Chase Away January Blues

After the fun-filled month of December, January can seem like a very long month.  But I know a way to help chase away January blues.  A couple of great new wines.

Because I end the year with a  ‘The Best of 2017’ blog and start the New Year with a ‘2018 Wine Trends’ blog, I haven’t had the opportunity to tell you about some of the amazing wines I had over Christmas.  This was a banner season for trying great new wines.

Beringer is one of the long standing wineries in California, started back in 1876 by two brothers.  Beringer puts out some amazing wine, and they have something for everyone’s price range.  The Founders Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is the wine my parent’s had waiting for me when I got off the plane in Newfoundland.  Sadly you can’t buy this great wine in Nova Scotia, and it runs about $21 there.  When I arrive, my parents like to sit down with a glass of wine and we catch up.  Even though I talk to them on the phone at least twice a week, it’s still not the same as doing it face to face.  This was very good with cherry and vanilla notes, and although I enjoyed it sitting and chatting, it would be very food friendly.

So when I was home it snowed……. a lot!!  My parents live in an area of senior’s cottages, and normally snow clearing is included.  However, I guess the snow clearing guys had all of Christmas off, because we didn’t see them through 4 days of snow.  I shoveled a lot while I was home, which made this wine even more enjoyable.

I’ve always said ‘if anyone thinks I’m hard to shop for, they don’t know where the wine store is”!  My nephew paid attention and bought me this gorgeous wine as a Christmas gift, which I enjoyed fully after a day of shoveling in Corner Brook.  The winemaker for this lovely wine, Steve Peck, says this is a great expression of the kind of grapes and wine that really shows the Paso Robles region.  Paso Robles is situated between Los Angeles and San Francisco and is known for wine and olives.  This is a favorite of mine with notes of black currant and cocoa.  Beautifully structured with a good grip making for a great steak wine.

And now it’s time for my wine of the week….

My wine of the week this week hails from Argentina.  I’ve written about this sister wine previously,  the Trapiche Gran Medalla Cabernet Sauvignon.  It had made my wine of the week about two years ago, when I gave a bottle of it to my friend Bobby Mac for his 50th Birthday and bought one for myself.  It was spectacular, so the Malbec was on sale recently and I decided I wanted to try it.  Well, one of my better decisions.  I had the 2013 vintage and it was a fantastic wine .  The Decanter World Wine Awards gave this wine and this vintage 95 Points.  And regular price it’s only $26.  That’s why it’s my wine of the week, I can’t remember a 95 Point Wine for under $30.  Opulent fruit flavors, great structure, and a really nice finish help make this wine my first wine of the week for 2018.

On the bright side, we are almost half way through what some consider the longest month of the year.  I can already see the days getting longer.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene