La Mano Mencia Roble Red Wine 2012

La Mano Mencia Roble 2012 is a red wine grown in Northwestern Spain. A smooth and wet wine with pepper and fruit tastes it maintains soft tannins. Aged in oak barrels for at least three months it provides quality for the price. The aroma is fruit and berry mixed. As a wine it has a wet and low level aftertaste which raises its appeal. 

This wine was one of the specials you find in Trader Joes or other trendy stores and sold for $3.00 putting it in most people's price range. It normally retails for around $10. The special display that runs consistently offers an excellent opportunity to try trendy wines without breaking the bank. 

Considering that it has won the Los Angeles Wine & Spirits Competition awarded the 2011 vintage Gold Medal and the Mundus Vini awarded Gold you won't be disappointed. I have a personal preference for wines that are easy on the palate and are either wet or slightly dry. I am not really into the heavier wines unless it is blended and cured just right. 

This is the type of wine that will go well with most meals. When eating steak, burgers, or other greasy foods you might want to get something a little heavier. The heavier food will coat the taste buds. However, for general table wine you will like their offering. Toasting to good times doesn't mean spending a fortune before you actually earned it. 

Wine Review: Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine is served on dinner tables across the country with a tradition that predates the founding of the country. Early settlers brought wine vines with them on their travels.  Wine lovers regularly seek to find new varieties of foreign and domestic productions to experiment with. Lindeman’s Bin 45 Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 offers an exciting option at a price only your local market can provide.  A true table wine ready to serve for most dinner functions.

Lindeman’s Bin 45 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a bright red wine with high viscosity and long legs. In the glass Bin 45 contains current flavors, dark berry, vanilla, spices and oak. A smooth start and higher tannin finish with a reasonable level of acidity. A well balanced wine that retails for under $10. It pairs well with most meat dishes making it versatile for most home uses. 

The growing region of southern Australia has warmer interiors and cooler exteriors. The type of soil in the region has an impact on the taste and texture of the wine. For example, organic soils produce looser clumps, heavier berries, and high performance grapes (Cheng, et. al. 2014). In this case they produced a solid product ready for market production. 

It is hard to find wines that have a solid taste but still not budget busting your hard earned dollars.  Among the variety of wines that I have tasted and reviewed I find the Cabernet Sauvignons to be some of the best wine categories. They generally work well with oak barrels that lessen the tannin levels and raise the vanilla flavor. Bin 45 fulfilled my expectations and is on the “buy again” list. 

Cheng, et. al. (2014). Effects of climatic conditions and soil properties on Cabernet Sauvignon berry growth and anthocyanin profiles. Molecules, 19 (9).  

Wine Review: Nothing Wrong with a Mad Housewife

On an occasion, a Mad Housewife is a good thing! No…we are not talking about the cold shoulder and the burnt fruitcake. The Merlot Mad Housewife by Mad Housewife Cellars in Manteca California is a ripe fruity medium-bodied wine that maintains a smooth disposition despite its quick legs and burgundy red cheeks. With plumb, blackberries and vanilla mixed with a touch of spice you will find the taste pleasing.

Their philosophy matches their wild style.  “Above all else, wine should be fun, relaxing, and something you can afford to look forward to at the end of each and every day. This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment to yourself. A moment without the madness.”  To them, every homemaker may need a little time off.

It s body and taste is something that would go well with a little greasier food. This is not to mask the quality but to complement their offering. Think in terms of steak, bacon, hamburgers and kabobs. It is a backyard or everyday type wine at a wholesale price.

Their Merlot wine has won a couple of local awards giving testimony to the quality of the value for around $10.

Bronze Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2012
Gold Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2011
Bronze Medal, San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition 2010
Bronze Medal, Florida State Fair International Wine Competition 2010
Silver Medal, National Women’s Wine Competition 2010
Bronze Medal, Next Gen Wine Competition 2010
Bronze Medal, Grand Harvest Awards 2010
Silver Medal, Riverside International Wine Competition 2010
Silver Medal, Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition 2010
Bronze Medal, San Francisco International Wine Competition 2010
Silver Medal, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition 2009
Silver Medal, Denver International Wine Competition 2009
Bronze Medal, Florida State Fair International Wine Competition 2008

http://www.madhousewifecellars.com/

http://moderndaymoms.com/whine-o-wednesday-presents-mad-housewife-merlot/

http://www.examiner.com/article/wine-deal-of-the-week-mad-housewife-merlot

The Taste of Fetzer's Merlot-Earth Friendly

Fetzer’s Merlot is a dry wine of plumbs, blackberry and cherry taste. It is has a deep ruby red appeal and pairs well with cheese, seafood, poultry, meats, and spices.  The wine is an everyday table wine that can be used for the casual occasion. Its price is relatively inexpensive allowing for it to be an affordable alternative.

