Philly Wine Finder tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-86678309056648971 2012-02-21T19:40:54-05:00 Finding wine values at the Wine and Spirits Stores of Philadelphia TypePad PhillyWineFinderhttp://feedburner.google.com Basque Lamb Stew and Christian Moueix Bordeaux tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b0168e7a39189970c 2012-02-21T19:40:54-05:00 2012-02-21T19:40:54-05:00 Il Vino Nobile recently reported that wild boar was available at Wegman's, so we went there in search of some. Unfortunately they were out of it, so we had to substitute boneless leg of lamb and made Basque Lamb Stew. The stew was incredible, and although the Christian Moueix Bordeaux... mowheela

Il Vino Nobile recently reported that wild boar was available at Wegman's, so we went there in search of some. Unfortunately they were out of it, so we had to substitute boneless leg of lamb and made Basque Lamb Stew.

The stew was incredible, and although the Christian Moueix Bordeaux was perfectly drinkable, it just wasn't on the stew's level. For the leftovers we're going to try Rioja.

Christian Moueix Medoc 2005
Vintage: 2005
Size: 750 ML
Item Code: 12894

Type    Red
Producer    Christian Moueix
Variety    Red Bordeaux Blend
Country    France
Region    Bordeaux
SubRegion    Médoc
Appellation    Médoc

 

DSC04397

 Chinese Riesling, Spicy Noodles, and Gewurz tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b01630199fa7e970d 2012-02-18T09:04:11-05:00 2012-02-18T09:04:11-05:00 The Asian style noodles that accompany our salmon and bok choy are fried in a sesame-chili paste, making them quite hot and spicy. The general wine pairing suggestion for spicy food is to stay away from red, high alcohol, tannic wines and go instead with low alcohol off-dry whites, usually... mowheela

The Asian style noodles that accompany our salmon and bok choy are fried in a sesame-chili paste, making them quite hot and spicy. The general wine pairing suggestion for spicy food is to stay away from red, high alcohol, tannic wines and go instead with low alcohol off-dry whites, usually riesling and gewurztraminer.   

So we picked up a Dragon's Hollow Riesling, which claims to be the first premium wine produced in China. The bottle has netting on it and a Chinese coin, which made us suspicious, because we are generally suspicious of such things on wine bottles. The wine is ok, but it didn't taste much like a German riesling, and it didn't pair with the spicy noodles as well as we hoped. Dragon's Hollow riesling has some green apple (sour) flavor but in general tastes like a generic white table wine.

The Ventana Gewurztraminer, on the other hand, is full of lychee fruit flavor and is a good example of California Gewurz. It's a good pairing for this type of food. According to their chalkboard, the PA Wine and Spirits store at 19th and Chestnut is having a tasting of this wine tonight from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Dragon's Hollow Riesling He Lan Mountain 2008
Luxury Item
PLCB Code: 18571
Size: 750 ML
Price: $10.49

Ventana Gewurztraminer Arroyo Seco 2009
Chairman's SelectionTM
Description from PLCB web site
PLCB Code: 32288
Size: 750ML
Price: $9.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:  (Avg $13, Min $9, Max $19)
Availability in Pennsylvania:

In Wine & Spirits stores

PAWineTalk

DSC04395

 Plume Bleue Grenache/Syrah Blend tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b016762797e60970b 2012-02-16T20:17:56-05:00 2012-02-16T20:17:56-05:00 Received this as a gift. Dark cherry, smoky. "It's a good thing the bottle serves as a natural stopping point." 2007 Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud Vin de Pays d'Oc Grenache/Syrah 'Pegovino' (aka Plume Bleue) mowheela

Received this as a gift. Dark cherry, smoky. "It's a good thing the bottle serves as a natural stopping point."

2007 Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud Vin de Pays d'Oc Grenache/Syrah 'Pegovino' (aka Plume Bleue)

 

 

 

DSC04393

 Gruner Veltliner and Ma Po Tofu tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b0167626a7ae7970b 2012-02-15T20:10:12-05:00 2012-02-15T20:10:12-05:00 Add Gruner Veltliner to the list of wines that pair well with Ma Po Tofu. This one had lots of grapefruit flavor and a good amount of minerality. (Yes, Hoegaarden also works.) Gruner Veltliner is such a great Austrian wine, we'd love to seem more of it offered as a... mowheela

Add Gruner Veltliner to the list of wines that pair well with Ma Po Tofu. This one had lots of grapefruit flavor and a good amount of minerality. (Yes, Hoegaarden also works.)

