The Unofficial Fresh n Easy Wine Blog*

Side By Side Returns, a good wine for a great cause.

2013-05-24T09:24:00.002-07:00

It is that time of year again, Side by Side wine has returned to F&E. Its a good wine with a great cause. $1 from each sale goes to Azalea Charities, a charity dedicated to assisting wounded US and UK veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. http://www.azaleacharities.org/

This Memorial Day, as we in America remember those who served in the armed forces of our country or our comrades in arms from the UK, you can do a solid for those service members working their way back to "normal."

Bud Black Crown, better than regular Bud, and that's about it.

2013-03-05T11:46:00.002-08:00

I saw the splashy launch of Budweiser Black Crown ("BBC") during the Superbowl, and after tasting it my impression is that I don't think BBC will make it till the next one. Like Bud Platinum before it, I don't see the purpose of trying to be what you are not and stake a claim to the premium beer category when the product does not live up to it.

BBC in for a lot of abuse from the craft beer perfectionists, as it should. It does not live up to the Superbowl hype, which is not to say it is a bad beer, just not a good one either. BBC is a straight ahead, fair American lager with a touch more sweetness and more hops than regular Bud. There's a bit of orange on the nose, then a wave of caramel, and then a slightly stale grassy finish but you are still left with the typical Budweiser dead wet cardboard feel.

If this was an attempt to co-opt the craft beer market, it failed. If this was introduced to replace regular red canned Bud it would be a win. Since AB wants a premium of $1-2 per six pack for this beer I would skip it and buy some Sam Adams instead. Just one man’s opinion.

Maker's Mark Rethinks Cutting Alcohol Content

2013-03-05T11:10:00.001-08:00

Since I was posting anyway did anyone notice how quickly Maker's Mark walked this one back? I have noticed as I get older that my tastes in alcohol is changing as well. I tend to drink more whiskey and wine than vodka and beer, it is, what it is. During lent I can't drink Scotch, so it is nice having bourbon on hand. For those of you who do not know the varieties, I found a great family tree.

aqua vitae = "water of life"

Maker's Mark and Gentleman Jack are my go to bourbons, and both great products. The thought by Maker's Mark was to reduce the proof from 90 to 84 so that they could produce more bottles overall to keep up with demand. I don't understand the thinking of actively undermining you brand by changing the formulation during a period of unprecedented success but I still remember New Coke, and the reason that the Coke (less and less as well) I buy is now branded Coca Cola Classic. Thankfully they came to their senses and reversed course.

Its been a while, gas prices are up and wine prices too.

2013-03-05T10:38:00.001-08:00

Its been forever since I posted last. Work has been busy and I have had some occasional travel to the beautiful pacific northwest. Thankfully things are starting to hit a happy medium again. The boys and Cameron are all well and since it is lent I gave up Scotch again, so back to wine and beer I guess.

I was surprised to read a last month that Trader Joe's has done the inevitable and raised the price on their flagship Charles Shaw wine from $1.99 to $2.49. Though I guess it could still be called two buck Chuck, I had abandoned it several years ago when wine quality had plummeted and a bottle gave me more of a headache than any enjoyment.

Never fear budget minded wine drinkers, thankfully Big Kahuna is still plugging along at $1.99. If you hit the right sale you can get it for even less.

Even though the brand has a decidedly American surfer motif, it is actually produced in Spain. Consequently the Tempranillo, a grape varietal native to Spain is the best of the lineup. Cameron likes the Cabernet a bit better than some of the mid priced Cabs that we had been drinking so for a weeknight this has become our go to bottle.

If there was one theme in this blog it is the appreciation of wine without pretense. The Big Kahuna line is the epitome of this. An introductory price-point wine of good quality where you find out what varietals you generally enjoy, no special tools needed. The screw cap though lacking in romance is practical and eliminates the need for a corkscrew to open the wine or vacuum pump to preserve the leftovers. Leave the pretense behind and grab a bottle and a couple glasses, for the price you will not be disappointed.

New Craft Beers Gargoyle IPA

2012-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

I know that technically this is a wine blog, but man cannot live by wine alone. There are times that pizza and burgers must be eaten and you have to seek out a good beer. To be honest F&E has not had a good track record of putting out a decent house brand beer, which is why they may be putting them by the bathroom. Pairing with an Indian Wells brewery. this selection is completely different. I think F&E is finally serious about putting some good beers on the table.

