Live from LA.... Fleming's Steak House!

On the corner of Olympic and Figueroa in Los Angeles is one of the finest steak houses I've had the pleasure of visiting.  In fact, about 10 days ago, my wife and I visited after receiving gift cards from her dad.  He said it was a great place for steak. 

It IS a great place for steak... and wine... and dessert.... and hospitality... and in a great location for a special and memorable evening out in one of the greatest cities on the planet. 

It's hard not to write something like this and have it sound like a restaurant review of sorts but, in a way, that's what it is. An it's also a bit of a journal entry - for two really great nights out. 

Our first night was scheduled to coincide with a Prime Rib dinner offering that Fleming's is promoting during Sundays in January only and it's quite the deal.  It included a salad, a 12 oz cut of Prime Rib, a Side and a Dessert all for under thirty bucks.  Here's the deal - my wife and I could have shared one and been completely satisfied.  That is how much food this amounts to.  But we each ordered our own.  And took home leftovers.  And ate them the next evening.

We brought our own bottle, as is usually the case; a bottle of 2006 Sea Smoke Southing to be specific and it worked perfectly with the food - and the seasonings.  Our server was Elizabeth - a genuinely friendly individual who welcomed us as if we were a guest in her home.  We were also greeted by David Shelton, who usually manages at the El Segundo store but happened to be standing in during this particular evening.  If the friendly professionalism of David and Elizabeth are an indicator, I would stand here and recommend any Fleming's to my readers.

The first experience was so delightful, that we invited friends to join us again this week.  We were greeted, seated, and again made to feel right at home by Kent - a person who paid close attention to every detail in our experience but also ensured that we had the space to enjoy our evening as if there was nobody else in the room.  We were also visited by Michael DiGiambattista, an operating partner, and whose name I recognized from his signature at the bottom of an e-mail thanking us for joining the "Friend of Fleming's" club.  Michael was hospitable enough to thank us for coming back - acknowledging that we had visited previously just over a week before.  The warm greetings and friendly, top notch service set the tone at Fleming's. 

The food kicks things to another level altogether. 

I'll be brief and to the point.... Salads... Oysters... Fillet Mignon... New York Pepper Steak... Lamb Chops... Mac and Cheese (yup), Mushrooms.... Chocolate Lava Cake... Creme Brulee... Espresso... Cappuccino... all paired wonderfully with the two bottles we brought with us: the 2008 Denner Syrah and 2007 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet. 

Are you hungry yet?

To top things off, the receipt had a web link to a survey at the bottom and the customer receives a $25 credit toward their next visit just by completing it.  And it only takes about 5 minutes. 

Fleming's is a place that seriously wants its' customers to come back again and again.  And they live up to their own high standards by making frequent visits very enticing and something to look forward to. 

We'll be back.

Cheers!

2010 Roadblock

Sounds like the name of a wine, but it's not.  It's the result of my lack of interest in much of anything, or perhaps my interest in so many things that I became incapable of doing much more than just dabble in a bunch of stuff.  Over the year I brewed 13 new homemade beers, mostly IPA's.  I wrote 17 new songs, 12 of which are going on my new album.  (Yes, it's a new album - even for those of you who didn't know that I had ANY albums at all.)  I began school again - yes, again.  I guess I needed to get out of my head and open myself up to new ideas, even old ones that I'd not considered. 

And I tasted some really good wine.

And I got pretty cynical about wine in general.  At what point does it really matter?  I mean, we have our individual taste buds and some of us like one thing while some of us like the other.  Take note: taste buds don't know that you have a credit card.  They can't read tasting notes.  They can't distinguish between wine of the year awards and those that are never mentioned. 

But taste buds can tell the difference between the things you've decided that you like and don't like. 

Personally, I care as much about what I don't like as what I like.  The dichotomy of these polar opposites give me perspective and reference points.  So, when I opened a bottle of Penfolds bin 128 Shiraz that I paid $18 for and find out that I like it less than the $6 Pillar Box Red, I take note of both. 

