South Carolina Wine Joe

Dave Phinney, founder of Orin Swift Cellars, has taken an unusual approach to his "Locations" wine series.  Instead of creating wines that reflect a specific appellation or vineyard, he decided to blend the best grapes across appellations to produce a wine that represents a country or state of origin.  This often results in an unconventional blending of grapes such as found in Locations CA. Locations CA is blended from Tempranillo, Barbera, Petit Sirah and Grenache grapes from Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties and from the Sierra Foothills of California.  Surprisingly, the most common California red grapes- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel are not in this wine but after you taste this, you will agree that Mr. Phinney knew what he was doing.  The wine has 15% alcohol and was aged 10 months in French Oak. On the first night, I tasted blackberry, blue berry, dark cherry, oak and the wine finished with flavors of spice, herbs and cedar.  I ...

In the movie "Sideways", the lead character, Miles, describes the Santa Barbara region as the "promised land" of Pinot Noir.  Indeed, some of the best Pinot Noirs in the world come from Santa Barbara.  I cannot say that Santa Barbara is superior to Willamette Valley, Carneros, Russian River Valley or Sonoma Coast but I will say that this Santa Barbara Pinot from Trader Joe's is unsurpassed by any at this price ($12.99). The most impressive thing about this Pinot Noir is the multitude of flavors found in each sip.  The wine begins with dark cherry and dark fruit, but then you also taste cherry and strawberry, finishing with some oak and ample tannins.  It is almost like Pinot from Russian River Valley and Carneros were mixed together in one bottle.  You just say "wow this is good"!  SC Wine Joe rating = 91 points

On a recent trip to Costco, I found some new Spanish wines in the bins.  One that caught my attention was Hidalgo Tradicion H Rioja.  The label told me that the wine is a Rioja Riserva, the alcohol content is 14%, the grapes were harvested 5-1/2 years ago, and Wine Enthusiast rated the wine at 93 points.  The $14.99 price was very reasonable for such a wine. Rioja is a wine region in northern Spain, south of the Cantabrian Mountains.  The area experiences seasonal weather changes moderated by the mountains.  Grapes for red and white wines are grown, but red wines made primarily from the Tempranillo grape are dominant.  The grapes and aging procedures are controlled and a wine rated as "Reserva" must be aged at least 3 years, including one year in oak prior to release. Hildago Tradicion H Rioja is 100% Tempranillo and was likely released in 2016 since Wine Enthusiast did their rating in September 2016.  The wine just arrived at the Greenville, SC Co...

I do not remember a previous encounter with Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley.  It seems like a wine you would expect from Trader Joe's, but I have searched online and found no reference to this exact lot #88 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Perhaps this will be the first review.  The bottle provides no information about the wine and the vintner is identified as Russian River Winery which I could not find online. As you would expect from a Napa Cabernet, this is a dark, rich, full bodied wine.  I tasted flavors of blackberries, plum, cola and a hint of mocha.  There are dry, dusty tannins and a long finish.  I thought it was a very good Cabernet Sauvignon but not actually a great one.  The wine exceeds expectations for a $12.99 price and I would buy it again.  The wine has an alcohol content of 14.6%. SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

The Sonoma Coast AVA is the Pacific coastal region from from San Pablo Bay to Mendocino County.  Included in this region are parts of Carneros and the Russian River Valley.  The cool climate and higher rainfall than more inland parts of Sonoma County make this a great region for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.  My favorite Chardonnays from the Sonoma Coast are crisp, fruit forward wines without overpowering oak flavors. There is not much information available regarding specific regions of the Sonoma Coast that contribute to this wine and no information about fermentation and aging.  The wine is made byAvid winery which is led by a highly regarded winemaker. The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Chardonnay perfectly fits my preferences for Chardonnay.  The wine is only slightly creamy with fruit forward flavors of peach and tropical fruit.  The oak is present but not excessive and the wine has a relatively high alcohol content of 14.8%.  I really...

If you have ever shopped for Pinot Noir or Pinot Gris in Total Wines and More, you have seen Kudos Wines.  NW Wines, a maker of custom private label Oregon wines, produces the Kudos brand wines and you are not likely to find them anywhere except Total Wines where they are marketed as "winery direct" wines. Pinot Gris is a pink skinned mutation of the Pinot Noir grape.  It originated in Burgundy France and the same grape grown in Italy is called Pinot Grigio.  In Oregon, the wine is made in the French style and is therefore called Pinot Gris. This Pinot Gris is a refreshing blend of peach, pineapple and melon flavors.  There is an unmistakable honey flavor and the wine is sweeter than some Pinot Gris.  We liked the wine and would definitely buy it again.  The regular price for the wine is $14.49 but I used a 20% off coupon last month and paid $11.59.  If I did not have a coupon, I would pass on the wine and buy a popular name brand such as King Esta...

I previously mentioned that Lidl is having their Italian Wine Fair.  I like that Lidl displays a numerical rating for each wine based on the 100 point scale used by wine experts from major wine magazines and also by this blog.  It appears that Lidl has done their own ratings, but I have found them to be very reasonable and not inflated. I also like that Lidl's wine fairs give us the opportunity to try new grape varieties from unfamiliar regions without spending very much money.  These wines are not the finest wines of each grape or region for these prices and the downside is that I am not always enthusiastic about the wines. Of my original purchase of 6 wines, I am most enthusiastic about the Greco di Tufo which sells for $9.99.  In this case, Greco di Tufo is both the wine grape and the region.  Tufo is a small town in this region in Avellino, Campania.  This area is in southern Italy, east of Naples and north of Salerno.  A Greco di Tufo wine mus...

There are few wineries in South Carolina.  The climate is too warm to grow wine quality grapes.  However, as you go north from upstate South Carolina into North Carolina, the elevation increases and the climate is more suited to viticulture.  Within a 50 mile distance from Greenville, SC, there now are a number of wineries around Hendersonville and Tryon, North Carolina.  This past weekend, we visited Overmountain Vineyards near Tryon and we were quite impressed.  Our tasting was conducted on the lovely patio area overlooking the vineyards.  The tasting was $15 for 6 wines and the pours were very generous.  Our server was very pleasant and knowledgeable which added to the experience. Most importantly, the wines were outstanding.  We tasted:      Chardonnay 2016      Petit Manseng 2016      Camelia 2016, a blend of Chardonnay and Petit Manseng      Rose 2016 ...

Lidl began their USA Spring Italian Wine Fair on March 1, 2018.  19 Italian wines are included and until March 7, the wines are 40% off if you purchase 6 wines or more.  When I visited the local Lidl on the second day of the sale, many of the wines were temporarily sold out. The first wine from the wine fair that I tried was a Salice Salento Rosso 2016.  Salice Salento is a wine region in Italy centered on the town of the same name in the Provence of Lecce.  A Rosso from this region must be at least 75% Negroamaro grape.  There is not an obvious brand name on the bottle and the wine is 13% alcohol. This is a medium bodied wine with dry flavors of blackberry and blueberry.  There is not much oak flavor in the wine but there are some tannins on the finish.  Although this is certainly no special occasion wine, it delivers more than you would expect for the $6.99 price.  It would be a nice wine to pair with barbecue or red pasta. SC Wine Joe rat...