I love the Spanish.  I really do.  I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs, Notes from Spain, when I came across a fantastic article from El Mundo.  The article discussed the idea of imposing a smoking ban in Spanish bars and restaurants.  As you can imagine, the mere mention of such a ban caused more commotion than if Franco rose from the dead and started marching through the Plaza Mayor.  Reading this article put me into full-on homesick mode and I spent the rest of the day reminiscing over my life in Spain and all the shenanigans I got myself into…

After this trip down memory lane, I happened across a phenomenal post written by my friends at Weak Stream about Wizard’s forward Caron Butler and his addiction to Mountain Dew.  Now what, you may ask, could possibly make me link my life in Spain and strange NBA player addictions?  More so, why on earth would I feel the need to write about it on a site dedicated to wine?  Well, I’ll tell you…

During the Feria de Abril, a festival held after Holy Week in Spain, the most popular drink is something called a “rebujito.”  A rebujito is made by mixing local Sherry with a lemon-flavored soda like Sprite or 7-Up.  However, in my attempts to recreate an authentic rebujito upon my return to America, I found that the closest match came when mixing with the Dew!  How often do two worlds collide like THAT?

Seriously though, Spanish Sherry is one of the most underrated wines around!  A good fino is great with seafood, cured meats, manchego and more.  My recommendation is Tio Pepe.   Have you ever tried sherry, either straight or in a rebujito?  Do you have other good sherry recipes to share?  We need to start getting creative, La Feria is only 6 months away!

(photo credit Tio Pepe)

I want to thank Emily for sending me the link to the review of this year’s Boston area Plonkapalooza!  This amazing event put 4 judges to the test by presenting them with a blind tasting of 50 wines – Best part, the bottles could not be more the $12 a pop.  The wines were nominated by a variety of local stores (Dave’s Fresh Pasta had a bunch of nominations, all you Davis Square folks should swing by!).  The philosophy is that you can find excellent wines even at or below the $12 price point.  That’s what I’m TALKING about!  Check out their tops picks, I am going straight to my liquor store after work to pick up the first few selections.  How long to do you think it would take me to review all 50?  4 months?  2 weeks?  Let’s see, shall we…?

(photo credit boston.com)

Happy Hump Day!  I want to thank everyone for their lovely comments and encouragements on my new little adventure here at MoreThanMerlot.com.  I hope I can live up to your expectations!

Last night we enjoyed a lovely bottle of sparkling wine given to us as a housewarming present.  Upon taking his first sip, my boyfriend was surprised at the sweet taste.  I explained that since the wine was a “Dolce,” it had a higher sugar content than other wines he has had in the past.  A little word can make a big difference, so I thought I’d help clarify the secret language of sparkling wine.

Now, sparkling wine goes by several names.  One rookie mistake I’d like to point out – not all sparkling wine is Champagne.  The only sparkling wine that can legally be called Champagne is wine produced from grapes grown within the Champagne region in the Northeast of France (Of course there are some exceptions due to Prohibition, the Treaty of Versailles, and the joy American wine-makers find in annoying the French, but that is a story for another day…).   Cava for the most part comes from Spain, Prosecco from Italy, and then there are generically labeled “Sparkling Wines” from other various corners of the world.  All of these wines are produced in a similar fashion (the méthode champenoise), but the flavor varies most significantly from the amount of sugar the wine contains.  Some people love sweet sparkling wine, some people hate it!  To understand what you’re buying, here is an explanation of key “sweetness terms” printed on sparkling wine labels:

Doux or Dolce (more than 50 grams of sugar per liter)

Want to find out which sparkling wine best suits your personality?  Take my quiz and, “Find your Perfect Fizz!”  Come back and leave me a note on your result so I’ll know what to bring to your holiday party!

(photo credit: Veuve Clicquot)

Monique, the lovely and eccentric French woman who oversees the wine program at my local grocery store and insists that you cleanse your palette with Cheeze-Its between tastings, has done it again.  Every Saturday, Monique sets up a small table in the middle of the store and opens two types of wine for tastings.  This week, she was pouring Redtree Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  I tend to try most of Monique’s suggestions, and since all Redtree wines were on sale 3 for $25, I bought a Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  I enjoyed them all!  The wines were simple, a great compliment to food, and had the basic characteristics that any good varietal wine should.  Plus, the Redtree website is fantastic, you can download tasting notes, read about the Ceccetti Wine Company, and join their mailing list to receive coupons and offers on their products.  One tasting note I will include, these are all relatively young wines, so the Chardonnay is more buttery than oakey and the reds are more fruity than full of tannin.  Try them for yourself and let me know what you think!  I give the Redtree wines 3.5 stars.  Cheers!

As Bordeaux emerged as a consistent producer of fine wines, Cabernet Sauvignon rose to prominence.  It is now grown in nearly every wine-producing region around the world.   The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a small grape, this has a big impact on the final product.  Because there is a lot of skin and less fleshy-grape innards, the wine produced from Cabernet Sauvignon will be bold and full flavored with high tannin levels.  Tannin is the element in a wine that makes your teeth feel fuzzy or your mouth feel dry.  Because Cabernet Saugivnon wines are so pronounced, you want to make sure you pair them with foods that won’t be overpowered.

Here are some suggestions on wine and food pairings with Cabernet Sauvignon wines:

Chocolate truffles – For an easy, mid-week treat just grab a bottle of Sterling Cab and a bag of Lindt truffles.  Best enjoyed when accompanied by a foot massage.