That said, my favorite wine for 2010 - the one that resonated with me the most - is the 2008 Pali Riviera Pinot Noir.  I like the price and the 'big-ness' of this otherwise delicate pinot stunned me.  It's flat out delicious. 

So is the 2008 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet - tastes like chocolate.  I love chocolate.

The 2006 and 2007 Zaca Mesa Santa Ynez Syrah's are both magnificent.  As is the 2008 Marquis Philips Shiraz and the 2009 Mollydooker Boxer and Two Left Feet. 

The 2009 Santa Barbara County Syrah from Jaffurs in, um, Santa Barbara is a wonderful treat.   My daughter, Michelle, and I joined them early September to help with bottling.  The kind folks at Jaffurs served up a tasty Mexican lunch with many different wines before we jumped to the mobile bottling assembly line.  A very fun day!

I drank some Sea Smoke, some Williams Selyem, Mondavi, Justin, Yellow Tail, Layer Cake... found something enjoyable in all of them.

Love what Rosenblum has been doing over the last couple of years, especially in the Zinfandel area - they know what they're doing, in my opinion.

And this is all my opinion.  That's it.  Tonight I'm going to cook a steak and open a bottle of something; I don't know what yet.  I'll let the moment decide.  Meanwhile, have a great Christmas season and I'll catch you next year.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

The 20th Anniversary of my 29th Birthday.....

... is on the 4th of June but it begins at about 1:00 in the afternoon on Thursday June 3, 2010... with my daughter, Jamie, at Arnie Morton's Steakhouse on Figueroa in Los Angeles... bottle of 2007 Isosceles in hand....

First off, the hospitable folks who manage and work at Morton's Los Angeles are some of the friendliest people I've meet in any restaurant... bar none.  This is why it is also my favorite Morton's location.  There has not been a visit where our time and money spent has not been worth it and some.  With the added bonus of celebrating my birthday (now an annual tradition for me: LUNCH at Morton's), both my daughter and I felt like royalty.  I'm not exaggerating.  It was all about us.

The food was exceptional - Cajun Rib Eye, Crab Cakes, Grilled Asparagus.... oh, and the Morton's burger Jamie ordered - with fries.... it's like the All-American steak and potato meal - it just LOOKS like a burger!

As for the wine - each year on my birthday, I open a new vintage of Justin Isosceles.  This is truly one wine that, year after year, meets and often exceeds my expectations ever since my first taste of the 1997 vintage.  As for the 2007, this is silky smooth - can benefit from decanting up front - but it's probably the softest (not without a bunch of flavor) Isosceles that I've had since the 1999... I've got a 2nd bottle that rounds out a 6 year vertical going back to 2002.  Not sure when I'll start on the older ones, but I can hardly wait!

Friday began with a family trip to Northern California to visit some good friends in Merced.  Now don't laugh.  I like Merced.  Even living in Los Angeles hasn't jaded me to small town life.  It's just a mellow place and, when the sky is blue, the snow-capped Sierra mountains are clearly visible from our friends' back yard. 

From then until Sunday, it was food and drink.  Steaks.... shrimp... pizza... hot wings.... homemade IPA, and a bottle of 2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Merlot.  Unfortunately, there might have been a 'slight' bit of cork taint on this bottle but, after a bit of air, it softened up beautifully.

The road back home was filled with music from the Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, Tattoo You, and Undercover.  My all-time favorite band, finishing off a very delicious and fun 20th Anniversary of my 29th Birthday.

Family, friends, food, fun.... and good wine.  It doesn't get much better than this!

Cheers :)

Sea Smoke on the Water

I remember hearing the Deep Purple classic back in 1973 or so in junior high school. We had a dance and the opening chords of this song infiltrated my brain and I was an instant fan. My next album was Machine Head. It rocked. I decided to buy more Deep Purple albums after that.

