Monthly Archives: December 2018

This will be my last wine blog of the year, as I’m heading to Newfoundland on Monday for a week, to spend Christmas with my family.  I’ve decided to have a look at the past ‘Wines of the Week’, and come up with my favorite Top 10 finds of 2018.

10.  Mont Gras Antu Grenache Syrah & Carignan Blend

A gorgeous take on the GSM wines, but made with Carignan instead of Mourvedre.  This $25 bottle of wine is an award-winning blend out of Chile and really needs to be decanted or let it breathe for a while.  Once you do that, you will discover a delicous rich blended wine.

9.  J. Lohr Merlot

Voted top Merlot of the Show at our Festival of Wines here in Halifax, this beauty comes in at $30 but worth every penny.  Great comfort food wine, it’s 85% Merlot with some Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Syrah added in.  A very interesting wine, which I enjoyed more than once this past Fall

8.  Dile Rosso

This fabulous find from last Spring doesn’t seem to be available here any more, maybe you’ll have better luck.  Loved the shape of the bottle with room for your fingers and thumb carved right into the bottle for easy holding and pouring.  It’s Nebbiolo and Barbera dominant, it also under $20 and a fantastic pizza and pasta wine.

7.  Message In A Bottle

From Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, comes this wonderful Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Syrah and Merlot.  My local wine store were selling them out, so I just bought them all.  Great wine for $30, and I just stockerd up for $25, as I’m led to believe it’s a very limited release, so get it if you can.

6.  Monte Antico Toscana

My wine blogs tend to focus on finding great wines at great prices.  And this fit the bill when I discovered it last April.  Under $19 a bottle, and given lots of 90+ Point ratings, that’s what made it the wine of the week.  Another Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, I have bought it time and time again.

5.  Tormaresca Neprica

One of my favorite wines that came out of the Festival of Wines, and I always have a bottle in my wine rack.  Fantastic value at $20, this blend of Negromaro, Primitivo and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Puglia region of Italy is a great wine.

4. Villa di Conchi Cava

The best sparkling find of the year, no question.  I can’t believe this beautiful Cava from Spain is under $18 a bottle.  It comes in a beautiful gift box, which is great for gift giving and has those traditional sparkling flavors.  Think New Year Eve – think this wine.  It’s a great sparkling wine that won’t break the bank.

#3.  Paul Mas GSM

This too could have been my wine of the year, it’s a beautiful GSM, (a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.)  It’s full bodied and opulent and just $20.75 a bottle.  A great staple in your wine rack for all those winter comfort foods.

2.  La Baume Syrah

From the Languedoc Roussillion region of France comes this fantastic Syrah.  In 2010, this Syrah was given the title of Best Syrah In The World.  And it’s under $19.  Definitely worth making it into the Top 3 of 2018.  Any of my Top 3 could have been Number 1, and definitely worth trying.  This is a wonderful wine at a wonderful price point.

And now for my Wine of the Year…..

The Zonin Valpolicella Ripasso.

Never in my life have I found a 96-Point wine that sells for under $20.  Decanter Magazine gave it 96-Points, and so do I.  This fabulous wine spent 20 days on the skins and must of Amarone giving it those wonderful flavors.  My Wines of the Week spotlight great wines at great values and this was hands down the winner for the year.

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year to you and your family.  Thank you for reading and supporting me through my wine blog every week.  I really appreciate.

Until 2019, Cheers

Darlene

There’s no such thing as a hard-to-shop for wine lover.  No matter the budget, there’s a great wine waiting to be given and enjoyed.  It’s just a little over a week till Christmas, and if you’re panicking because time is running out, I’m here to make your life a little easier.   Here are some of my favourite wines that you can give as gifts to your favourite wine lover!

Under $15

Still the best wine under $15 at the liquor store.  Anciano Tempranillo is aged 7 years, is full-bodied and super smooth.  Easy to drink and easy to give as a gift.

Under $20

There is a big variety of great wines under the $20 price point.   Here’s one of my favourites

A Ripasso wine is a  Valpolicella grape  where the juice has been passed over skins and must from Amarone.   By doing this pass over, the wine receives flavours and aromas from highly aromatic Amarone wine.   And when you can find one for under $20, grab it because it’s a great deal.  This Zonin Ripasso is full-bodied and has so much flavour.   If you’re picking it up as a gift, you might want to grab one for yourself

Under $30

At $29.99  the winner of the best Merlot at our 2018 Festival of wines was this gorgeous beauty from California.   Food friendly and so approachable, its full-bodied flavors include raspberry and spice.

Under $50

Winemaker Josh Jensen set out to find soil that was similar to Burgundy France and found it in Central California.  Even the worlds most famous one critic, Robert Parker, calls Calera the most compelling  Pinot Noir wines.  If you would like to enjoy a taste of France this holiday season, pick up one of these bottles and you’ll get to enjoy the experience for a fraction of the price.

