years, with a bountiful feast and your choice of very good wine. We celebrated with an excellent red wine from Ventoux, one of the best values I’ve run across in a while.
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Startlingly good for the price, this red Ventoux wine is made from typical Southern Rhône grapes: Syrah and Grenache show themselves clearly in bright red-berry and plum fruit, fragrant black pepper, and a subtle hint of bacon on the nose and palate, with pepper and intriguing stony minerality on the palate. Mourvèdre and Carignan are also in the blend. Good acidic balance makes it a fine companion with food, and palatable but distinct tannic astringency in the finish suggests at least moderate aging potential. It’s probably above midway in the label’s 11-14% range, but it’s not hot nor harsh. This wine may not be easy to find, but grab it if you can.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Bonpas Grande Réserve des Challières Ventoux on Wine-Searcher.com.
If the Ventoux Grande Réserve de Challieres is hard to find, check Wine’Searcher for the similar Côtes du Rhône Réserve de Bonpas.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to find listings for dozens of other wines from Ventoux.
Did you pop open a celebratory bottle of bubbly last Saturday? Chances are that the answer to this question depends on your politics. But one thing is certain: Within moments after the Associated Press called the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, sales of sparkling wines spiked.
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Something about a French sparkling wine named in honor of the third, French-loving American president seemed just right to me, and the proof of the bottle was in the tasting: This good, pink-shaded, Pinot Noir-laced sparkler from Limoux in the French Pyrenees hit the spot, and it’s just as good for a quiet evening at home as it is for a celebration.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux “Cuvée Thomas Jefferson” Brut Rosé on Wine-Searcher.com.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read more about Crémant de Limoux and browse listings for dozens of other sparkling wines from the region. Read article.
The Ruchè grape is native to Piedmont and grown only in the area northwest of the city of Asti. The grape was new to Neil Duarte, but once he made its acquaintance, he was impressed and wanted to share. Read article.
Today I’m going to tell you about a really good, reasonably priced, organic wine. Does this announcement make any of you want to run away? Organic food and drink, it seems, is controversial. I have friends who swear by organic; friends who believe it’s a waste of money, and probably the largest group, those in the middle.
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Perrin “Nature” shows a pretty garnet color, clear and fairly dark. Good, open scents of ripe raspberries and raspberry liqueur and a subtle touch of licorice lead into a fresh, bright flavor of red and black berries and a dash of white pepper, framed by mouth-watering acidity and perceptible tannins. It’s made from certified organically grown Grenache and Syrah grapes.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Perrin “Nature” Côtes du Rhône on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read more about Côtes du Rhône and follow this Wine-Searcher link to browse listings for dozens of other wines from the region. Read article.
Who’d like a nice glass of Soave? If this question prompted you to roll your eyes, you may want to consider an attitude adjustment. Yes, it’s true that this Italian white wine from the Veneto region of Northeastern Italy earned itself a rather lackluster reputation over recent generations. But times have changed.
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Made from the Veronese Garganega variety, this attractive Soave from Tenuta Santa Maria is a light greenish color, a distinct brassy hue. Its light but delicious aromas speak of orange peel and lemon alongside subtle pear and melon scents. Its dry, pleasantly acidic flavor fills the mouth with gentle mixed-fruit flavors that follow the nose, with hints of fresh herb and limestone minerality with light 12.5% alcohol. Remarkably, there’s a distinct whiff of salt – a common descriptor for Soave – in a long, snappy finish.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Tenuta Santa Maria “Lepiga” Soave on Wine-Searcher.com.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to learn more about Soave and browse dozens of other wines from the region.
Read article.
Cantina Pertinace is a cooperative located near the town of Treiso in the Langhe Valley of Piedmont not far from the city of Alba. The Cantina Pertinace cooperative consists of 20 growers who produce a variety of grapes,including Nebbiolo, Barbera, Arneis, and Dolcetto. It has a total of 110 hectares of vineyard under cultivation from which it produces approximately 800,000 bottles/year including 250,000 bottles of Barbaresco.
The winery proudly states that its Barbaresco is produced in the Classic Style … Read article.
