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Cheers to GrapeSmart!

Psst…Did you see it?

GrapeSmart (and, specifically, yours truly), was just featured in The Tasting Panel magazine’s November 2011 edition!

But enough about me. Let’s talk about me!

Well. Why don’t I just let you read for yourself…

Wines of Substance

Being a founding member of a Seattle based wine group titled “Cork Dorks,” it should come as no surprise that I have fallen in love with a brand that talks nerdy to me.

Wines of Substance is a Washington winery stationed in the south sector of Walla Walla.  With branding based off of the periodic table and packaging that is geek sheik, this is surely a brand that all nerds, geeks and dweebs can get behind.

Beyond the alluring packaging and savvy branding concept, Substance makes some killer juice with a not-so-wallet-killing pricing structure, (whites range between $15 and $18 while reds range between $18 and $20).  With a dozen varietals to chose from, it would be easy for any wine lover to find something that they would surely enjoy.

Today’s pick is a two-for-one.  With the beginning of autumn, I would like to have one last hurrah for a summer favorite of mine: Sauvignon Blanc.  The Substance Sauvignon Blanc, (Sb) from years’ past have always been something that I have enjoyed, but I can honestly say that I was blown away with the 2010.  In the past, the Sb was very New Zealand-esque, but with the 2010, the crew from Substance clearly ripped a page from the book of Sancerre.  I love Sancerre style Sauvignon Blanc, so one can only imagine the excitement that came over me when I found something similar from my home state.  With stunning aromas of lemon zest, lemon grass and fresh cut grass, I couldn’t believe that this wasn’t Sancerre.  The flavors on the palate surely don’t disappoint either; fresh citrus, stone fruit, screaming acid and stoney minerality, the Substance Sb is definitely one of my favorite white wines from 2010.

Now, onto part two of our double feature.

Realizing that all good things must come to an end, I am embracing the autumn season with arms wide open.  When I think of early autumn wines, I think of red wines with great acidity that aren’t too heavy or over extracted.  Substance Counoise (Co), enter stage left.  I will admit that I love obscurity in most aspects of my life, and the same definitely stands true with wine.  Counoise is a grape that many may not be familiar with, so let’s have a quick little history lesson, (there may or may not be test at the end of this post, so be sure to pay close attention).

Counoise is a dark skinned grape grown primarily in the Rhône Valley region of France.  Although it is primarily used in blending to add notes of pepper and to bolster acidity, it can definitely make for a fun wine by itself.

The 2009 Co is a great example of what Counoise can do on its own.  Being harvested from the Forgotten Hills Vineyard within the Walla Walla AVA, one familiar with the site can expect some serious terroir funk.  Aromatically, this wine is expressive, inviting and bright.  Right away, you will smell bing cherry, peppercorn and wet cobblestone.  On the palate, the Co dances around beautifully with great acidity and flavors of cherry cola, iodine and white pepper.  This wine is definitely going to be different from much that you have had in the past, but it is well worth the exploration.

Fear not, there is no test.  However, I employ all of you to head to your nearest wine shop and ask about Wines of Substance.

Live long and prosper!

The Rhône wine region is an AOC (Appellation d’origine controlee) in Southern France, probably best known in the US as the homeland of Châteauneuf-du-Pape—a popular wine that can contain as many as 18 different grape varietals (even white).

Not satisfied with letting the French have all the fun, in the 1980’s a group of winemakers from California’s Central Coast – John Alban (Alban Vineyards), Bob Lindquist (Qupe) and Randall Grahm (Bonny Doon Vineyards) – began planting Rhône varietals like Syrah, Grenache and Viognier. The vines took hold—and so did marketing efforts—and the Rhone Rangers was born, keeping Americans safe from the threat of drinking something boring.

Today, the Rhone Rangers include almost 200 member wineries, producing wine from any of the 22 different grapes sanctioned by the AOC for Rhône juice. Some wines are single variety, some are blends—and many can be tasted at Rhone Rangers tasting events, like the one which took place on Sunday, August 8, at Pier 59 Studios West, in Santa Monica.

Those who saddled up and trekked over had the chance to taste Marsanne-Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre and others, from the likes of Cline Cellars, Tablas Creek Vineyard (which is an offshoot of the actual Rhône winery Chateau Beaucastel), Koehler Winery, Edward Sellers Vineyards & Wines, Qupe, Justin Winery and more. Schaffer’s Genuine Catering provided food for the day. When the event ended at 5, many of the wineries headed to Pourtal wine bar, where they poured their wines for kemo sabes old and new before riding off into the sunset.

