New Belgium Somersault Ale

Last week I picked up a 6 in Atlanta (alas I don't think it's available in Birmingham). Delicious! "Easy drinking summer ale tumbling with citrus notes."

1912 Ventoux - 2009

This red blend from Provence is 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah is a great everyday red with a nice balance of fruit and spice.  Cycling fans will note that Mont Ventoux is the rock-covered moonscape that is frequently a stage finishing point on the Tour de France. Its height is 1912 meters, thus the name. Very Good.

The website is good too with a flash presentation about the mountain.

Available in Birmingham at Whole Foods.

Chateau Bonnet Entre-Deux-Mers 2009

This is a blend of Sauv Blanc (50%), Semillon (40%) and Muscadelle (10%).  An easy-drinking summer white. Thanks, Claire, for bringing this to our attention.  Very Good. 

U.S. Wine Market Appears More Robust

June 1, 2011
 
Domestic wine sales grew 7 percent last year, according to the Wine Institute in San Francisco. And, the Los Angeles Times reports Americans are ordering more bottles when they dine out, rather than single glasses.

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/01/136845559/the-last-word-in-business

Hedonistic Fruit Bombs?

Hedonistic Fruit Bombs - The debate over wine alcohol levels is getting out of control.
By Mike Steinberger, Slate.com

The author discusses the trend, particularly in California, toward higher alcohol contents.
http://www.slate.com/id/2293895/

Birmingham's Good People Brewing puts its beer in cans

Good People is now available in stores from Birmingham to Huntsville. I saw it this weekend at Whole Foods.  Read the story:
http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/02/good_people_brewing_puts_its_b.html

Vogt Vineyard 2007 Cabernet

This is the delicious Napa Cab we enjoyed with dinner at Gianmarco's in Homewood. Not sure if it's available in local stores.  4 stars.

Bliss Merlot 2008

Not very good, don't buy it.  1 star

Gnarly Head Zinfandel 2008 Lodi

Winery: "Robust berry flavors and exotic spice notes from the small grape clusters are balanced with French, American and Hungarian oak, which creates heady layers of vanilla and chocolate and a lingering finish.

This luscious wine pairs well with raucous fun at barbecue or pizza parties, a family dinner of hearty pasta or chili, and on its own to celebrate  personal triumphs.

Gnarly Zin grapes are from Lodi, the zinfamous appellation due to its ideal climate – long, warm summer days and cooling nighttime breezes from the ocean – and its well-draining, sandy soil."  And here's more on Lodi.

Liked it. 3 stars

Napa Cellars Merlot (Napa Valley) 2006

This is the first NC Merlot posting but we've had a couple for their Zinfandel.  From the winery: "aromas of fresh, ripe plums ... coffee and chocolate" later joined by "blackberries and spice ... and mild tannins".  Good to VG, 3.5 stars.

Carneros Chardonnay 2008 unfiltered

Someone brought this tasty wine to Mary's porch party.  -- "a wine with subtle seasoning of oak and lees, good acidity, ripe pear and citrus fruit, and a long finish".  Liked it, 3 stars

McManis Merlot 2008

Deep Garnet in color, with fruit aromas of Blackberry, Blueberry, Raspberry and Cassis are joined by notes of Vanilla, Hazelnut, Milk Chocolate and Caramel - from months of oak aging. The wine is soft and round in the mouth, the abundance of fruit present in the nose is replicated and lingers in the clean finish.

3.5 stars

Silverado Chardonnay 2007

Tasting Notes: Pale yellow color. Abundant fruit aromas of sweet yellow apple, honeydew melon and ripe citrus. Floral notes highlight the nose while aromas of vanilla and oak stay in the background. On the palate, light and refreshing, sprightly! Lingering flavors on the finish tempt you back for another sip.

Suggested retail $25.  VG - 4 stars

Recycle your natural corks

Whole Foods has established a program to recycle natural (not plastic) corks.   Here's the link to their post: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2010/04/cork-reharvest/ and an excerpt:

Thanks to World Wildlife Fund and Rainforest Alliance, here are some interesting facts and figures on the Mediterranean cork forests:

• Approximately 6.6 million acres of Mediterranean cork forest extend across Portugal, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Tunisia and France.
• Oak forests support one of the world’s highest levels of forest biodiversity.
• Natural cork extraction is one of the most environmentally friendly harvesting methods in the world. Not a single tree is cut down in the process. Instead, renewable bark is stripped by hand every 9-12 years and cork oaks can live up to 300 years.
• Cork oak trees store carbon in order to regenerate their bark, and a harvested cork oak tree absorbs up to five times more [carbon dioxide] than one that isn’t harvested.
• Additionally, no bark is wasted during the cork production process, and the residue is granulated to make other cork products and even cork dust is used for fuel.

essay Shiraz 2008

A medium-bodied red that will complement a wide range of food. Ripe plum and cherry fruit with a touch of pepper spice. The viognier (2%) softens the tannins, adds plushness and floral aromas.

I haven't always been the biggest fan of S.A. wines but this is quite good and excellent value ($8 at Whole Foods). Imported by locals International Wines.

Juan Gil Tempranillo 2006

The Shawn Wright 2009 Christmas wine. We'll definitely get more of this!  From the producer site:

We selected the Monastrell grapes for this wine from 40-year old parcels in our estate vineyards. Here shallow, chalky soils on a bed of limestone and rock, combined with an arid climate, produce the low yields (1,8 ton per acre) required for wine of this complexity. After harvesting, the deep purple grapes are whole-cluster macerated “sur lie” for 25 days, and then pressed and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

TASTING NOTES: It has a very dark cherry colour with purple tones. In the nose it has powerful aromas of red berries, toasted and smoked notes from their aging in the oak barriques. It has good structure with ripe and sweet tannins. In the mouth it is very long, and with a perfect balance between fruit, alcohol and the oak tones, which make it very pleasant and easy to drink.

MATCHING FOOD: Rices with meat, stewed meat, stewed vegetable, mushroom, poultry, sauces fish, smoked seafood, blue and cured cheese, red meat, roast and baked meat (lamb, pig, ox).

The Wishing Tree 2005 Cab/Merlot

Good value wine, what we call a weekday wine of 55% Cabernet / 45% Merlot.  And it has a screw top for Shawn!   Should be about $10-12. ($10 @ Whole Foods this week)

Joel Gott Zinfandel 2007

This one was served at a dinner gathering last weekend.  The hosts got it at Vintage Wine on 280.

According to the winery "Dry-farmed, old-head-trained vines in Lodi and Amador produce intense, structured fruit while the Napa Valley harvest adds power, depth and complexity. Fruit from the cooler climate of Sonoma County offers classic Zinfandel aromatics of pepper and anise. Together, these diverse regions produce a Zinfandel packed with flavors of licorice, plums, Bing cherries and blackberries with a deep, long finish."

We thought it was very good and a nice pairing with the jambalaya.  Not sure what Vintage has it at but online it appears to be in the $13-15 range; if so it's a great value.  3 stars

New purchases

Bogle Zinfandel - WF - 12.99
Rayun Syrah - WF - 9.99
Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin 2007 - Pig -10.99

Rush Cab -  Pig - 9.99
We cracked open the Rush on 2/6.  It is smooth and not overly fruity but I'm still trying to put my finger on one of the flavors.  More to come.  See Shawn's post from 11/2005.

Tommyknocker Alpine Glacier Lager - "the whoosh factor"

From Idaho Springs, CO.  

2004 NABA Silver Medal, 2003 & 2005 CO State Fair Silver, 2007 CO State Fair Gold. "

4.5% ABV, available at Overton & Vine