They were good.

But they weren't Machine Head.

I was unable to recreate the same feelings and reaction that I had when I first heard Smoke on the Water.

I had a similar experience with Sea Smoke Southing. The 2005 and 2006 were incredible. I couldn't get enough. These wines had the depth and structure of cabernet. Intense. Full bodied. I figured that I would just keep buying Sea Smoke wines forever and ever.

I bought the 2007 last year.

It's not as good.

We opened it last Saturday night and it's not great.

I expect greatness for $50 per bottle. Plus Tax. Plus Shipping.  I have a right to.

It's not great.

It's good... but has almost no depth. It's not unpleasant tasting but it's wimpy. Like if Deep Purple started covering Barry Manilow songs.

We drank it anyway. Because it cost $50. Plus Tax. Plus Shipping.

But it wasn't worth it.

After, I plucked a 3-day old bottle of 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet.

It walked all over the Sea Smoke.

The fog cleared. The $7.99 bottle was better than the $50 bottle. And I didn't have to pay shipping.

I'm not disappointed, though. It's like music. Just because an album is great doesn't mean the next one will be. Except it's not like music.

Once you drink the wine, it's gone. You can't go back and drink it again.

But I can go back and listen to Machine Head over and over again. And enjoy it with several bottles of $7.99 wine.

And I won't miss the Sea Smoke at all.

But I'll have Smoke on the Water.

And, at least this year, that is even better.

Cheers!

Obsessed with Columbia Crest

I write much about the Columbia Crest wines. In this recessive economy, there's nothing like finding a really good wine for under $10.

I don't mean to disrespect those that make really expensive good wines, some of them great, in fact. But high price doesn't mean the highest quality.

Let's start with the ratings.... most of the Columbia Crest wines, year after year, garner between 85 and 90 points on Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Even that corporate guy at Beverages and More rates these wines in the same range. This includes the Two Vines, Grand Estates, and, of course, their consistently wonderful reserve wines.

How do they do it? Did they just pick a great location, start growing grapes, and hit the lottery?

They produce an incredible amount of wine. You can find them everywhere - groceries, discount warehouses, wine warehouses.... even Rite Aid!!!

And their wines drink like they came from small boutique wineries.

They're good. They're easy to find. They're affordable.

They make enough varietals to keep things interesting... Cabernet, Cab Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, Syrah... name it, they pretty much do it. I just haven't found a Tempranillo yet.

The 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Reserve garnered 89 points from Wine Spectator. I thought it would get about 92... it's that good! I've not had a bottle of Cabernet under $10 with this kind of depth and complexity... yeah, like lots of flavors.

So, I've bought some. And I'm going to buy some more.

And I'm going to drink it. And I'm going to share it with friends. And I know they will love it too.

These guys know what they're doing up there in Washington State. Much more than the guys in Washington DC.

Cheers!

Que Syrah Shiraz....

... whatever will be will be... etc etc...

This is the feeling I get when drinking wine... good wine... tasty wine... wine that says 'drink more'... no, not to get drunk.

It just tastes so good! Note that I left out the f-word for those of you who like the movie Sideways. I still don't think Miles knew much about wine.... hence his ongoing dislike of Merlot and Cab Franc.

Anyway.

Last week, while visiting an old friend (and former boss - how many of you can say that!) we found, in his son's cellar, a 2006 Mollydooker Shiraz...

Temptation and a love for wine as it is, we opened it. And drank it. And wanted more. It's good... really good. The 2007 is good too. The 2008... haven't tried it. Want to.

Monday this week, I opened a 2006 Columbia Crest Shiraz. It was $7.99 at Bevmo. Good incentive. Columbia Crest wines are very reliable.

The CC Shiraz is tasty... a bit of pepper on the finish.. almost a white pepper, I think... and a caramel mouth feel...

Then, tonight, we open a bottle of 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah. I've written about this before. It's good. Really good.