Gruner Veltliner is such a great Austrian wine, we'd love to seem more of it offered as a Chairman's Selection. This was "highly recommended" by Dave DeSimone in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. (Why does Pittsburgh have a wine column and Philly doesn't?)

Hermann Moser Gruner Veltliner 'Per Due' Kremstal 2010
Luxury Item
PLCB Code: 28091
Size: 750 ML
Price: $11.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:  (Avg $38, Min $38, Max $38)

 

DSC04391

 Le Salette Valpolicella Classico Veneto 2009 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b01630147518c970d 2012-02-12T21:08:44-05:00 2012-02-12T21:08:44-05:00 "Take a bite of the spaghetti. Now drink the wine." "Oh that's perfect! Just perfect!" This is part of the PLCB's "restock your cellar" sale. According to PLCB Product Search there's still 12 bottles left. Code: 2612 Description: Le Salette Valpolicella Classico Veneto 2009 Size: 750 ML Price: $13.49 Sale... mowheela

"Take a bite of the spaghetti. Now drink the wine."
"Oh that's perfect! Just perfect!"

This is part of the PLCB's "restock your cellar" sale. According to PLCB Product Search there's still 12 bottles left.

  • Code: 2612
  • Description: Le Salette Valpolicella Classico Veneto 2009
  • Size: 750 ML
  • Price: $13.49 Sale Price: $7.99

DSC04386

 Roasted Beets and Riesling tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b01676233718e970b 2012-02-12T13:18:15-05:00 2012-02-12T13:18:15-05:00 Roasted beets and riesling are a great pairing on the principle that sweet food pairs with sweet wine. It's true; this wine and dish really complemented each other well. The Johannishof Spatlese had a deep golden color and was very ripe and rich, more so than the last time we... mowheela

Roasted beets and riesling are a great pairing on the principle that sweet food pairs with sweet wine. It's true; this wine and dish really complemented each other well.

The Johannishof Spatlese had a deep golden color and was very ripe and rich, more so than the last time we had it. Seemed even sweeter this time around.

The recipe is for Beets, Spiced Quinoa and Yogurt and is from the New York Times.

 

Weingut Johannishof (H.H. Eser) Rüdesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spätlese

  • Code: 30635
  • Description: Johannishof Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese Rheingau 2006
  • Size: 750 ML
  • Price: $17.99

 

Johannishof

 

 Pepi Lignana Leopoldino Vermentino Maremma 2009 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b01676226e786970b 2012-02-11T10:33:26-05:00 2012-02-11T10:33:26-05:00 First of all, why anyone would rather buy a wine with a name like Bitch, Toad, Squirrel Butt, etc. instead of something with a lovely old world name like Pepi Lignana Leopoldino Fattoria il Casalone Maremma is beyond us. On the other hand, perhaps it's all marketing, and the Europeans... mowheela

First of all, why anyone would rather buy a wine with a name like Bitch, Toad, Squirrel Butt, etc. instead of something with a lovely old world name like Pepi Lignana Leopoldino Fattoria il Casalone Maremma is beyond us.

On the other hand, perhaps it's all marketing, and the Europeans are just selling us something different? The Pepi Lignana web site is probably the polar opposite of X Winery: Italian tradition versus California rule breaking; conservative winemaker in a suit versus maverick mixologist. Or, are the Italians (and French and Germans and Spaniards) just doing what they've always done and the new world winemakers need to distinguish themselves instead of trying to compete with centuries of tradition where they can't possibly win?

Who knows, old world versus new world is a never ending debate among the wine geeks. But there's no reason for people to be intimidated by wines with long strings of multiple names in foreign languages, especially when they're priced at $8.99. In our experience of paying closer attention to wine these past two years, the French and Italian wines have had the most consistent quality, even at the modest $15 and under price level. These people have been making wine a long time, they've figured out how to do it.   

Names and marketing aside, this is a really nice wine. In the Gruner Veltliner/Pinot Grigio mold, it's soft and refreshing and will pair well with vegetables, seafood, or anything light. It is citrusy but has a nice smooth mouthfeel.  At only a little over a dollar a name, it's definitely worth it.