Gargoyle IPA $8

Gargoyle F&E's take on a straight ahead India Pale Ale. Gargoyle has strong hop notes and a traditional bitter note on the taste almost like a British beer. Medium gold in color with a crisp slightly citrus finish it is everything I look for in an IPA. At $8 for a 4 pack its a little pricier than other options but its a fun choice for a poker night provision.

A preview of the 4 new craft beers. $8 only at F&E.

This is one of 4 new craft style beers that have recently rolled out. I like the direction that F&E is going with these. I can't wait to try the others. Cheers and best wishes for a Happy New Year to you all.

Back in the saddle with Napa Family Vineyards Cabernet 2010

2011-11-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! With all the changes since September the Blog has been put on the back burner. We welcomed our second child in early September and have been adjusting to having two little ones around the house. My love of a good drink remains but those first few weeks were spent sleeping not catching up on a backlog of new wine and beer.

Bryant informing Will and I its time to get up.

Due to the extra rugrat we are trying to eat in more often but still with style. Carm is in the process of trying out some entertaining recipes that we can throw parties with, so if your in the Long Beach area we hope to have you over to the house soon. To pair with the tasty experiment tonight we tried the Napa Family Vineyards (NFV) Cabernet Sauvignon.

NFV Cabernet Sauvignon

The NFV is the Cab counterpart to the Meritage I featured several weeks back. This Cab is a medal winner in its own right winning awards at the Critics Challenge Intl. Wine Competition 2011 and Los Angeles International Wine Competition, 2011. The NFV Cab is a young fruity Cabernet with a good nose and bright fruit flavors. It is a full bodied classic Napa Cab so it is intense with the taste of dark berries. Carm felt the alcohol content was a bit much but I thought it was tasty with that intensity. The price point is about the same as its brand mate around $10~ which is a good value for a wine this good.

End of Summer Pool Party; Grilling Burgers and Dogs While Sipping Dutch Republic

2011-09-04T22:43:00.000-07:00

When I was in college my buddies would give me nothing but grief for my love of fruity mixed drinks, who am I kidding they still give me grief over this. Coming from a family that drank cheap beer there was a reason I didn't like beer back in 1994; up till then I had never tasted a beer worth liking.

I left for UC San Diego in June of 1994, which was fortunate for me because it coincided with a surge in great micro brewing. Sierra Nevada had made it down to San Diego from the Pacific Northwest, Sam Adams was being distributed more widely from Boston, Karl Strauss [god bless his soul] was just beginning to distribute his micro brews and would open his first brew pub when we were Juniors. From the more commercial side I enjoyed was Heineken and Pacifico, the benefit was that I could find them almost anywhere. All in all the early 90's was a great time to learn and taste good beer.

Carm wanted to have a small get together this afternoon before Labor Day, but since all the girls are now expecting I skipped the wine today and just picked up some beer for the guys. The fun thing about this Blog is that I think more about what I drink.. I felt like drinking a Dutch Pale Lager and no longer felt confined to buy the most familiar thing.

Dutch Pale Lager for $4

I selected Dutch Republic (DR) from F&E which retails for $4 a six pack to pair with some fresh hamburgers and kosher hot dogs. I opened the first bottle while I was grilling and was shocked. I like Heineken; a lot, I was stunned to realize that I liked DR a bit more.

DR is a traditional crisp tasting Dutch Pale Lager with a clear amber color. Its best quality however is the smooth finish which really sets it apart from its more famous competitor, Heineken. At $3 less a six pack this is a great value for a great tasting beer.

Dinner out at Forbidden City with friends and Dreamstone Moscato

2011-08-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

Since baby #2 will arrive soon [negotiations on name still pending] and the first weeks after the pregnancy might overlap Carm's birthday week / month extravaganza, we decided to celebrate early this year and have a nice adult dinner out at Forbidden City in Long Beach, CA.

Located at Marina Pacifica.

There is also a full sushi bar on site

Forbidden City boasts a wonderful selection of freshly made traditional Chinese and Japanese fare with entrees averaging $15. The owner, who to his credit takes great pleasure at meeting all the diners when he is onsite [which is often] takes great pains to explain the reason everything tastes so great is because all the sauces and meals are prepared on site and not prepackaged.