Enjoy the week, till next week cheers

Darlene

 

It’s Christmas party time.  Do you have a lot of parties to attend this month?  I do as well.  So I’ve combined some pairings for Christmas party foods and snacks, or great ideas you can give a hostess as a gift.  Let’s get right to it.

Sparkling wines pair wonderfully with most foods.  Especially hor d’oeuvres and party snacks.  Sparkling wines also pair well with appetizer courses like salads.  And if you are one of those people who doesn’t like Sparkling wine, this Villa Conchi comes in a beautiful gift box and is a great gift for giving.  It also helps it sell for less than $18.

Rose wine is not just for Summer.  A nice rose is welcome at any of my parties

This arrogant Frog out of France is around the $15 mark, so easy to bring, most people will like it, and its easy on the wallet.  This rose wine made from Syrah grapes is perfect for cheese and crackers as well as those little sausages and pigs in the blanket.  Plus, it looks really pretty and festive in a glass.

I’ve tried two spectacular white wines this past week.

I dropped in on a friend of mine, and she had company, so we all sat down and enjoyed a glass of this Kim Crawford Pinot Gris.  I’ve had the Pinot Noir and the Sauvignon Blanc before, but this was my first time enjoying the Pinot Gris and it was, in a word, fantastic.  I loved it.  Crisp and light with those gorgeous flavors of melon and citrus.  We enjoyed it sitting around and chatting, but this is also a great wine if you are planning any smoked salmon or seafood appetizers.

Sorry about the bad picture.  I tried a few new whites with my friend Amber at the NSLC this week, and I ended up buying this King Valley Chardonnay out of Australia.  It’s on sale and priced under $18 at the moment.  Great wine for your turkey dinner, the ham on Christmas Eve, or even if you’re planning on bringing in Chinese food this Christmas.  I loved this wine.

I was asked to my friends, the Golden Girls on Saturday night.  They recently took a river cruise and were in Bordeaux France.  They bought home this spectacular Bordeaux for us to try.  It was full-bodied and grippy and a stellar wine for a big piece of roast beef or steak.  Unfortunately you can’t buy the Chateau Lamothe-Bergeron here it in Nova Scotia but what a treat it was.  I was reading some reviews of this vineyard online, and the tour of this vineyard is considered the highlight of an5 visit to Bordeaux, France.

And now for my wine of the week….

 

The first picture is to show you the gorgeous color of this GSM blend from the Languedoc region of France.  GSM being a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.  It is so good, I now have two more bottles in my wine rack.  Full-bodied and opulent, I loved the finish on this wine.  It’s a great value at $20.75 here in Nova Scotia and as I’ve mentioned, I’ve been back to buy more.  As a matter of fact I bought it to our wine night last night, and everyone who tried it, loved it.  And last night for food treats,  we had everything from cheese and crackers, nachos, to veggies and dip. It’s a great blended wine that will be a welcome addition to any party, but try it with your favorite comfort food.  Stews, ribs, roast beef, you’ll think you’re in heaven.  I did.

I posted this yesterday on Wine In My Opinion’s Facebook page, because my news feed is either romaine lettuce being recalled or Kale.  Wine is definitely the safe bet.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene

Here we are, the first day of December.  For me, this month tends to go by the fastest.  I have to admit, I really like this month.  Social get togethers with friends, the food, and of course the wine.

Yes, it’s the month of the year when our check liver lights may come on.   Whether you like giving it as a gift, or enjoying it yourself, here are some great values for a month when money flies out the window.

This is the perfect gift wine, in my opinion.  It’s a beautiful looking bottle with the gold netting around it, which I don’t think is well represented in this picture.  This Spanish Tempranillo has been aged for 7 years before it’s released, which makes it especially super smooth.   I have also recently found out that the vines that the grapes are grown on are at least 30 years old.  There’s a saying that goes  “The older the vine, the sweeter the wine.”  And not sweet as in sweetness levels, sweet as in smooth and rich.  The best part about this wine, it’s only $15.99 a bottle.   In my opinion it’s probably the best deal in the liquor store.

Don’t let the paper bag fool you LOL.   Three Italian grape growers, two of them in their 80’s, who have been growing grapes for different vineyards for decades, decided to make a wine of their own.   The end product, is this red blend of Negromaro and Zinfandel.   These farmers use a method called ‘Albarello’ , which produces low yields and high quality grapes.   A delicious wine that pairs well with any meat dishes, especially BBQ.  This wine is also only $15.99 a bottle.

And now for my wine of the week ….

This is the wine I had last night, and shared it with a few friends who loved it as much as I did.   My friend Amber from the NSLC recommended it, and her words to me were “you’re going to say Oh my God”!   She was right.  The state of Washington has an interesting quirk when it comes to making Merlot, they tend to be more structured than Cabernet Sauvignon wines out of the area.   This is unique to Washington state and really not found anywhere else in the world.  This wonderfully full-bodied wine is smooth, supple, and has gorgeous flavours of cocoa, raspberry and spice.   A fantastic wine for $25 a bottle.

That’s it for this week. Enjoy every day of this wonderful month.

Till next week, Cheers

Darlene