Pepi Lignana Leopoldino Vermentino Maremma 2009
Chairman's SelectionTM
Description from PLCB web site
PLCB Code: 32435
Size: 750ML
Price: $8.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:
Availability in Pennsylvania:

In Wine & Spirits stores

Region:    Italy > Tuscany > Maremma
Grape Varieties:     Vermentino 88%
Viognier 12%

 PAWineTalk

CellarTracker

DSC04381

 

 

 X Winery Chardonnay North Coast 2010 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b016300b1866a970d 2012-02-08T06:01:54-05:00 2012-02-08T06:01:54-05:00 X Winery was created from an MBA project of Reed Renaudin in 2001. The basic idea, described on their web site, is to take grapes from "some of California's top growers," blend them, and then use technology and low production costs to offer quality wine at a value price. While... mowheela

X Winery was created from an MBA project of Reed Renaudin in 2001. The basic idea, described on their web site, is to take grapes from "some of California's top growers," blend them, and then use technology and low production costs to offer quality wine at a value price. 

While that may sound like a recipe for plonky bad wine to some, the wines from X Winery receive positive reviews in the Wine Advocate and other wine publications and are touted for their value for the money. 

We didn't find any reviews or even any information on the web site for the Chardonnay North Coast 2010, but we found it to be a solid effort, fresh and clean tasting, pleasant Chardonnay mouthfeel, and not overoaked at all. At $8.99 it's a great deal and a perfect wine for mid-week quesadillas.

Rating: 82, or 3 out of 5.
 

X Winery Chardonnay North Coast 2010
Chairman's SelectionTM
Description from PLCB web site
PLCB Code: 32426
Size: 750ML
Price: $8.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:  (Avg $32, Min $32, Max $32)
Availability in Pennsylvania:

In Wine & Spirits stores

Region:    USA > California > North Coast
Grape Variety:     Chardonnay
Alcohol Content:    13.9%

PAWineTalk

 

DSC04372

 Vega Murillo Tinta de Toro 2008 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b0168e6965721970c 2012-02-03T05:51:32-05:00 2012-02-03T05:52:06-05:00 Full-bodied, on the plummy side, spicy finish. Something artificial about it, a hint of suspicion of mega-purple? Still, very good for the price. 85 Vega Murillo Tinta de Toro 2008 Chairman's SelectionTM Description from PLCB web site PLCB Code: 32389 Size: 750ML Price: $7.99 Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com: (Avg... mowheela

Full-bodied, on the plummy side, spicy finish. Something artificial about it, a hint of suspicion of mega-purple?  Still, very good for the price.   85


Vega Murillo Tinta de Toro 2008
Chairman's SelectionTM
Description from PLCB web site
PLCB Code: 32389
Size: 750ML
Price: $7.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:  (Avg $13, Min $9, Max $16)
Availability in Pennsylvania:

In Wine & Spirits stores

Region:    Spain > Castile and León > Toro
Grape Variety:     Tempranillo
Alcohol Content:    13.5%

PAWineTalk

DSC04370

 Demuth Winery Pinot Noir Limited Reserve Anderson Valley 2006 tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a0133f1766399970b0167614b2750970b 2012-01-31T20:46:00-05:00 2012-01-31T20:48:52-05:00 We picked this up based on the recommendation of the drunken cyclist, who was so happy with it he bought a case. This wine is ok, but our view is that for a pinot noir it's not silky enough and it's too smokey. If you like a light wine with... mowheela

We picked this up based on the recommendation of the drunken cyclist, who was so happy with it he bought a case. 

This wine is ok, but our view is that for a pinot noir it's not silky enough and it's too smokey. If you like a light wine with a little smoke at the end you will like this. For California pinot we prefer the style of Castle Rock or Yering Station, which is to say NO SMOKE!

 

Another disappointment with this meal was the pairing. Although pinot noir is a classic recommended pairing with roast chicken, we were not feeling it. A roast chicken deserves a rustic wine, not an elegant one. Next time we will try Rioja or Cotes du Rhone.  

 

 Oh yeah, by the way, the PAWineTalk web site says the vintage on this is 2006, and so did our receipt, but the wine we brought home was 2007.

 

Demuth Winery Pinot Noir Limited Reserve Anderson Valley 2006
Chairman's SelectionTM
Description from PLCB web site
PLCB Code: 32429
Size: 750ML
Price: $12.99
Compare to prices on wine-searcher.com:
Availability in Pennsylvania:

In Wine & Spirits stores

Region:    USA > California > North Coast > Anderson Valley
Grape Variety:     Pinot Noir
Alcohol Content:    13%

PAWineTalk

CellarTracker

DSC04369