Since Carm and most of her girlfriends swear by locally sourced organic foods, he was definitely preaching to the choir on that one.

Forbidden City is located right on the canals of the Marina Pacifica. On the weekends you can see the boats coming in and out of the marina right outside the restaurant at sunset it is a very cool sight. On Friday night a very good jazz duo play for the diners.

The outdoor fire pit.

Forbidden City also has a wonderful tented outside patio section that is a must see complete with a ultra cool fire pit that has built in seating for evening cocktails and dining.

To me the most impressive thing about Forbidden City is its great collection of Chinese Art that the restaurant owner lovingly collected over the years expressly to open this restaurant. Statute.

More importantly for this blog it also has a very reasonable corkage policy of $15 per bottle. Which is handy since I enjoy bringing my own selections which are typically better than what most restaurants stock. Since I didn't know what to bring for Chinese food I asked my friend Richard who by trade is a professional wine buyer for some recommendations. Richard told me he would take care of it and brought the new F&E Dreamstone Moscato.

Dreamstone Moscato and Chocolate Cake, yum!

I am not a huge white wine fan but I asked for a professional opinion and went with his selection. Apparently sweet white wines pair well with salty and spicy food. Even alone this sparkling Moscato would have been good. Dreamstone has a fun peachy flavor with a smooth aftertaste, it also paired well with the chocolate cake I brought for Carm's birthday. Dreamstone is low in alcohol content which is helpful since the female half of the table are all expecting.

All in all a good time had by all.

Meritage, its like a Bordeaux without the Frogs. Napa Family Vineyards Meritage 2009

2011-08-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

Carm and I have been eating in a lot more lately, biding our time till our next child comes in a month or so and takes all of our time. This is a good an excuse as any to drink through our wine supply, [with me taking the lions share of course.] The dinner menu tonight included chicken lasagna, a loaf of oven baked crusty garlic bread and this tasty 2009 Meritage from Napa Family Vineyards ["NFV"]. www.napafamilyvineyards.com/

Technically only sparkling wines from Champagne can be labeled Champagne, similarly Bordeaux can only be labeled as such if it comes from Bordeaux France. The French take two month long holidays per year allowing their industries to grind to a halt, but protect to the death the integrity of the wine trademarks... [insert your favorite French joke here] A "Meritage" in a nutshell is a Bordeaux style blended wine that does not come from the Bordeaux region of France. I enjoy a good Bordeaux and this Meritage is a very tasty California take on a Bordeaux. Considering that buying a Meritage will save you $3-5 per bottle over their French counterparts it also makes for a great value.

This NFV Meritage has a subtle bouquet. The Meritage has a wonderful clear garnet hue in the glass. On the taste you get the wonderful complex explosion of dark fruit on the tongue, followed by a smooth aftertaste. Carm felt that the alcohol was too stiff for this wine; I thought the alcohol profile was bold but not over the top. All in all a very enjoyable weekday wine from our friends from northern California.

New Zealand; the home of Hobbits and Boro Hills Pinot Noir

2011-08-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

I know nothing about New Zealand. I love the people, as there were many Kiwi ex-pats living with us in Saudi Arabia during the early 1980's, and still have fond memories of them. The country itself I only know through the Lord of the Rings movies, which I enjoyed thoroughly. If this Boro Hills Pinot Noir is any indication I should learn more about New Zealand, than what Peter Jackson filmed. After all Mr. Jackson had his hobbits drinking beer instead of this great Pinot.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir 2008

I am fond of Pinots though more fond of Shiraz and Merlot in general, however I am fully stocked on Shiraz and Merlot this month. Since I have been sampling wines from France, Spain and Argentina lately I thought that a New Zealand Pinot available at your local F&E would be a good change of pace.

Boro Hills Pinot Noir is a 2008 vintage with deep ripe fruit notes. The fruit flavors that shine through are warm and pleasant raspberry, cherry and plum. I enjoyed the level of oak feel to the wine and the smooth finish. I typically only buy California Pinot Noir but I will definitely pick this bottle up again.

End of Summer Block Party, a Band, the Kiddos and Doon Buggy Wine.

2011-08-14T22:54:00.000-07:00

The second week of August marks the end of summer in our area of Long Beach,CA and the Annual Belmont Heights Block Party. Our friends the Kinneys who live on that street invited us over to join in on the fun. Courtney is also an occasional F&E blogger but she specializes in cooking and baking featuring F&E products, and makes a mean chili!

