Varietal:  100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region:  Columbia Valley, Washington – USA
Cost:  ~$9-$10

Winemaker’s Notes:  Deep color leads the aromatics of blackberry and forest floor. Juicy raspberry and strawberry notes marry with black pepper on the mid-palate. This smooth Cabernet finishes with supportive tannins and lingering developed fruit.

My Review:  I’ve tried a few bottles from Original House Wines in the past, in no small part because they were budget wines and, to be perfectly honest, their labels amuse me.

So with the wife out for a girls night with some friends, it was time to fire up the grill, throw on a steak, and open up a bottle of wine.

I’d picked up my steak and baked potato at the store, and while perusing the wine aisle using my Thumbs Up Wine Finder App, I kept running into a problem – they didn’t have the wines I was picking via tha app. It happens, but it was admittedly becoming frustrating, so that when I saw the label for the Steak House Cabernet, I shrugged my shoulders, picked up the bottle, and checked out.

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Tags: blackberry, Columbia Valley, Original House Wines, raspberry, strawberry, Walla Walla

Varietal:  91% Cabernet Sauvignon; 5% Cabernet Franc; 4% Syrah
Region:  Napa Valley/Rutherford AVA, CA – USA
Cost:  $52 (SRP)

Winemaker’s Notes:  Black pepper, schist, dried leaf nose. Cedar, licorice, and black cherry flavors complement elengant lush tannins that provide lift to the long, juicy finish.

My Review:  Bottles show up at my front door fairly regularly. I typically let the bottles rest for bewteen 7 and 10 days, depending on the weather and how busy I am, before I even contemplate opening them for review. The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Mira Winery, however, was forced to wait a little longer.

Not that I was worried the wine had been upset during transport because of extreme heat. Quite the opposite in fact. Cold weather was presenting a problem for me in that I very much wanted to pair this wine with a steak, and the weather was simply not cooperating, with chilly temperatures and dreary, damp weather when  it wasn’t obnoxiously cold for the time of year.

But, as with all things, the weather changed, and on the first warm, sunny day we’d seen in better than a month, my wife and I fired up the grill, seasoned a steak, and opened up the bottle to sit down to dinner.

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Tags: black cherry, black pepper, cedar, smooth finish, steak wine, tea leaves

To celebrate a great six months of growth, Underground Cellars, whom I’ve talked about in the past,  is offering up a new giveaway. The Sonoma Winecation Giveaway to be exact.

Enter today at http://www.undergroundcellar.com/winecation to win a VIP trip for yourself and 3 friends to Sonoma, where you’ll stay at the Villa Terra Nova, recieve a private, behind the scenes tour of Iron Horse Vineyards, which I’ve visited before and has some pretty amazing wines, and enjoy a chef’s dinner at award winning “The Girl and the Fig“.

Roundtrip airfare and transportation are included, along with “other surprises” that are sure to make the trip worth it. Sign up today and remember that I told you about this and that we’re really best friends.

Tags: Iron Horse Vineyards, the girl and the fig, underground cellars, villa terra nova, wine giveaway, winecation

There are lots of publications that touch, to varying degrees, the subject of drinks, including wine, beer, and spirits. I was recently sent a copy of the second edition of Alquimie (pronounced Alchemy), and I have to say, it’s pretty impressive.

I won’t go into details of the individual pieces within the publication, only to say that it covers a nice range of topics, nearly all of which appealed to me. Interviews, reviews of drinks, food recommendations, Alquimie presents a publication that should appeal to anybody that’s interested in food & drink.

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Tags: Alquimie, wine magazines, wine publications

Last week I was fortunate enough to participate in the monthly VA Wine Chat hosted by Frank Morgan from Drink What YOU Like and featuring wines from Williamsburg Winery and a chat with Matthew Meyer. You can see the whole chat over at UStream (http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/45107981) or embedded below, so I’ll let you watch Frank have a great chat with Matthew as opposed to try and combine an hour chat into a few lines.

As for the tasting, we tried three different wines. One white, the 2012 Midsummer Night’s White, and two reds, the 2010 Virginia Trianon Cabernet Franc and the 2010 Gabriel Archer Reserve.

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Tags: Frank Morgan, Matthew Meyer, VA Wine Chat, Williamsburg Winery

When talking to people for the first time, and the subject of this website comes up, a lot of people will ask for advice on which wines they should buy. Part of it is they believe I’m a good source of information on wines that they might not normally try. The other all too common reason is that they get overwhelmed when walking into a wine shop.

Here’s a bit of a secret – I get overwhelmed sometimes too.

Let’s be honest, whether walking into your locally owned wine shop or a Total Wine, the options on potential wines can be a bit overwhelming. There are apps that can help you narrow down the field, but they aren’t always up to date, and many of them focus on vintage.

Enter the new book from Tom Stevenson – “Buy The Right Wine Every Time: The No-Fuss No-Vintage Wine Guide”.

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See larger image Buy the Right Wine Every Time: The No-Fuss, No-Vintage Wine Guide (Paperback) By (author): Tom Stevenson Are you someone who drinks wine, but doesn't think wine? Who hates pretentious “winespeak”—but would like help finding new wines to try? Then, this guide is for you! In short, it provides expert information for nonexperts who want to get the most satisfaction for their money. Celebrated wine critic Tom Stevenson lifts the lid on branded wines, revealing which of the most widely available varieties are consistently the best-whatever the vintage or price. He groups wines by cost, rates them by style (so you can see which ones are similar to your favorites), and provides an A-Z of recommended, highly recommended, and to-die-for choices.   List Price: $14.95 USD New From: $2.94 USD In Stock Used from: $7.03 USD In Stock

Tags: book reviews, buy the right wine every time, non-vintage buys, tom stevenson