South Carolina Wine Joe

I have been enjoying Sinergia from Costco for several weeks.  I initially selected it because it was rated 92 points by Wine Enthusiast, it is made with organic grapes and Costco was selling this wine  for $9.99.  Although we are eating lighter fare and drinking white wines and Pinot Noir during the summer, we have gone through 3 or 4 bottles of this Cabernet. The grapes for Sinergia are from Valencia on the east coast of Spain.  Valencia is better known for oranges than for wine, but there is a thriving wine industry.  Monastrell is the most widely grown grape but many other varieties are also grown.  Casa Los Frailes has a history dating back 300 years and specializes in Monastrell and other Spanish grapes.  The winery's website does not indicated any recent vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sinergia is a fruit forward, easy drinking Cabernet Sauvignon.  There are flavors of blackberry and hints of chocolate with mild tannins.  Several we...

In my never ending search for great Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley Oregon priced under $20, I found Point North Pinot Noir 2015 at my local wine shop.  Point North was produced by Sean Minor, a Napa County based wine maker.  Sean Minor primarily produces wines from California but began wine making with King Estates in Oregon.  In this Pinot Noir he is pointing north to his Oregon roots. This wine pours a medium dark garnet color with aromas of raspberry.  On the palate. there are flavors of raspberry and cherry finishing to black cherry and spice.  This wine has more body than usual for a Pinot Noir in this price range making it suitable for pairing with salmon or barbecue. Point North is not a widely distributed wine.  The retail price of this wine is $22 and my local wine shop prices it at $19.  Wine Enthusiast reviewed the wine and rated it at 87 points and I strongly disagree with that assessment. SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

Dreaming Tree Wines is a collaboration between musician Dave Matthews and New Zealand wine maker Sean McKenzie.  Dave Matthews is not new to the wine business and we previously visited his Blenheim Winery near Charlottsville, Va. which we greatly enjoyed.  The goal of Dreaming Tree is to make good approachable wines at an affordable price. Dreaming Tree Crush 2016 is produced from grapes grown in the California North Coast (67%) and the Central Coast (15%).  The blend for this wine is 54% Merlot, 18% Zinfandel. 18% Petite Sirah, 4% Tannat and 6% other grapes. The alcohol content is listed at 13.5%. This wine has jammy fruit flavors which will appeal to many wine drinkers.  I initially liked it a lot, but as I drank it, I became more and more aware of its sweetness.  My final conclusion is that the wine is purposely made slightly sweet to appeal to a specific group of wine drinkers that does not include me.  I paid $10.79 for this at Costco which is ro...

It has been a long time since Total Wine has sent me a coupon that is not limited to their "winery direct" wines, but last month I received such a coupon.  I am sure it was intended for a new neighbor with an address similar to mine (welcome to the neighborhood) but I was not going to give it back.  When I went to the store to use the coupon, I wanted to try one new Oregon Pinot Noir and after scouring the shelves, I selected Left Coast Pinot Noir Willamette Valley.  Left Coast Cellars and Vineyard is a 490 Acre Estate in Rickreall Oregon, west of Salem which utilizes certified sustainable practices.  Cali's Cuvee combines all blocks and all Pinot Noir clones from the vineyard.  The wine is aged in French oak and has 13.5% alcohol. The wine begins with bright red fruit, especially raspberry, flavors and finishes with sour cherry.  We paired this with steelhead trout and it was excellent.  My preference would be less sour on the finish. Total Wine...

We love to celebrate special occasions with sparkling wine.  The "tiny bubbles" come from the wine's carbon dioxide content which can result from one of three processes:      1.  The Traditional Method, also known as Methode Champenoise, occurs where fresh yeast is added to the wine in the bottle causing a secondary fermentation in the bottle.  We know that yeast plus sugar creates alcohol and carbon dioxide.  This method creates very tiny bubbles and is the one used in Champagne.      2,  The Charmat Method involves fresh yeast and sugar added into wine held in pressurized steel tanks.  This method is used in Prosecco.      3.  Carbon Dioxide injection is used in soda pop and the cheapest sparkling wines. Sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France may only be made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes using the Methode Champenoise process.  Most of us drink Champagne to celebrate our mo...

We just returned from a trip to the Hudson River Valley where we visited several wineries.  Growing wine grapes in a cold climate with a short growing season is difficult in this part of New York.  Most vineyards grow only hybrid grapes developed to withstand the cold climate and most wineries depend heavily on grapes imported from the Long Island and Finger Lakes AVA's.  One exception is Millbrook Vineyards and Winery which was the first farm to successfully grow and vinify vinifera grape varieties in the Hudson River Valley. John Dyson was the New York State Commissioner of Agriculture in 1975 when he met Dr Konstantin Frank, who was pioneering the growth of vinifera grapes in the Finger Lakes.  Dr. Frank encouraged Dyson to try his methods to the Hudson River Valley.  In 1979, Dyson and his wife bought an abandoned 130 acre dairy farm near Millbrook, N.Y. which he eventually converted into vineyards and a winery.  The first commercial wine was released...