Fun in the sun with a good band @ the Block Party.

One of the wines she provided was a wine I was meaning to get to. Doon Buggy is a 2009 Red Wine Blend priced at $10. Doon Buggy has a taste profile along the lines of "Menage a Trois Red." I barely poured my first glass before I had to chase my kiddo who made a break for the bounce house.

Doon Buggy, 2009 Red Blend $10

Considering the venue, this was a good choice, this is a simple wine for a relaxed venue. Bright ruby in color its a bit on the lush side for my tastes. The finish was nice and clean considering it was a blend. All in all this was not my cup of tea but priced two dollars less than the comparable, though more memorably and cheekily named Menage a Trois, I would bring this to a picnic or block party without hesitation.

Arizona Produces Wine, Who Knew? Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus" 2009

2011-08-11T23:29:00.000-07:00

Today's wine is a 2009 Red table wine called Arizona Stronghold, "Mangus," yes its a wine from Arizona. Except for northern Arizona I assumed the rest of the state was barren and incapable of growing anything. When I heard there was an Arizona wine I thought it would have come from the north, where I went on a memorable trip to a dude ranch in Prescott Arizona many years ago with Carm, my buddy Gary, his then girlfriend, and a friend of ours who stopped taking her meds... It was a memorable trip. Saw several farms up there but no grape vines to speak of.

AZ Stronghold "Mangus"

Apparently the wine growing region is in Cochise County, Arizona east of Tucson towards the south east corner of the state. I didn't know what to think of this wine at first, this is a bold red blend, with a touch of spices and a healthy alcohol content. Each wine in the AZ Stronghold series has its own moniker, this one was "Mangus," a blend of Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Merlot though the Cab really stands out to me.

I was ready to write this wine off when Carm pointed out that this is exactly what it claims to be a bold red blend table wine; a Monday to Thursday wine if you will. As usual she is right. This is a good red table wine that would pair well with a good steak, or a roast or Bob the 200 lb pig that Kurt and I butchered, with Chef Paul a few weeks ago. Arizona Stronghold "Mangus" 2009 will be carried at your local F&E or it can be purchased directly through its website http://www.azstronghold.com.

Promotion Alert for PCH and WineWrights Week of August 8, 2011

2011-08-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

I love getting what I want for less than retail so when I see something on promo I will pass along the info. This week our friends at the F&E have put some of their California Wines on promotion.

The PCH line that typically retails for $8 has been discounted to $6.

PCH Pino Grigio

The WineWrights line that typically retails for $10 is selling right now for $8.

WineWrights Pino Noir

Stock up before the prices change back, considering the prices I would go for the, WineWrights a better wine for what you would normally pay for its PCH cousin.

Enjoying WineWrights Napa Merlot 2009, with Bob the Pig.

2011-08-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I remember watching the movie Sideways the great 2004 ode to binge wine drinking, with Carm a few years back. Good movie but there were several things I didn't get and maybe the director cut out. I did't get the subplot of Miles' hatred of his parents or his mysterious hatred of Merlot. Maybe his parents beat Miles with Merlot bottles.

I enjoy a good California Merlot, and the Winewrights Napa Merlot is a great example of an affordable high quality Merlot, its also $10 which is just icing on the cake. I picked up a bottle of Winewrights Merlot along with some spare bottles of Chateau Coucy before a "whole pig" butchery class I attended, taught by Chef Paul from Primal Alchemy Catering. It was 11 am on Saturday, I was drinking good wine, sampling cured meat, head cheese while separating the shoulder of a 200 lb organically raised pig; good times.

Bob the Pig, after the hams were removed.
Chef Paul in the background.

My buddy Kurt from Probasketballtalk.com [a one stop shop for all of your NBA related news] joined me for this culinary adventure and by 11:30 we finished the bottles of French wine I brought. [between us Kurt and I have 4 soon to be 5 kiddos, so when we get out, we drink!] Chef brought out another round of figs wrapped in prosciutto so we cracked open the Merlot. The primary flavors on the taste are dark berries, plum and chocolate. enveloped in a dense Merlot package. There is a hint of oak and gentle tannins on the finish. I also love the label I dig the very Leonardo Da Vinci look to them, at a $10~ pricepoint this whole package wine is an absolute steal.

