When it comes to wine labels, I’m pretty conservative. I’m attracted to the clean, straightforward look, labels with clear type sporting a crest or a drawing of the chateau. I tend to avoid wines selling themselves with cute names, overweight circus animals and sadly portrayed dogs and cats, labels that, in my experience, often mask an inferior product.
Category: Reds
Malbec Is the Flavor of Argentina
Malbec, the signature red wine of Argentina, is well-suited for winter drinking, full of dark fruit and chocolate flavors that go well with meats, rich soups and stews.
Wine Benefits From Renewed Focus on Vines
William Hill Estate’s North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent value and a perfect wine for drinking on winter nights.
For the Feast, Pinot Noir Fits the Bill
There are a number of wines — reds, whites and rosés — that go well with the Thanksgiving dinner, but over the last few years, Pinot Noir has emerged as my favorite red to pair with the traditional feast, and Montes Limited Selection Pinot Noir from Chile is an excellent, inexpensive choice.
Pinot Noir From a Pioneering Winery
In the past, I’ve written about the excellent Pinot Noir being produced in New Zealand. Matua’s Pinot Noir is no exception, and it carries the added benefit of being less expensive than the other Kiwi wines I’ve mentioned.
A Rioja Eases Toward Winter
There is little argument that some of Spain’s best red wines come from the Rioja region in the north central part of the country.
California Red Offers Flavor For a Cause
Generally, I’m reluctant to get overly excited about wines with a cause. They often seem like gimmicky marketing ploys to promote less than stellar wines by pulling on your philanthropic heart strings.
Small French Vintner Makes a Splendid Red
In the world of wine, Domaine La Manarine is a relatively minor player — about 89 acres of vines, 60,000 bottles of wine a year — and that’s a good thing.
French Red Suits the New Season
This is a period of transition on many fronts. There still may be snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens, but the warm spring sun is a clear signal that it’s time to start trimming down, putting away rich food and switching from heavy, higher alcohol red wines to something lighter and brighter.
A Pinot Noir Worth Buying By the Case
Castle Rock Pinot Noir got my attention a month or so ago when I found a bottle on sale and decided to give it a try. For $10.99, I expected a California Pinot Noir like many in that price range, drinkable, but bland and mass produced without much attention to detail.