It reminds me of some of the best in Australian Shiraz that I've had... deep dark fruit... black licorice... cocoa... and a black peppery finish laced with soft tannins.

Never mind.

It's freaking good. Like the Mollydooker. Like Henry's Drive. Like Andrew Murray. Like Denner.

So, whether you speak Syrah or Shiraz... doesn't matter. Give these wines a test drive and you'll find yourself casting away the day and relishing in the sensations that only a yummy wine like these can deliver.

Cheers!

Wine for Christmas

Yup... forget Holidays.... Labor Day is a Holiday... Memorial Day is a Holiday... New Year's Day is a Holiday.... Christmas is Christmas....

Then again, I guess you could technically call any day that you get off work a Holiday...

Then again, any day can be an even better Holiday with some nice beverage... i.e. wine.

Over the last 5 months, I've written all kinds of posts to this blog and I don't think anyone is reading them. I may as well be writing in a little journal or diary and tucking it neatly into a night stand before crashing each evening.

Oh, well... doesn't matter. I think this is my first post in about 7-8 weeks. And it's all about getting pleasantly toasted for Christmas.

Perhaps this is because I've had a nice 22oz bottle of my home-brewed IPA tonight and 3 glasses of 2006 3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - one of my favorites. Or maybe it's because I found a bottle of 2008 Yellow Tail Shiraz for $4.99 at Target this afternoon. Or maybe it's because my Rosenblum Red Rangers shipment arrived last week. Or maybe it's because I've been expounding all year long about the merits of buying Columbia Crest wines only to watch its' 2005 Reserve Cabernet top Wine Spectator's Top 100 list for 2009.... or maybe it's just because I like to drink.

It doesn't matter, does it? I mean, whatever is your liking, enjoy it. Whether it's a Holiday or Christmas or both.... all I know is that Jesus turned water to wine... and in the movie "Bottle Shock", it is quoted that wine is the perfect blend of sunlight and water... or something like that... I was drinking when I watched that, too.

Well, in these recessive times... to hell with all of you who think that a $500 bottle of wine is better than a $27 dollar bottle just because it's really cool to brag to all of your Lexus-driving friends that you can match your monthly lease payment on grape juice.... to hell with you. Why? Because if it tastes good, the rating doesn't freaking matter. If it tastes good, raise your glass and say.... with a big healthy intoxicated smile across your beaming mug....

Cheers!

I remember that!

It's been about 6 weeks since I last contributed to this little series of wine exploits... somewhat because I'm a bit discouraged. I have no idea how to market this or what to even do with it! I love wine and think it would be fun to work around it in some capacity. However, the only credentials I have are pretty much self-learned or gleaned from the expertise of friends. Truly, some of these friends are very knowledgeable about wine and hold fairly high level positions in the wine industry. I've learned alot from them. But, I also pretty much "wing it" when it comes to my wine selections.

Oh, I do the basic stuff like red wine and red meat, white wine with white meat, etc... then I go off and have red wine with a burger or fish, or white wine with tacos or hot wings, then have another red wine to finish things off. It's fun to experiment and I really don't have any boundaries for this. Once we drank a Petite Sirah with sushi! Did the stuff match? Not at all. But the wine tasted good and the food tasted good and that's all I cared about.

Recently, we opened a bottle of 2001 Justin Isosceles at the Melting Pot in Santa Barbara. It worked great. Of course we tasted all kinds of different things... fish, chicken, beef, cheese, bread, veggies, etc... so, the food was all over the place - not to mention the spices and sauces. The wine held up fine. In fact, after sitting out and breathing for about 30 minutes, it softened up into a phenomenally smooth wine but still had the structure to maintain its elegance in spite of the onslaught of flavors circulating the table.

Other wine I've tasted over the last month include the 2006 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet (needs to sit for a while... it's far gentler than the robust 2005)... 2006 3-rings Barossa Shiraz, 2005 Zaca Mesa Syrah, 2006 Rosenblum Rockpile Road Zinfandel... heck, can't really remember them all.

