Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, $12-$14

A great way to discover new wines is to partner up with other wine lovers, for periodic tastings at home. To compare and contrast wine's try selecting one varietal from a specific growing region or Country. Try comparing the same varietal from Country to Country or from year-to-year. Then try different varietals in the same way, you'll be amazed at how much you'll learn in this exploration. When you're given the opportunity to taste side-by-side you'll start to get a feel for wine making styles, how climate and weather affect taste, how aging in oak versus stainless steel adds complexity, etc; it's a lot of fun too and doesn't break the bank!

A wine I discovered doing this very exercise was the Sebastiani Cabernet, a wonderful specimen provided you give it ample time to open up. I would suggest an hour in the decanter to really coax it open. Sebastiani is a well rounded wine, perfect combination of acid, tannin and fruit. Frankly it's a steal at $12 in the world of overpriced California Cabs. I tried my first bottle several years ago and still return to it in the wine store, knowing I'm getting an affordable yet solid wine for my buck.

Try a tasting at home, see what value wine's you can uncover. Cheers!

Wine Rating Bait & Switch, Tssk tssk

Often times when a wine is reviewed by an expert, it has yet to be bottled. The wine will be tasted directly from the barrel and be given a rating range from 91-94 (100 pt scale) prior to bottle aging. When I'm feeling lazy, I'll rely on these ratings to decide which wine to buy and judge if it's a good value for the money. Much to my chagrin I discovered a clever bait and switch tactic from my local wine purveyor...

The Glaetzer Wallace 2006 Shiraz was given a range of 91-94 from a 2007 barrel tasting by the Wine Advocate. The local store displayed prominently a rating of 94 instead of the range, VERY deceiving. If you have the time an inclination, do your research online before you're forced into making a snap decision in-store, it seems you can trust anyone these days.

For what it's worth, I give this wine no greater than a 90, too low in my opinion for it's $20+ price tag.

Cheers!

Brett in Wine, No Thanks!

def. "Brett" aka Brettanomyces

1. Brett: My college roommate Junior year that would drink no less than a case of Milwaukee's Best Light (Beast) on a weekend night and go for a half hour run the next morning to "sweat it off" without regurgitation or incident.

2. Brett: A non-spore forming genus of yeast that causes a barnyard or horse sweat smell in some wine's, usually from France (in my experience!).

I'm not a fan of some "Old World" wine's primarily because of the Brett used in the wine making process. While the use of Brett isn't isolated to just Old World countries, unfortunately I find myself avoiding French wine all together... Any Brett lovers out there, tell me your story!

Cheers.

Wine Based Holiday Gifts

Happy New Year everyone!

If your friends and family know you enjoy wine, hopefully you received a wine "themed" gift this year. I was the fortunate recipient of six bottles from an advertiser (not related to this blog). Many thanks to NovusVinum.com I particularly enjoyed the Gayot Vineyard sparkling wine!

The second item I received was a wine aerator, which purportedly accelerates the speed in which the wine "opens" up. Instead of waiting 30-60 minutes, simply pour the wine through Vinturi into a glass or decanter, and enjoy. The device introduces oxygen into the wine through a slender tube and creates a gargling sound. I've used it several times and to be honest, I haven't noticed much difference. I would argue that I can introduce as much oxygen into the wine by elevating the bottle and pouring; gravity causes the wine to churn and creates a similar effect. Vinturi retails for around $40 so make your own decision.

Cheers!