If you missed the tasting but want to scout out these delicious juices [Ed note: Rhône varietals tend to be Jess and my favorites], many of them are surprisingly affordable and – like Grenache, in particular – are starting to gain in popularity. I’ve even seen some in the grocery store! Then, of course, there is always next year’s Rhone Rangers tasting…

Rhone Rangers Hi-Ho

Here at GrapeSmart we’re BIG fans of the email newsletter Tasting Table. Always up to date and interesting, we get the latest food & wine news both for Los Angeles and at a national level. They have lots of other cities/metro areas, too.

We frequently ask you to sign up because we KNOW you’ll love it, too. Now they’re incentivizing you further! Sign up for their FREE newsletter and you’ll be entered to win $2010 worth of OXO products! (By the way, we’re also huge fans of OXO products.)

Don’t know what OXO is? They’re ergnomically designed kitchen tools like spatulas, garlic presses, measuring cups, etc. You name it, they make it, and they almost always make it better than everyone else.

Now, how much more incentive could you possibly need? GO! SIGN UP NOW!

Learn About Wine...here!

Wine bars are all the rage right now. In fact, here in Los Angeles it almost seems like we’ve got about as many new enotecas as marijuana dispensaries. Trust me, that’s a lot of vino.

While I’ve been loving this trend, I have also really noticed that there is a distinct lack of wine education offered by these establishments. It’s rare to find a place that hosts classes or opportunities to learn about what they have on the menu and why. Often the waiters are kind and helpful and exuberant, but they can’t really offer a breakdown of what went into the bottle – and how one can get the most out of it.

To fill that void, Los Angeles is lucky to have Ian Blackburn leading us from the levels of oeno-ignorance to aficionado. Through his company, Learn About Wine, he offers everything from Intro to Wine classes; to Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Pairings; to credential programs for consumers and professionals.

Ian also organizes grand tasting events which gather the best of the bunch across a wide array of categories. Often, the actual vintners are present to discuss their product and, without condescension, answer all questions. Everyone – novice and expert alike – leave having learned something.

On Wednesday, January 27th, Ian is partnering with Wally’s Wines and Spirits to offer a tasting of hundreds of Bordeaux’s best wines. Most of the actual Chateau owners are turning out for this Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux event, and will be pouring and discussing their own.

When was the last time you got that at a wine bar?

At $49 per ticket, this tasting is actually a fraction of the price of a single bottle of Grand Cru! Tickets are still available, and I encourage you to come out and enjoy this experience.

Our Bordeaux knowledge went from 0-60 at the BevMo! tasting that featured 100 Bordeaux wines and it helped us better understand French wine, winemaking, and red blends from around the world. We highly recommend these types of events in general, but this one will be special.

If you’re ready to learn about wine, Ian Blackburn’s Learn About Wine events are the way to go. And if you’re going to go, the Union des Grand Crus tasting is a great place to start.

Register today to get your spot!

[Editor's note: This post has been updated... at the end of the post]

Many moons ago, in a land far far away (90-ish miles south) I used to only buy wine at Cost Plus World Market. In those days the prices seemed good and you could sum up my wine knowledge/experience with a phrases like these, “1994 Chardonnay is good” and ” I think I like Pinot Grigio.” I was more of a tequila girl in those days and I really went to Cost Plus for those heavenly Belgian Chocolates (note: only heavenly if you like hazelnut and chocolates with creamy centers) and to buy a papasan chair.

Over the years, we’ve wandered in to the one near us a few times. We’ve discovered it’s a great place to purchase lightweight Christmas gifts that travel cross-continent in our luggage very well. We’ve also discovered that they have great prices on Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label around the holidays. I’m not sure why, but I added myself to their email list and over the last several months the company has been significantly gearing up the importance of wine in their stores and improving their online presence.

At first the wines scared me. I hadn’t heard of 95% of them, the prices were either ordinary or the wines were so cheap I didn’t trust them, and the mediocre ratings didn’t increase my likelihood of purchasing. But lately… the only thing stopping me from making a CPWM run is the 20-something bottles of wine I already have in the house.

Regardless, here are the pros and cons I’ve been weighing on the decision to go try wines from Cost Plus World Market.

Pro: Unbelievable prices. I’ve used a couple of wines that they sell to make assessments about their general prices (specifically in search of the answer to “how good is the deal?”). The aforementioned Veuve at $34.99 a bottle (sale price any time of year, including the holidays) made me sit up and take notice. I’ve consistently seen that their prices are under $15 for just about everything. Also, they’re constantly sending (seemingly) great deals that are even lower than their already-low prices.