No matter. I'm not really sure what the purpose to this blog is at all, except perhaps a casual journal that I might look upon one day and say... Hey... I remember that!

Cheers!

Wine notes from the road....

Let's start with a visit to Barnes And Nobles in Chico, CA... walking around during a rare visit with mom... not because mom and I aren't close, but because of geography... I find the Twinkies Cookbook. Something is very wrong here!Anyway, later that evening, I visited my dad... and we grilled up some rib-eye steaks - purchased at Costco for the bold price of only $7.99/lb. I've not found better meat at a lower price anywhere.

The wine we enjoyed was the 2007 Mollydooker Two Left Feet. I really like this wine and wanted to turn my dad onto it as he's a big fan of Australian Shiraz - the cheap stuff - because it's good and cheap. The Mollydooker is bold and full of flavor... dark berries, licorice, mocha, and holds up very well rib-eye steaks. Oh, did I mention that we cooked over oak and manzaneta?

Well, my journey had a few other detours as well. I had the distinct pleasure of visiting The Wine Room in Paradise, CA. This is a charming little boutique with quite an inventory of gifts, cards, and various trinkets that my wife might be more familiar with than I am.... but they have a very nice little wine inventory.... in fact, I found the magnificent 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet here and bought one.... I think they have 3 or 4 left. It paired very nicely with grilled slightly Cajun-spiced salmon - again cooked over oak.
Of course no visit to the Chico/Paradise area is complete without a stop by the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Dad and I enjoyed a nice lunch - a nice hoppy Torpedo IPA - and a small tour of the facility. If you're ever in town, visit the Sierra Nevada brewery. The food is great, the building is beautiful, the people are honestly friendly, and the concert hall deserves a peek as well. Oh, the tour area smells like fresh hops!

After leaving Paradise, I made my way down to Moss Beach to visit family and enjoy more wine and food. The Seal Cove Inn is a wonderfully charming chateau located within walking distance from the ocean, a bunch of seals, and a fantastic sunset! Looking over this while enjoying the 2006 Rosenblum Lyons Reserve Zinfandel from Napa Valley is a pleasure all by itself.

Well, two days at Moss Beach and we were back on the road, stopping in Paso Robles at the Denner Winery to check out their new member facility. It's beautiful. The view is sensational. The people are very nice. The wines are great. Enough said.

The trip culminated with a visit to friends in our local area to enjoy some homemade pizza and a nice bottle of 2004 Columbia Crest Walter Clore Reserve. Well, we also opened a bottle of 2005 Turnbull Cabernet and a bottle of 2006 Provenance Cabernet and.... needless to say, we slept very well that night.

When all is said and done, a couple of nights ago, an old friend visited and we duplicated menu items from the Morton's Steak Bible - bacon-wrapped scallops, Cajun rib-eye steaks (I'm a big fan of rib-eye)... their signature spinach salad (in the cook book but no longer on their regular menu)... and washed it all down with a bottle of 2005 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir and a 2006 Justin Isosceles.
It's been a great month... a tasty month.... and one filled with good food, tasty wine, and, most of all, great friends and close family. It doesn't get much better than this.

Nice family dinner.... with wine, of course

Last night, I decided to try something different.... BBQ spaghetti. Well, not entirely... I took a pound of extra lean hamburger, seasoned it up with lots of garlic salt, and put the whole slab on the BBQ. I turned the slab about every 2 minutes until it was cooked almost all the way through.... then I took it from the grill and moved it into a frying pan, chopped up the slab, and added some sliced spicy Italian sausage. I continued grilling the sausage and chopped beef and, as the sausage became dark around the edges, I added basil tomato sauce and some chopped onion. Then, I let the whole thing just simmer for about 20 minutes while I boiled the spaghetti noodles, heated up some bread, and tossed a baby green salad.