Wine Facts:

Acidity: .63 grams/100 ml

PH: 3.42

Residual Sugar: .5 grams/100 ml

Alcohol: 13.66% ABV

Make up:

77% Merlot, 7% Syrah, 7% Petite Verdot, 5% Carignane, 3% Petite Syrah, 1% Cabernet

The best part about this wine is that they use sustainable practices. This includes a 10,000 squarefood administrative building built off of recyclable materials, rammed earth construction with solar panels, and maintains the largest wine array of solar power in the industry. This provides another reason to make Fetzer one of your wine choices. 

Wine tasting often relies on the tart and sour taste and how it balances out sweetness and bitterness of the wine. One with too much acidity will prick the sensations while those wines without will have little individual flavor and will be considered soggy. Natural acids that come from the grapes are more superior than those which come from the fermentation process.

Fetzer Website

Let’s Get Gnarly with Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon

Gnarly Head Cabernet Sauvignon is an easy drinking wine that is light to the taste and soft to the taste buds. Big fruit and dark cherries mixed with an oak flavor. With 14.5 alcohol content and a PH level of 3.51 the taste doesn’t knock your socks off or make your hair fall out. However, it is hardy enough to make your event just a bit more interesting. 

Most reviews rate it right around the center of taste and quality. Yet with a grand price tag of $8.99 I think it is worth at least one bottle. Of course, your eye will be drawn to the red label with a gnarly old vine sprouting grapes. This is label fits the brand as the wine is made from older grapes, which encourages it have more flavor but less grape clusters per bunch. 

Cabernet Sauvignon is a relatively new wine on the market as it first made an appearance in the 18^th century in Chateau Mouton. As legend has it the Baron De Brane ripped up white wine grapes and planted a red wine grape by the name of Vidure. From here, the grapes are processed into a new type of wine that has sequentially spread across the globe. 

The type of food that Cabernet Sauvignon classically pairs with is lamb. However, as a hardy drink it can go with just about every type of high tasting meat. Beef, pork, venison, and rabbit are also proper choices.  High levels of oak influence and alcohol level make it a bold drink that goes with bold food. The wine matches with fatty foods that reduce the tannins on the palate to make the berry taste more alive.

Personally, I found the wine worth a single try but not particularly in the lineup of favorites. It works well as a basic table wine that can be used on occasion. The price is exceptional so it has just a bit more appeal than some of the higher priced brands. It is a California wine so if you are about supporting your local economy this would be one of the ways to do it. 

Price: $ 8.99 bottle

Blog Ranking: 3.7/5

Wine Review: Merlot by Berenda Road

Seeking out the perfect but affordable wine is never an easy task.  The trail in the woods is never easy to find and seems to be covered in the leaves of many alternatives. Occasionally kicking up these leaves an opportunity to find one or two, which are worth trying, come around. Some are generic and offered in every cheap liquor store while others may be more specialized and home grown.  However, finding an affordable Merlot that does not make your mouth pucker is worth it-especially if it is under $12 a bottle.

In my life I have tried both expensive and cheap wine and have been pleasantly surprised by both. However, as the economy drags in its passive growth many might appreciated some advice on some everyday table wine. Berenda Road Merlot 13.8% Alc. has a fruity and wet taste with enough spice to make it interesting. It may take you a while to feel light headed but it still offers a reasonable taste for an over-the-counter price.

The Berenda Road wine was processed using grapes from Temecula Valley and was aged 14 months in small oak barrels before being bottled. The use of oak barrels is said to improve the sweetness of the wine through the unique oxidization process. Commercial wine will often be stored in such barrels from a year to two years to create a more vanilla flavor. American oak work best with red wines. 

Merlot is a medium dark wine made with dark berries. It is believed to come from an old French word meaning black bird. Such wines come from grapes that have high sugar content and low levels of acid. California wine has come of professional age since the 1980's and ranges from the more generic types to deep barrel curing. The depth and quality of the wine ranges with a general focus of price. Merlot by Berenda Road is no different.

Berenda Road Merlot comes is bottled at South Coast Winery in Temecula, California. The South Coast Winery and Spa creates an inviting atmosphere for visitors with a hotel, wine club, spa, and other amenities. The nightly price is around $180+ per night and is ranked four out of five stars by many visitors. You may find more information at http://southcoastwinery.com/

This wine appeared to be worth the price. It has a medium heaviness, a grape and spice body, and a little sweetness. There is just a touch of graininess. In general such a wine might work well on the dinner table or for a reasonable choice during the weekdays. It certainly isn't going to impress anyone unless you don't tell them about the price. It is an everyday wine with no thrills.