Near the end of the class Chef prepared a pork loin as a demonstration. That seared pork tasting alone with the Merlot accompanying it was worth the price of admission.

Main Street Wine Cellar, Seal Beach, CA.

2011-08-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

The original thinking behind this blog was talking about having fun with affordable wine and more importantly sharing that fun with friends and family. For some special occasions however its still a ton of fun to go out to a great bar. Though truth be told, since Carmen and I are married with Kiddos we tend to hang out with people at the same point in their lives as well.

The Wine Cellar is on Main Street,, there are 2 public parking lots within one block of the Wine Cellar..

For our friends recent birthday party we visited the Main Street Wine Cellar in Seal Beach, CA. It would have probably been more fun at Joe Josts, but lets be honest, I wouldn't want the young kids to feel bad hanging with the old folks so, we went somewhere grown and sexy instead.

The definition of a well stocked bar.

The Wine Cellar has several different options when you visit from intimate dining tables for "date dining", one entire wall is retractable to allow the ocean breeze to waft through. There is a wonderful long table in the center of the Wine Cellar for large parties our party started with 4 and ballooned to 15 over the course of the evening and we only took up 2/3 of the long table. The Wine Cellar also boasts a great bar area with wine bottles on a wine tap for by the glass enjoyment.

Wine on tap... good times ahead.

The staff of the Wine Cellar is knowledgeable, attentive, and generally makes good recommendations if you have an idea of what you are looking for. Since I have been trying to keep track of my preferences lately after starting this blog I knew what I wanted and could explain it to the staff.

Appetizers and red wine, the dinner of champions.

We started with a fruity white wine and went to fuller bodied reds as the night went on. I think we went through a Malbec, a Napa Cabernet, a tasty Burgundy, and a Zinfandel. After the paninni course was served, I asked for Spanish wine because an Cubano I was munching on would go well with a Tempranillo. The wait staff offered a traditional Tempranillo and a fun Tempranillo called the "Spaniard" which contained romance alluding to the campy but great 80's movie "The Princess Bride." That suggestion was such a hoot, I had to try it, since I love that movie [yes its a chick movie but Andre the Giant has the best cameo in a movie ever.]

There is also live music on Friday and Saturday nights, which was an unexpected surprise that was greatly appreciated. The Wine Cellar is a touch on the pricey side however I did not get a bad bottle all night and the service was excellent. It was a more expensive night than usual Saturday out however I will head back soon if a birthday, anniversary or other excuse pops up.

If you are around the East Long Beach or Seal Beach areas the Wine Cellar is a great wine bar in a fun area and well worth a visit. The Wine Cellar is located at 302 Main Street Seal Beach, CA 90740. Tel (562) 430-3200.

Concert in the park enjoying PCH, a few blocks from PCH.

2011-07-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

This Thursday evening like all Thursday evenings during the summer was spent in a local park listening to the Long Beach Municipal Band play while we enjoyed a picnic dinner with friends. The wine of choice this evening was Pacific Coast Highway ("PCH") Pinot Grigio,which is fitting since I live only a block away from the real PCH which inspires this line of wines.

PCH 2009 Pinot Grigio

PCH is the big brother if you will to the I Heart California ("IHC") that I reviewed over the weekend and the mid price point wine in the new California wine collection F&E debuted this year. At $8 this wine is more expensive than its little brother IHC but a much better wine overall. Like IHC, PCH as you can tell from the name, is a California wine. The clarity and nose are similar to the IHC though I really get a more subtle smell of the wine during the swirl of the PCH. The real difference comes into play during the taste, its almost like biting into a summer peach; crisp but sweet. The PCH Pinot is a more complex, and complete wine, I enjoyed the extra layer of flavors that present but not overwhelming, kind of like the dixieland jazz that was wafting through the park this evening...

The view from our picnic.

Its summer right now I encourage you all to go to local events like a concert in the park and get as many friends and neighbors to attend as well; nothings ever promised to us tomorrow today. We all tell ourselves to seize the day which I did today. Listening to music with several hundred neighbors, a picnic with friends, and enjoying a good affordable wine means that today was not a wasted summer afternoon.

I hope you all enjoy every day of summer. Cheers!

I Love CA and family reunions.

