The Seadrift Pinot Noir 2014 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from more than one grape growing AVA in California. ALDI never gives out much information about their wines, a quick check of the internet showed that the Seadrift is produced by a custom winery located in the Central Coast AVA, but anything more than…
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The Jargon Pinot Noir 2012 is 76% Pinot Noir, 18% Syrah and 6% Petite Sirah, the Syrah is sourced from the Monterey AVA, the Pinot and the Petite Sirah are sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Jargon is one of Trinchero Family Estates (founded in 1974) line of wines, other brands include…
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The Emma Pearl Pinot Noir 2013 is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. The Emma Pearl Pinot is 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Petite Sirah. Now, California Pinot Noir does not usually sell for under 4 bucks, there is a story to tell here. Treasury…
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The 2013 Woodwork Pinot Noir is sourced from vineyards in coastal regions of the Central Coast AVA of California. Woodwork is one of The Wine Bars brands of wine that include Snap Dragon, Ensemble, Uppercut and many others. The key to the Woodwork line of wines is their use of oak staves, instead of oak…
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The Segura Viudas Gran Cuvée Reserva Brut is a blend of 85% Macebeo and Parellada (these, along with Xarel.lo, are the grapes traditionally used in the production of Cava), plus 15% of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown in the Penedès region of Spain. The Segura Viudas property has been an estate since the 1000’s and…
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The Old Soul Pinot Noir 2014 is Pinot Noir with Zinfandel and Merlot blended in, sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA at the northern end of the Central Valley Region of Northern California. Lodi is located east of the San Francisco Bay, south and east of Napa. The temperature can be very warm during…
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The Belcreme de Lys Pinot Noir 2013 is Pinot Noir, with a little bit of Syrah added in, sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Belcreme de Lys is one of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wine many wine brands. Their portfolio runs from Moet & Chandon to Blossom Hill White Zinfandel….
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The Sophora Sparkling Cuvée is 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards in the Gisbourne and Hawke’s Bay districts of New Zealand’s North Island. Most of the reasonably priced New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc you see on store shelves come from Marlborough on New Zealand’s South Island. Sophora is the Sparkling wine brand from Distinguished…
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The Berlucchi Franciacorta 61 Rose’ Brut is a non vintage blend of 55% Pinot Noir and 45% Chardonnay sourced from grapes grown in Berlucchi Estate vineyards in the Franciacorta DOCG region of Lombardy in northern Italy. The Berlucchi Franciacorta Rose’ is made in the Traditional Method (same as Champagne from France) which differs from the…
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The Berlucchi Franciacorta ’61 Brut is a blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Noir (which are also grapes traditionally used to make Champagne) sourced from vineyards located in the DOCG Franciacorta growing region of Lombardy in Northern Italy. The ’61 Brut is made with the Traditional Method (same as Champagne) and Berlucchi was the first…
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The Michelle Brut Sparkling wine is a non vintage blend of 63% Chardonnay, 19% Pinot Noir and 18% Pinot Gris sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. Michelle is a rebranding (and maybe a little reconfiguring) of Domaine Ste Michelle Sparkling wines which were/are the Bubbly division of Chateau Ste Michelle. This…
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A nice example of an Oregon Pinot Noir, this baby from A To Z Wineworks is a bright brick color in your glass, cherry covered raspberry pie on a sniff and tart cherry on first sip. The tartness mellows to a complex symphony of everything berries: strawberry, raspberry and blackberry – that really stick with…
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Here is a cheat sheet for the making of Italian, Spanish and French Bubbly, Cava, Prosecco or Spumante: In Italy, Bubbly, be it Prosecco or Spumante, is usually produced using the Charmat Method. With the Charmat method (this is where the bubbles are introduced), the fermented wine is placed in huge pressurized vats, this is…
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The 2011 Secco (translates to dry) Italian Bubbles Rose’ Brut is a Sparkling wine sourced from vineyards in Veneto, Italy consisting of 80% Raboso Piave and 20% Pinot Noir. Raboso Piave is a grape indigenous to Veneto and by law must make up at least 70% of the blend. Secco Italian Bubbles is a project…
Read MoreThe Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Rose’ Cava is a different take on Spanish Cava, instead of the usual combination of Xarel.Lo, Macabeo and Parellada, this Brut Rose’ is 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Trepat, an indigenous Spanish Red grape that is mainly used in Rose’ blends. The grapes are purchased from the Cellars de Can…
Read MoreThe Chandon Limited Edition Brut Classic, subtitled American Summer, is the usual Chandon Brut Classic, but in a bottle covered in very eye catching red, white and blue foil (there are stripes of American flag blue, French flag blue and summertime sky blue). The Chandon Brut Classic is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot…
Read MoreThe light red, see-through color on this pinot from Mendoza (Argentina) tricks you into thinking it’s going to be one of those wimpy, light-and-breezy pinots that do have their time and place, but you tend to avoid when you’re in the mood for a nice full body. It smells of a barrel full of cherries…
Read MoreLovers! In the words of Jim Gaffigan, “Without Valentine’s Day, February would be… well, January!” What should we be drinking with our hotties? Wine, of course – A.K.A. “the ultimate aphrodisiac“. How about Champagne? For Valentines Day it’s a no-brainer. They go hand-in-hand like wine and cheese. Like wine and chocolate. After all, Champagne’s for…
Read MoreThe Domaine Saint Vincent Rose’ is Gruet Winery’s entry level Sparkling wine. 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the same New Mexico vineyards used for Gruet Sparkling wine. Saint Vincent is the Patron Saint of winemakers. Made in the Methode Champenoise style, the same way Champagne is produced (2nd fermentation in the bottle) and aged for…
Read MoreThe Pierre Sparr Cremant Brut Rose’ is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards near the villages of Molsheim, Kintzheim and Sigolsheim in the Alsace Region of France. First fermentation takes place in steel tanks for 6 months, then second fermentation (adding bubbles) takes place inside each individual bottle, Methode Champagne, for 18 months. Wine and…
Read MoreThe Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut Sparkling Wine ($9.99) is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir (a Blanc de Noir) sourced from grapes grown in California’s North Coast. The North Coast encompasses 50 different AVA’s, with the main growing areas being Sonoma, Napa Valley and Mendocino. Made by Rack and Riddle, the only custom…
Read MoreThe Gruet Brut Rose is a nonvintage Sparkling wine made from 100% Pinot Noir grown at Estate vineyards near the town of Engle, 170 miles south of Albuquerque, in New Mexico. They add 2% still (no bubbles) Pinot Noir to give the wine a pink hue. This Sparkler is made in the Methode Champenoise process,…
Read MoreBlason du Bourgogne Cremant De Bourgogne Brut Reserve is composed of 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay, 10% Gamay and 10% Aligote sourced from the Cremant de Bourgogne AOC in Burgundy, France. This Sparkling wine is made in the traditional method, which is normally referred to as Methode Champenoise, a process where the second fermentation (this…
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