RANKING: Serve Proudly to Guests

Another great little California Red Wine for around ten bucks!  Sunday evening, I’m on the verge of going 0-5 on my fantasy team!  (Who knew Schaub would get the flu?  You just can’t win without a QB!)  Unbelievable.  To punish myself for my poor judgement I cleaned the garage.  All this leads to is of course, other projects you remember you need to get going on…or finish.

Oh well, barbecue chicken breasts are on the grill and I am enjoying a great Cali Cab for around ten bucks.  You got to take the bad with the good…the good being this wine.

What Others Say: winemaker’s notes

Composition: 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot

Once again, Trinchero’s Lake County and Central Coast vineyards yielded a powerful Cab that is deep, dense and ripe with black cherry, plum and a hint of earthiness. It delivers the warm fruit and broad mouth feel typical of Trinchero Cabernet Sauvignon.

The medium plus body combined with juicy ripe fruit and flavor-enhancing acidity make this versatile wine an excellent complement to grilled steaks, salmon or even a meaty pizza.

What I Thought:Full flavored Cabernet without a weighty finish - fruity, earthy and warm - good color and body.  Definitely a good value for $10.99.  Great wine for sitting out on the deck and getting the aroma off of the grill and the nose of the swirling wine glass in compliment.  Good wine quest, great evening outdoors…. you’ve got to love Fall grilling.   Winter, please be slow.

Cheers from the wine oaf!

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RANKING: Good Enough for My Numb Tongue

 A group of us that work together had a little picnic a week or so ago.  Of course it rained which washed out the softball and tennis, but we still had a great time meeting each others spouses and family.  (I am sure many people left wondering how my wonderful wife puts up with the wine oaf.)  The grill was on and the food was great so we all sat around, ate too much and told stories.  Yes some stories started out like, ” Tell me how you made this potato salad!”, or “Once upon a time next to the color copier….”  but most of the time we just shared life experiences, talked about our families and listened to our ball club win a game that was meaningless in the standings.  Good kitchen table stuff.  The kind of afternoon you would expect John McCain to approve of.  He’d pull up in the Straight Talk Express, grill some ribs, Govenor Palin would pull up in a minivan totin’ some Jager….  God bless America.

The firm’s owners brought burgers, hot dogs, buns, sodas, water and standard picnic fare.  Every one else brought chips, sides, desserts and the  beverage of their choice.  Of course there was beer and a bottle of the Berringer 2006 Chenin Blanc.  The bottle sat chilling with the iced beer standing out like Heidi Klum at the neighborhood bowling alley.  This was a good cheap little wine for a picnic.  I almost went to the “Serve Proudly to Friends” level here but I couldn’t quite get there.  Still, I’d take the Berringer to another picnic. 

What Other Say: Tasting Notes

Gentle handling and careful attention is given to the Chenin Blanc grapes from the vine to the glass. To retain the delicate varietal flavors of crisp citrus, melon, and spicy ginger, Beringer’s winemakers chill the juices immediately following crush and continue to closely monitor the temperature throughout fermentation. Just before dryness, they cool the juices even further to halt fermentation and retain a smooth, lush mouthfeel and lingering finish.

What I Thought: Seems really wild that Berringer makes wines that sell for hundreds of dollars and wines that run me five bucks.  Kind of like buying a hot dog at a gourmet restaurant.  Anyway…onto the wine quest.  Definitely a smooth fruity palate (peachy-peary kind of thing), lush and pleasant finish. This is not a tart wine so soft and velvety on the tongue.  Great with picnic table foods like potato salad, baked beans and that stuff Bob’s wife always makes.  Unfortunately I can attest to the fact that this good cheap little wine also compliments cookie bars, chocolate friendship bread and 6 other dessert offerings. (”Diet tomorrow! ” which sounds more serious in Latin “Perdo Pondus Cras!”) Not a bad little wine for $4.99 right?

Cheers from the wine oaf! 