2011-07-18T22:50:00.000-07:00

A while back the F&E rolled out a selection of California wines, due to the old blog and my being acquainted with one of the F&E people I got invited along for the tasting party. At the tasting party I really enjoyed some of the higher end wines [which I will cover later] but felt that the I Heart California line ("IHC") was more of an afterthought. I didn't care for the Chardonnay but the Cab was serviceable. Carmen and I had fun that night and we even ran in to an old UC San Diego Classmate Annette Holland who runs a F&E food blog.

Up to this weekend I had not thought a lot about the IHC but I was heading out to see my Japanese side of the family the annual Kumamoto Summer Picnic, and per the stereotype they don't tend to drink much. My aunt said they had everything covered but I hate only bringing my teeth to a party. At $4 per bottle I could afford to make a mistake so I picked up a couple of bottles of IHC Pinot Grigio to beat the summer heat and a IHC Cab for later.

I think my prejudice towards Chardonnay skewed my view of this line. I popped the cork and between my cousins and I was out of the first bottle within minutes.

I was surprised how much everyone really enjoyed the IHC Pinot but going through the old Copia tasting checklist I found my opinion change quite a bit.

I had a set of picnic glasses and a waiter's corkscrew to work with so this is about as basic a wine experience as you are going to get. The appearance on the pour is light and clear, as a good Pinot Gris would be. The nose on this Pinot Gris is simple and lightly citrus. The taste is clean, refreshing and fruity almost like a summer peach. The aftertaste unlike other lower price point wine is smooth without the bitterness of say a two buck chuck. By the way the Miyamura team won the soccer competition and the water balloon toss winning a beach ball and a bag of rice if you were wondering.

I drank the Cab with some peppered tri tip tonight.that I put in the slow cooker before work. The Cab is as smooth as I remember it, the taste is simple and dark berry accented table wine which is wonderful for a weekday meal with the family. All in all not bad for $4 and a heck of a lot better drinkability wise than the closest competition.

Cheers!

Summer Beer Lagunitas Little Sumpin'

2011-07-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

I know this is technically a wine blog but this is the time of the year in Long Beach where we enjoy the Long Beach Municipal band on the summer evenings in July. Man cannot just live by red wine and Scotch alone. Occasionally there is pizza and beer especially on concert nights in the park. I picked up a 6 pack of Lagunitas Little Sumpin' at the Signal Hill F&E on the way home and was not disappointed.

I've been drinking a bunch of Pyramid Heff lately as well as Blue Moon and have been generally steering away from ales and stouts this summer. Today's beer was a fun wheaty-ish ale that was great for a lazy evening in the park.

On first blush out of the bottle Little Sumpin' is wonderfully aromatic and pours a wonderful thick head. The taste was crisp and refreshing. The finish was rich with a hops blast at the end. Even with the rich flavors there was a lightness to it that is perfect for outdoor activities like chasing the kiddos. All in all just what I was looking for at the end of a long day at the office and return trip on the 405.

The only drawback is when I offered a bottle to my buddy Luke, who was not sure about getting a little sumpin' sumpin' from a dude... I guess that is South Dakota humor. That said it did not take too much arm twisting to get him to join me for a bottle. $8 for a six pack of good craft beer is a great price for a fun beer of this quality.

Cheers, and get out there and enjoy summer!

Matuco Malbec

2011-07-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

Typically I avoid anything from Argentina it usually is overly boastful with little substance explaining its cheating ways by explaining the situation being a result of divine intervention. [Ask your friends that follow world cup soccer if necessary.] At long last however I finally have found a reason to give Argentina a chance, this Matuco Malbec.

I was recently reading "The Rembrandt Affair," a spy novel by Daniel Silva. Part of the story took the protagonist to the Mendoza region of Argentina to investigate the theft of a long lost Rembrandt masterpiece. It had a wonderful side story describing the Malbec produced by the grief stricken son of a war criminal who was haunted by the sins of his father.

Soon after I finished "The Rembrandt Affair," I found this Malbec at F&E and being $9 I gave it a try to pair with a pre-seasoned tri-tip roast.

