Wine on NO Budget

One of the focuses of our Blog is to try and keep the realm of wine to the practical and reasonable.  Obviously, most people have a budget in mind when they go shopping for wine.  That budget could be $10 or $100 depending on the person and their means.  Today we are talking about wine on NO budget (that could even be wine on someone else's budget).  There was a quote online today, when a wine expert was asked what is your favorite wine, the expert responded, "My favorite wine is the one that someone else pays for.", to which we say quite right.

One of our best wine experiences was when a good friend and co-worker of Shannon's gave us the privilege of enjoying a 1995 Les Forts De Latour from the prestigious Chateau Latour family.  The wine was excellent but made even more spectacular with the fact that the wine had a price tag of around $400 USD.  That is a truly memorable experience. 

So our question of the day, what is your wine on NO Budget moment?  Was it at a Christmas party where the Boss picked up the tab on a pricey bottle, or was there a splurge moment where you just went for it on the bottle that cost the price of a week's groceries? 

Whatever the occasion or reason, they usually are memorable.  You may not even remember what the wine was like, but you sure remember the circumstances that preceded the drinking of it.

Let us know!

Keep on drinking!

Chris & Shannon

Inexpensive California Pinot Noir - from Napa No Less

This evening's wine choice was a 2009 Meridian Pinot Noir from Napa and at $13.99 a pretty good value.  It was a nice wine, not anything amazing but for the price it was a solid purchase.  The wine had the typical Pinot Noir look with some transparency in the wine but the tastes were of vanilla and strawberries.  Not sure if there is Oak at play or not but we are sure that the wine has some unique characters that make it a good Monday night wine. 

We enjoyed the movie Sideways like many other Wine Lovers and we were trying to find an appropriate quote to use, this one stood out:

Jack: Man! That's tasty!
Miles Raymond: That's 100% Pinot Noir. Single vineyard. They don't even make it any more.
Jack: Pinot Noir?
Miles Raymond: Mmm-hmm.
Jack: Then how come it's White?
Miles Raymond: [laughs] Oh, Jesus. Don't ask questions like that up in wine country. They'll think you're some kind of dumbshit, OK?
To shamelessly steal an idea from Gary Vaynerchuk...Question of the day (QOTD):

Do you have a purchase in mind when you arrive at the Wine Shop/LC or do you browse until you find something interesting? 

All answers welcome and encouraged!

Keep on drinking...wait that doesn't sound good...or does it?

Chris & Shannon

Blind Tasting at Gaspereau Vineyards

The Fields at Gaspereau Vineyards

We had a unique and interesting afternoon tasting at Gaspereau Vineyards in the Annapolis Valley here in Nova Scotia.  For the month of November they are offering a blind tasting for anyone that wants to try and guess their wines.  Guess all six and be entered for a chance to win a prize (not named at this point).

The staff person (did not get her name - our bad) was delightful and busy.  She did a great job trying to balance those tasting (blind or not) and those coming in to buy wine (of which there were many).

For the blind tasting you get to try three whites and three reds (free of charge - which is another huge plus for Gaspereau - great jobs guys) and try and guess the varietal or blend.  The challenge was a challenging one indeed and we freely admit to not being up on our white wines from Nova Scotia - which are delicious.  That said, we dove into the whites and attempted to choose the type from the small tasting provided and by going back and forth and reading the back labels on the bottles to pick up any hints we could.  We also found ourselves second guessing our reds as well but in the end we made our choices and stuck to them.  All in all we got four out of six, nailing all the reds, and mixing up two of the whites.  It was so much fun!  We highly recommend their wines but an event like this keeps us coming back for more.  To anyone who can make it down to the Wolfville area in Nova Scotia before the end of the month we encourage you to put your palate to the test at Gaspereau.  At the time of this post, there were under twenty ballots in the box, so if you can pull it off your chances of winning a prize are pretty good.  Bonne Chance!

Spanish Wine - Satisfying Wine at a Satisfying Price

Last evening we enjoyed a nice little Syrah/Garnacha from Spain called Beso de Vino (http://www.besodevino.com/) - evidently receiving 90 points from the Wine Advocate by Robert Parker.  It was surprisingly complex and dark with a deep Garnet colour and a variety of flavours that make for a very pleasant tasting experience.

We have found Spanish wine to be rustic and highly flavourful as a rule.  The Spanish love Oak (just like we do) and they like their wines bold (just like we do).  That has made for a wonderful journey through the various regions of Spain that extend beyond Rioja and Ribera Del Duero to places such as Bierzo (LOVE Mencia), Carinena, and La Mancha.  Spain seems to just be a wine journey of deliciousness and a place we would love to visit sooner than later. From the whites like Albariño and Verdejo to the bold Tempranillo and luscious Garnacha, the wines of Spain have so much to offer and the prices keep us coming back for more and more....

Our recommendation is to try them, you will like them.  Here are a couple of well priced producers:

Bodega Finca Antigua (producers of Tempranillo, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon - the 2005 was a gem)

Torres (one of the largest wine producers in Spain which makes a lot of good value wines such as San Valentin Garnacha, Coronas, Sangre del Toro, Ibéricos, and many more)

Bodegas Piqueres (great Monastrell and Syrah from the Valcanto label - again at a great price as well as Castillo de Almansa label)

Bodega Del Abad (the Abad Dom Bueno Mencia is delicious - especially the 2007 if you can find it)

La Bascula (especially the 2006/2008 'The Charge' Tempranillo/Garnacha and the Catalan Eagle Garnacha Blanca/Viognier)

Welcome to Our Blog - Blog Post #1

As wine drinkers (daily wine drinkers) we feel like there is not a voice for those who enjoy wine regardless of its price point, pedigree, or rating.  We have, what we consider to be, fairly well educated palates.  We are Red Wine drinkers who do not mock those who only drink White Wine or White Zinfandel.  Nothing should stand between someone and their preferred wine, whatever that wine may be.

We live in the $10-20 range and a tasting bargain at $15 which tastes like a $30 wine is more exciting to us than a $30 magical wine that tastes like $100.

We set no pretense on the wine other than it must taste good.  That said, we do not roll over for wines that promise a lot but deliver little.  In today's economy with the wine options available and the fact that we do not HAVE to drink wine regularly (even though we do) the value for what we buy is important.  The joy that wine brings to our lives can never be understated.  The enjoyment of food, friends, and good conversation is always enhanced by wine and that makes life that much better.

Though we live in Canada, which is somewhat archaic when it comes to the treatment of wine as a food, we made our in roads into the wine world while living in South Florida where the price and availability of wine from around the world hooked us and hooked us good.

The goal of this blog is to discuss the wine of the everyday wine drinker with special occasion wines thrown in for fun.  While we don't prescribe to the Yellow Tail Shiraz set, we do not judge either as Yellow Tail Shiraz is a halfway decent way to enjoy a steak! 

To our fellow Wine Drinkers on a budget, just keep on drinking! 

Pour votre santé!

Chris & Shannon
The Unfussy Wine Enthusiasts