Search This Blog

WINES OF THE WEEK- RED BLENDS

By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"


More and more red-blend wines are appearing in the marketplace; even the more prestigious and upscale vineyards are now jumping on the red-blend bandwagon. (Of course, Bordeaux wines, for the most part, have always been blends.) The main reason for this trend is that red blends are meant, in most cases, to be immediately drinkable: open and drink. The vast majority of wine buyers purchase wines on their way home from work to be consumed that evening with dinner, or they buy wine for weekend consumption. There is little thought of cellaring (storing a wine, in some cases for years, until it matures). Many people, not having the time or the patience, find the need for aeration (exposure to air for a certain length of time to achieve maximum flavor*) to be a nuisance. The vintner (wine maker), in making the red blend, acts like a chemist, adding a particular varietal of grape/wine to achieve a desired effect. Perhaps a particular blend-in-the-making needs more fruit (add more Merlot), perhaps it needs a hint of wood (Cabernet Sauvignon), perhaps it needs some spice (Zinfandel and/or Malbec), and so forth, until the desired taste and texture have been achieved. We are featuring the following red blends: Columbia Winery Composition; Bogle Phantom; Josh Legacy; Vitiano; Conundrum; and Vigilance, but there are many more to choose from.
*White wines have no need of aeration; in red wines, air initially helps to expand flavor, but, after a while - depending on the wine - air will turn the wine into vinegar.

EDMEADES ZINFANDEL MENDOCINO 2012 CALIFORNIA.

WINE OF THE WEEK


EDMEADES ZINFANDEL MENDOCINO 2012
CALIFORNIA.




By:  Ed "The Wine Guy"



California is most renowned for its Cabernet Sauvignons, its buttery and creamy (owing to oak) Chardonnays, and for its Zinfandels. The Zinfandel grape, by the way, has been traced, by DNA analysis, to the Primitivo grape which is so widely grown in the heel of Italy, and further studies have traced it to the Croatian grape called Crljenak, just across the Adriatic Sea to the east of Italy. In general, the 2012 vintage throughout California, both for red wines as well as while, has been universally praised. Only the least-skillful vintners didn't make a satisfying wine. This Edmeades Zinfandel has aromas and flavors of blueberries, plum, leather, vanilla, and smoke, with a smooth and silky texture, which is verging on - I know this is unheard of in a Zinfandel - a creaminess. Taste and see.


WINES OF THE WEEK




 OVEJA NEGRA 

(BLACK SHEEP) 

 RED BLENDS CHILE


By: Ed “The Wine Guy”


Over the past few years, the category of red blend wines has grown tremendously. Menage a Trois and 14 Hands are two of the favorite red blends at Harney's. Another vineyard, Oveja Negra, Chile, is quickly becoming another favorite. Usually, the term "Black Sheep" is negative, as in someone being the black sheep of a family, but, in this case, it is positive, signifying that these wines stand out from the flock. Oveja Negra red blends are not your everyday wines. The winery is known for its innovation, experimentation, and daring. Who, but a creative and bold vintner, would blend a Malbec wine and a Petit Verdot wine, both of them already robust wines on their own? The result is a full-bodied, very complex wine, deep in color, aroma, and flavor - and very affordable. Although I enjoy all these blends: Cabernet Franc and Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, Malbec and Petit Verdot, my personal favorite is the Cabernet Franc and Carmenere. A satisfying wine need not be expensive!