Grilled beef – Filet mignon, grilled onions, potaotes au gratin, brocolli with hollindase and a bottle of good old Left Bank Bordeaux.  Can’t really top that.

Strong cheese – We paired an aged Vermont cheddar and Cranberry Pepper Jelly from New England Cranberry (available at Whole Foods) with a simple Cab from Napa and it was unbelievable!  If only we had world class wines, New England would be completely self sustaining…

I am glad to make this my first review because this wine is one of my new favorites – The Spanish Quarter.  This wine comes from the Catalonia region located in northeast Spain.  The Spanish Quarter blends the well-known Cabernet Sauvignon with the lesser-known Tempranillo, a native Spanish varietal.  The result is amazing!  You get the fruity cherry and blackberry notes from the Cabernet and the spicy, earthy flavor of the Tempranillo.  A very complimentary blend.  The Spanish Quarter also produces a white blend with Chardonnay and Albarino – equally as good!  Since the native grapes are easier to grow the production of this wine costs less than a wine that is 100% Cabernet or Chardonnay, so it is a great bargain.  The Spanish Quarter can be found for $10.99 in most wine shops, I just snagged a deal at 3 for $25 at my local grocery store!  I give this wine high marks for its easy, everyday drinkability and excellent value.

Bordeaux is probably the most well-know wine producing region in France behind Champagne. It is located on the southwest coast of France along the banks of the Gironde river. The river is very important in Bordeaux. You will often hear people refer to a Bordeaux being either “left bank” or “right bank.” This refers to where the grapes were grown for the production of a particular wine. Now, as I mentioned earlier the principal red varietals in Bordeaux wines are Merlot (50%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (26%). Due to sun exposure, terroir and other viticultural influences the left bank of Bordeaux generally produces wine that is heavier on Cabernet whereas the right bank produces wine that is heavier on Merlot. Why do you need to know this? When you find a Bordeaux wine in a store you will rarely see the word “Bordeaux” anywhere on the bottle. You will instead find the name of the appellation or chateau. An appellation is a targeted geographical area within a wine region that further distinguishes wines from one another. There are over 50 appellations in Bordeaux alone. SO – To know which Bordeaux wine you are going to like, you should be able to recognize the major appellations in the region. Here is a little cheat-sheet, when you see the following on a wine lable you are likely buying the following:

Mostly Cabernet with some Merlot:
Medoc/Haut Medoc
Sainte Estephe
Paulliac
Saint Julien
Graves
Margaux
Pessac-Leognan

Mostly Merlot with some Cabernet:
Pomerol
Saint Emillion
Cadillac

Blend of any Bordeaux varietals:
Bordeaux AOC

Bordeaux AOC is a general label that distinguishes a wine that is produced from grapes all grown in the Bordeaux region, but of a blend of grapes from various appellations. These wines will be less expensive. Major wine houses will sell off excess grapes to wine makers who will in turn blend the grapes to produce a wine. Because these wine makers do not need to own the land to grow the grapes their production cost is much lower. Also, because the grapes are not from a specific appellation or vineyard they are not considered to be as refined, and thus, they cannot sell the wines for as much money. This is a good starter wine to try if you have never had a Bordeaux and want to try one out!

I get a lot of questions about France, so here are some notes to help you get started on understanding French wines…  France consists of a multitude of wine regions. Although every region is significant in French wine history and culture, I am only going to focus on the six regions that produce the majority of the French wines one can find in the typical wine store. These regions, put into alphabetical order so that no one can accuse me of favoritism, are: Alsace, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, the Loire Valley, and the Rhone Valley. Now, each region has specific varietals that are allowed in the production of wine. This regulation of varietals is actually quite useful for our purposes, as once you identify a particular region that produces a wine you enjoy, you will find that other wines from that region will be relatively consistent. Please, don’t tell that to a French winemaker as they insist that the soil (or “terroir“) from two adjacent square meter blocks of land yields vastly different final products.

An important concept in wine is understanding the difference between country, region and varietal. Country is easy – Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, US, and so on. Region gets a little more specific. For example, the Rioja region is in Spain, the Bordeaux region is in France. Varietal is usually where people start getting confused. Varietal is just a fancy word for grape. When you refer to a varietal, you are talking about which grape is used in the production of a particular wine. Tempranillo is the principal varietal used in the Rioja region, and Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot are the principal red varietals used in the Bordeaux region. Once you know the varietals you enjoy and which regions produce wine with those varietals, you will have the ability to choose and be 99% sure that you are going to enjoy your selection.  Since going through each wine producing region one by one would take forever, I will add region reviews along with varietal profiles so you can learn about both!

I love wine.  Plain and simple.  I love it!  I love the smell of wine, I love talking about wine, I even spend my lunch breaks stalking local wine stores with no intention of purchasing anything just because I enjoy the chalky smell and cool temperatures.  I have studied wine for years and even obtained my certification as a sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers during a stint as a Food & Beverage manager at a resort in Las Vegas.  But a wine snob I am not!  Just the opposite – I believe that a good bottle of wine does not need to put you into debt.  I also believe that wine should be enjoyed, not scrutinized.  Accordingly, I have two goals at MoreThanMerlot.com.  First, I want to help you understand how to read a wine label and identify the types of wine you do and do not enjoy.  Second, I want to give you specific examples of wines you can buy locally without breaking the bank – my aim to stay around $10 per bottle.  So let’s quit the chatter and get going!