While I cooked, I enjoyed a nice cold bottle of Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA. Delicious beer.

With dinner, we opened a bottle of 2005 Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red... a deliciously mid-fruity and mildly spicy red blend that worked very nicely with the spicy spaghetti.

Final thought - doing the BBQ added nice flavor, but it also dried the meat out a bit. Oh well.... didn't matter. We enjoyed the dinner complete with the wine, and I crashed around 9:30 last night... game over.

Cheers!

I can't say enough about Columbia Crest wines

The title says it all. I'm looking and cannot find a wine under $10 that I like as much (let alone more) than the Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines.... especially the Cabernet and Merlot. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 vintages of these wines are up to the task of many wines I've spent over $20 on over the years. In fact, in many cases, it's not even close.

For example, the 2005 Beaulieu Rutherford Cabernet sells for between $18 (costco) to around $30 (markets) and starts nicely out of the glass but finishes thin and weak. By contrast, the 2005 Grand Estates Cabernet is a bit softer up front, but finishes with nice tanin and structure to pair well with grilled meats that are rubbed and spiced up.

In fact, in a test that I recently did, I opened the BV and the Columbia Crest, and drank both over a 3 day period. I ended up pouring out the BV on day 3 and finishing the Columbia Crest. The temperature conditions and timing of bottle opening were virtually identical. But, after 3 days, the Columbia Crest was still drinking heartily and full of dark fruit flavors.

As for the Columbia Crest Merlot.... the 2004 was incredible. The 2005 is a bit more earthy and darker but has a bit more body than the 2004. The 2006 is much like the 2004 and I'm anxious to find out how it holds up into 2010 and 2011.

These days, value is important. There are many overpriced products out there, products that are priced according to reputation and name value. But I don't care about name value. I care about taste... I care about flavor... and I care about getting the best wine for the least amount of money.

Columbia Crest wines kick ass. Whatever is going on up there in the state of Washington is a fine benchmark for others to follow. Create a great product, don't insult the customer's wallet, and keep 'em coming back for more.

Cheers!

Central Coast Musical Road Trip

Okay, I can't visit the Central Coast of California without thinking about wine. Everywhere I go, drive, walk, stay, there are reminders of the rich winemaking that exists all up and down highways 101 and 1 - extending from Santa Barbara up to Paso Robles and everywher in between. Hotel lobbies are full of brochures on wine trails and vineyards that one can visit. There are simply too many to catch in one day... or one week.... I estimate it would take 2-3 years for a serious wine lover to vist all of the wineries in this area.... over 500 of them.

Thing is, we weren't there for the wine... we were there for the music. My daughter, Jamie and I perform as The Beckers - a Rockin' Family Friendly Father Daughter Musical Duo. We performed at Bernadette's on July 4, Last Stage West on July 5, and returned to Los Angeles for a show that happened to be cancelled at the last minute. This didn't matter... we had a great trip, met some really cool people, and tasted some good food! Also, thanks to Hotwire and Priceline, we were able to get some semi-premium lodging at rock-bottom prices.

Along the way, however, I did manage to have some wine. We stopped in the Olive Garden in Santa Maria on Sunday night and I had a glass of the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot... 2006, I think - anyway, this is a great wine. After two days of bbq food, burgers, ribs, etc, I settled on their breadsticks and salad bowl. My daughter (who is only 14) had the Poratabella Mushroom Ravioli.... she shared a bite with me and I washed it down with the merlot.... very nice!

This stop was after a 3 hour show at the Last Stage West in Atascadero... if you're ever in the area, stop by, have some incredible slow-cooked baby back ribs and say hello to Tom. The folks there are more hospitable than many that I've seen at fancier places, and the food is simply fantastic! Tom also has a small wine selection from local vineyards in Paso Robles - diverse enough to please anyone who likes wine with bbq.

