With the sudden spike in warm temperatures, are you looking to white wines already? (It’s okay. I am too.) And to continue with last week’s theme of affordable California picks, here are four wallet-friendly bottles of California wine. All cost under-$14.
2010 Big House Wine Company “The Birdman” Pinot Grigio (California, $10) is as light and delicate as a feather, and some nights that’s what you need: a solo wine that needs no pairing. Its floral backbone is punctuated by pitch-perfect notes of pear as well as honeydew melon. (www.bighousewines.com)
2009 Clos du Bois Winery Pinot Grigio (California, $12) has a delightful honeyed quality with notes of pineapple and guava offset by ample mineral notes and some lemon accents, too. (www.closdubois.com)
2010 Parducci Small Lot Blend Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino County, California, $11) is more balanced than a typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (although those are favored for their zest and spunk). Heavy on lemon, and light on acidity, it’s a bright, fresh wine to uncork on a weeknight before dinner. (www.parducci.com)
2011 Cupcake Vineyards “Angel Cake” White Wine (California, $14) is packed with delicate green-apple notes and there is a wonderful mineral quality to this wine that culminates in a lengthy, toasty-vanilla finish. (www.cupcakevineyard.com)
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
Washington State winemaker Charles Smith, of Charles Smith Wines , is like Grammy Award winning music artist Adele. (No, really – stay with me.) Up until two years ago, nobody knew who they were and now they kick serious butt at their craft.) Tomorrow night, at 6:30 p.m., Smith – named 2009 Food & Wine Winemaker of the Year – hosts a five-course dinner, paired with his wines, at Harbor House . A sneak-peek at the menu reveals scallop tartare with bacon gastrique paired with 2010 Riesling “Kung Fu Girl,” and a Pacific Northwest staple of grilled king salmon caught in Washington, served with beet puree and trumpet mushrooms in a red-wine reduction and married with 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon “Chateau Smith.” A seat will set you back $95. To snag one, dial Harbor House at 414-395-4900. As for that music match, he does indeed have something in common with Adele: for 11 years he managed rock bands in Scandinavia, before going platinum with Charles Smith Wines.
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
Balzac Wine Bar wants to get you out of the house on Sunday nights (from 3 p.m. to close) with its “Raid the Cellar” deal that slashes the prices – in half – on bottles normally costing up to $60. A half-block north of Brady Street on Arlington Place is where it’s at if you are in search of a place with cheap wine and little luxuries (chandeliers, Riedel glassware and tapas like duck nachos).
WINE OF THE WEEK
California-based JAQK Cellars has some serious Wisconsin roots. Fond du Lac native Joel Templin, who now lives in San Francisco, is a founder. It’s a virtual winery, meaning that the grapes are sourced from carefully selected vineyards in Napa Valley and Sonoma, and the wines made by Craig MacLean who cut his teeth at places like Chappellet Vineyard, Cain Vineyard & Winery and Spring Mountain Vineyard before forming his own brand (MacLean Wines). But back to JAQK. The 2007 JAQK Cellars “22 Black” Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley, California, $31) begins with a wonderfully fragrant nose of forest floor and baked blackberries before easing into a slightly oaky profile with firm, soft tannins.
Image by Flickr user Smabs Sputzer
