Duboeuf "Red" 2002 Vin de Pays d'Oc

This is a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Merlot typical of blends from the Languedoc region in the south of France. It gets my positive recommendation as an "easy-drinking weeknight dinner wine". We received it as a gift so I'm not sure where it's available locally but web searches show it in the $9 range. The bottle has a striking group of red (mostly) and gold flowers instead of a label.

Bonus French lesson
Vin de Pays — A vin de pays is a higher-class table wine, from a particular region of France and with a specific vintage. The vin de pays is controlled primarily for the source of the grapes and also for the density of vines: the amount that can be produced per hectare. The region of a vin de pays can be very large or quite small.

In my memory, ordering a VdP in France will get you a good - but not fancy - wine from the local region.

Mmm ... France.

Don's Lodi Red

Woo-hoo! Another cheap red. I think I enjoy the typical table wines because I don't feel I need a special occasion to open. I don't even feel a need to finish it off. It only costs around $10. I bought this thinking it was from the same vineyard as the Laurel Glen 2003 "Reds" Lodi Red Wine that Rob had reviewed awhile back. I think I enjoy this a little more. The website says this about the wine:

"Carignane, Syrah, a splash of sweet Symphony and a dash of love are the main components of this wine, which was produced to honor and surprise our father, Don Phillips, on his 75th birthday. This is an atypical blend of red and white wines, with lovely fruity characteristics of Symphony added in order to please Don's amiable palate. This is an easy-drinking, everyday, great quality, red table wine. Or, in the words of Wine Today.com, the three stars Lodi Red is 'a great quaff at a bargain price.' "

Torii Mor 2004 Pinot Noir

N ot recommended.

Ordered this at Cafe Dupont Saturday night. (Food note: our first visit there since they opened downtown. Everyone agreed that it was an excellent meal.) We had 3 seafood entrees and 1 steak so it seemed like a good wine to suit everyone. I had not heard of it before and chose it mainly because it was from Oregon and the others were from CA. (Note: I like plenty of CA Pinots but being unfamiliar with all 3 on the menu I thought I tried the one from Oregon.)

Initial taste was strong alcohol with no fruit detected. The scent reminded me a little of rubbing alcohol but I figured it would open up in the glass. It did just that and the alcohol scent went away but I never picked up any of the fruit described below. It was completely drinkable but disappointing for not having any Pinot magic.

Here's what the winery's website says:

The aroma reveals earthy-meat, mushroom notes that blend in with boysenberries and both black and red cherries, all within a subtle jammy, sweet richness. The flavors show some real sweetness that carries all the way through the long finish. Loads of black cherries, raspberries and boysenberries followed by toasty oak and jamminess round out the flavors.

Black Opal Shiraz 2003

Very good value on this one from down under. Smooth with a bit of fruit - plum perhaps. Nice complement to lamb and beef kabobs we had at a middle-eastern restaurant last night. I don't recall the restaurant price but have seen online prices for $8 to $10.

Sterling Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

I was making dinner for a "parents of a 3-year old New Years celebration." What does that mean? We stayed home and went to bed early. At the grocery store I picked up a bottle of this wine to complement the flounder I was preparing and was pleasantly surprised. I am a fan of the $10 bottle of wine. The downside is that they generally come with a bit of a bite at the end of the drink. This one was smooth all the way down. On top of that it only cost around $15. This wine has definitely moved to the top of my favorite sauvignon blancs.

2005 California wine harvest

Heard on Marketplace 12/29/2005:

California winemakers says the quality of this year's grapes is excellent, and the 2005 vintage should be very special. But a bumper crop doesn't always mean good news for grape growers. From Sonoma County, Patrick Hirsch reports.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/