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CHEERS! Wine Oaf

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RATING: Serve Proudly to Guests

I wrote a post recently about visiting the Adam Puchta Winery and sampling their Hunters Red.    I finally had the chance to open up a bottle and sample more than a mouthful.  True to our mission, we discovered a good cheap wine that you can serve to guests!  Yes, this wine quest was for a $12.99 bottle and not a great ten dollar wine, yet still well worth the extra three bucks.  Check out this cheap little red beauty and the other wines proudly created by Puchta and sons. 
What Others Say: From Adam Puchta Winery

“A velvety semi-dry red, medium bodied and non-oaked with a mild floral nose. A fun wine to pair with many Italian foods, peppery/spicy BBQ, hearty stews, venison and summer sausage. A choice red wine to cook with, especially when making those wonderful Italian tomato sauces (caution…more wine should go into the sauce than the cook!), great with pizza, too. Best served at room temperature.”

What I Thought: Really enjoyed this wine.  Set it out for alittle while to air, about 45 minutes while I tried to save my Fantasy Football team from week one disasters.  (I was luckier with the wine than I was with my trades.)  Great full round taste on the tongue with a mature fruit finish.  Good wine to put on the table like you would a good cheap chianti (like my current Trader Joe’s favorite).  Fill a glass full and swirl with pride.  The unique origin and local flavor also make great talk.  What’s good wine without good talk?

Interesting that the wine maker suggests cooking with this wine.  I wouldn’t.  If you know this blog, you know that we only choose to cook with wines that are not worth drinking yet not horrible enough to require a midnight trip to the local landfill. Sorry recipes, I’m not sharing my Hunters Red with you.

 Cheers from the wine oaf!

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Well, we started late, stopped for lunch at a sportsbar, had a cheeseburger with a bunch of Mizzou fans while wearing my Illinois Football shirt, got to Hermann well after the race start but still managed to still hit a couple of wineries.   

If you leave St. Charles and head out West on Highway 94 and head towards Hermann you drive right by some great wineries where on weekends you can enjoy tastings, tours and entertainment.  There are both large and micro-wineries along the highway that thrive on this weekend tourism and put out barbecues, music and specials.  Each has it’s own personality. All in all, spending the afternoon looking at the hills of Missouri, drinking a great cheap wine, listening to live music and talking to friends sure beats raking leaves.

If you can afford the gas right now, Fall is the peak of the season.  The small towns are as wide open for business as the wineries.  You’ll find B&Bs, antique stores and special weekend events all in play from now until the end of October. 

We started off at Stone Hill Winery.  Stone Hill is a real success story and probably the best known Missouri winery.  The wine tour is one of the most popular attractions in wine country.  It’s not unusual to see tour buses unloading for the tour, the tastings or their great little restaurant.  We hit the tasting bar and met some really great people who had made a weekend out of the wineries and the Tour of Missouri, and sampled the award winning Norton, Vidal Blanc and Vignoles before deciding to move on.  I liked both the whites, especially the sweeter Vignoles,  but just can’t seem to get my taste buds wrapped around a Norton. 

 We knew we would be pressed for time but just the same stopped by the lesser known Adam Puchta winery also in Hermann.  This facility is not near as touristy as Stone Hill but equally rewarding for a visit.  The winery is nestled back off the road in a more intimate setting than Stone Hill. 

What the summer outdoor tasting room lacked in decor it made it up with personality.  We had a great time tasting with Mary on the other side of the bar serving wine, wisdom and crackers.  Mary would have us try different cracker flavors and then sample the proper wine for that taste.  (I would say, “Thats a little dry.”  and Mary would say “No, it’s not dry, it’s the oak.”).  Key lime crackers, for example, (which are so good they could be addictive) are great with the Vignoles that Adam Puchta bottles and the asiago was great with the Hunters Red. We had a super time.   Much to my surprise, after Mary’s insistence, we sampled the Norton but only after putting a bit of chocolate in our mouths.  Wow, I liked a Norton.  Not being a total stooge I cleansed my palate and tried it again.  I still liked the Adam Puchta Norton!  Amazed at the discovery we had to buy a bottle.  We also bought some Hunters Red and the Vignoles.  I’ll do wine quests on those soon. 

Missouri Wine Country, we are putting you on notice.  We’ll be back!

Cheers from the wine oaf. 

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