On Monday morning, we drove down Highway 1 through Lompoc and stopped at the warehouse at 333 Highway 246 to pick up my 2007 Sea Smoke purchase. I can hardly wait to open one of these bottles. It's one of my favorite wines a few years running and I've no reason to believe that the 2007 will dissapoint. Although I believe there's been some personnel changes at Sea Smoke, the location of their vineyards and the high expectations will make the production of top notch Pinot a mere link in a very successful chain of great Pinot from Sea Smoke.

Well, I realize this is a bit incoherrent, but I don't really care. It was a great weekend.... some wine, lots of music, and good times with Jamie and my wife, Eva. Heck, even Michelle and Kristna joined us from UCSB on Saturday at Bernadette's.

Cheers!

Damn good deal on Columbia Crest at Ralph's....

Okay. Right now... until the end of today (I think), Ralph's Grocery is selling all Columbia Crest Grand Estates wines for $7.99 per bottle.... the Two Vines and Vineyard 10 are only $5.49. If you buy 6, you get an additional 10% off.

By taking advantage of this (which I did this morning), you can buy highly rated wines for a great price:

2006 Grand Estates Cabernet - WS - 89 points
2005 or 2006 Grand Estates Merlot - WS - 88 points
2006 Two Vines Cabernet - WS - 87 points
2006 Grand Estates Chardonnay - WS - 90 points
2005 Vineyard 10 Red - WS - 88 points

I challenge you to find a better deal on better wines.

Cheers!

My Favorite (somewhat) Cheap Wines...

Not much comment here... just a list of wines that are usually (as long as the store you buy them at doesn't overprice them) about $20 or less... some quite a bit less... some not...

Marquis Philips Sara's Blend - about $12 at Costco
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Merlot - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay - about $8 at Trader Joe's
Pillar Box Red - about $10 at Cost Plus World Market
ERATH Oregon Pinot Noir - about $14 at Costco
Innocent Bystander Pinot Noir - about $15 at Costco
Mondavi Napa Cabernet - about $18 at Costco
Vina Santa Rita 120 Cabernet - about $6 at Trader Joe's
Concha Y Toro Puente Alto Marques De Casa Concha Cabernet - about $15 at Costco
Sterling Vintner's Cabernet - about $11 at Cost Plus World Market
Carmel Road Pinot Noir - about $15 at Wine Exchange
3 Rings Barossa Shiraz - about $16 at Costco
Kim Crawford Sauvingon Blanc - about $17 at various stores

There's much more but, these are wines that I tend to keep around on an ongoing basis.... they aren't mind blowing but they're all very good in their own way. Drink up!

Cheers :)

What if it's just grape juice?

Sometimes, while I'm drinking wine, I think.... this is just crushed and fermented grapes. Or to put it more cynically, rotten grapes.

It's really funny when I think about it; I used to love that purple juice in the Welch's jars... it was so sweet and washed a bologna and cheese sandwich down perfectly. If I didn't know better at the time, I'd say that Welch's and a bologna sandwich exists in a parallel universe to Cabernet and steak. Or peanut butter and jelly... or beer and hot dogs....

Last year, while looking at the highest rated wines in one of the wine rags, I noticed that those in the 96,97,98... and even 100 point rating range were also priced accordingly.... I think the cheapest of the 8 100 point wines was about $200 per bottle.... coincidence? I think not.

The rags say that price has no bearing on the ratings system. But, price has to be related to quality at some point, doesn't it? Or is it just a gimmick? I mean, is a $750 bottle of Screaming Eagle noticeably better than a $150 bottle of Insignia... or a $25 bottle of 2005 Columbia Crest Reserve Cab? After all, the 2005 Columbia Crest got a 95 point rating... the exact same rating as the 2005 Screaming Eagle Cabernet, while the 2005 Insignia received a 'lowly' 92 points.

Hmmm... let's see.... $25 or $750.... both 95 points... both cabs.... Where's my Welch's!!!!!