Pro: The list of wines is starting to include wine regions I know and like: Today’s email caught my attention with a Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero (see my post about the Vina Santurnia Tempranillo) for $6.99 a bottle (normally $9.99). $9.99 is a low price (though not bargain-basement) for a Tempranillo from this region in Spain. $6.99 is a steal and I really want to try it.

Pro: The list of wines is starting to include wines I know and like. After catching my attention in the email, I browsed the website for a bit and was surprised to find these wines which I know and like

• Franciscan Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon (shop it)
• Conundrum (shop it)
• Simi Cabernet Sauvignon (shop it)
• Bodega Norton Reserve Malbec
• and many many more well known wines

Con: The website doesn’t publish a LOT of their prices. This is a con for two reasons. It requires me to go to the store to check out their prices, which I’d prefer to do at my computer because I live in a congested area and I’m not a fan of traffic. It’s also a con because it makes me think/know they’re adjusting prices based on local markets. This drives me batty. Why should I have to pay  more than the wine lover in Encinitas just because I live in Los Angeles? How can I figure out which stores have the best prices? These shouldn’t be questions I have to ask.

Con: They’re still carrying some skeevy wine labels. There are a couple of classes of wine I’m wary of… Wines with great marketing approaches (“Wine that loves chicken” and “Promisquous” come to mind). In my experience to date, these wines are all ordinary. It’s an attempt to sell a large volume of ordinary wine to unsuspecting consumers who might not know (or care) what good wine tastes like. Fine for them, not for me. The other group of wines are anything that’s regularly priced under $8. Mostly this is because these wines are almost always produced by the Bronco Wine Company (the esteemed makers of Charles Shaw a.k.a. Two-buck Chuck).

Con (if you don’t live in California or near an CPWM): Most of these deals are only available in California. It seems that they’re only selling wines (or trying these deals) in some states. I live in California so I have fantastic access to wines and I wouldn’t be surprised if the deals are extra special because it’s California.

Bottom line: It’s gotta be worth a visit if you live near a Cost Plus World Market and you like to find wine values by buying good wines at great prices.

Do you buy wine at Cost Plus World Market? Share your thoughts and leave a comment, please!

Update!

We stopped by World Market the next day (because my curiosity was insatiable) and picked up a six-pack (as I lovingly call them) to take for a test run. We had two shopping goals in mind here… The first was to see if World Market’s prices are low and bring great value or just low because they’ve purchased cheap wine. We also decided to further explore Tempranillos from Spain as it’s a region/varietal we’ve found some great values from in the past. We bought:

1. Campo Viejo Riserva, $12.99 per bottle – Haven’t tried it yet
2. 2007 Vivir, Vivir Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero, $6.99 per bottle
   This PROBABLY belongs on the “do not drink these wines” list. I was able to finish the bottle despite its finishless grapiness. Definitely will not be purchasing again. Would rather spend a few more dollars and like what I’m drinking.
3. Bodega Norton Malbec (x2), $7.99 per bottle
   This was a wine I had previously purchased at Costco more than once for $12-15ish per bottle. It’s a nice quality Malbec. Not something that jumps out at me in the $12-15ish range, but definitely a good value at $7.99 per bottle.
4. 2006 Etim Seleccion, $10.99 per bottle
   Robert Parker rated this wine 91. I thought it was okay and the price made it okayer. By now I’ve started to realize that not all Tempranillos from Ribera del Duero are good. This was an important realization because now I won’t just buy blindly when I see one… I’ll only do it for 2004 or 2005. Another lesson in why if you’re going to use ratings to buy wine, be sure you agree with the ratings system at least some of the time. I personally prefer Wine Spectator’s ratings and find them the most accurate for my palette.
5. Cortijo III Tinto, $7.99 per bottle- Haven’t tried it yet

Thanks to Facebook’s targeted advertising, I discovered a great new site today: Local Wine Events.com

They caught me with their newsletter called “Juice.” Their newsletter is basically a notification service of events in your area (or up 10 additional areas you’re interested in). I signed up for Los Angeles, San Diego, Central Coast, Sonoma, Napa, and a few others. I’m excited to start receiving them because I never remember to look for wine events, and now they’ll come right to me!

They also have wine, food, spirits, and beer events around the world. You can post your events, too. Ah, to host my own wine event some day.