On first glance in the glass it is an intense ruby color that is very visually appealing. The nose is intense and appealing. The Mantuco Malbec is a full bodied wine, and a little heavy on the tannin straight out of the bottle. I poured myself a glass before I went out to the grill and was initially disappointed. When I came in after the tri-tip was done the tannin mellowed appreciably, so Carmen and I enjoyed the remainder of the bottle. The flavor after some airing is very fruity with a deep berry tone which is just the way I like it.

If you give this Malbec a little time to breath you will be pleasantly surprised by this fun and intense wine. Growing up with a bunch of British expats overseas though I still am sore even all these years later about that "Hand of God" play, but if Argentine wineries continue making wine like this we can let bygones be bygones!

Cheers.

Wine 103: Keeping Track in the Field

2011-07-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

One of the great frustrations of finding wines that we enjoy is the stark contrast of the almost universally poor quality of most wine sold in restaurants. Quickly glancing over a wine list in an unfamiliar restaurant is usually a recipe for disappointment because if my favorite wines are not listed I am typically flying blind and picking countries and regions by reputation not actual knowledge of the wineries themselves.

A co-worker recommended the Wine Notes free app which he got for his Android based phone. At first I though he was being overly bourgeois on this. After thinking about it for awhile using a smart phone app makes tons of sense. After all I was beginning to keep a list of my favorites in the notes section of my IPhone anyway.

Wine, and to a greater extent drinking in general is supposed to be about having fun. Part of having fun is finding and drinking something you already put in the effort to discover. Nothing is more frustrating than spending your hard earned money on something that is substandard. So anything that helps in the effort of getting you what you like and want is a good thing. The fact that the app is free is just icing on the cake.

This app should not dissuade you from trying new wines though, because half of the fun is in the discovery. Kind of like the first time I drank coconut rum, I like neither flavor independently yet together they were heavenly. My buddy seems to like this app, I will have to see if they have a version for the IPhone as well and will report back.

If you have a droid you can get the app here:

http://www.appbrain.com/app/wine-notes-free/com.sh0rtshift.wineNotesFREE

Quick Update

2011-07-11T21:00:00.000-07:00

Another cache of Chateau Coucy has been located. I spoke with the F&E wine buyer who I met through Carmen's Mom's Club. He confirmed that a quantity of 80 bottles has been moved from a San Gabriel Valley area store and moved to the Manhattan Beach flagship store. The remaining stock is still at $9.99.

I'm as excited now as my old buddy Cheston is in this photo. I will be there tomorrow with my wine tote bag, if you get there first save me a couple of bottles.

-------
Update 7/12/11

The stock has now sold out. I promise to update if I find more. Maybe I will hit the IE this weekend during Carmageddon. I picked up a French sav blanc as a consolation prize that I will review tomorrow.

Theme Parties (Spanish)

2011-07-09T23:07:00.000-07:00

Last year Carmen got involved with her local Long Beach Moms Club. We ended up getting along with several members and decided it would be a great opportunity to revive one of Carmen's favorite activities; the theme party. Over the years we have thrown Greek, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian, and many others. My college buddy Edgar made a Spanish tortilla during one of his dinner parties, we liked the presentation so much we decided to try a Spanish tapas party. Since all of us have kiddos now it gave all the adults a chance to get together and enjoy adult conversation.

To pair with the tapas, we chose a F&E wine, Castillo Rioja, a Spanish Rioja (red) which paired well with the dinner that night. The Rioja is predominantly Tempranillo and has a well aged deep fruity taste. I think the bold taste stood up well to the tapas pairings, and would pair well with some medium spicy Mexican staples like enchiladas as well. At the $9 price point I feel that I get a good bang for my buck and I continue to enjoy this wine.

Wine 102 Continuing the Journey

2011-07-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

Since college and for years after, my drinks of choice were spirits instead of wine and beer. I enjoy drinking especially in a festive setting. Carmen and I usually drank vodka based drinks, as they tended to complement the themed parties we used to throw. All that changed in late 2007 when we found out Carmen and I were expecting our first child. Carmen stopped drinking spirits and I felt bad drinking our usual without her.

I needed a more socially acceptable drink that we could both share, in small (quantities of course); which is why we began to drink more wine. Remembering our earlier Copia experience we set out to the nearby Trader Joe's to find something to entertain with.

We had some hits and misses in those early days since we tended to only purchase wines in the $5-8 range for ourselves and $10-14 range if we were expecting guests.

Our good friends from college, tasting a California Syrah.

Our first wines tended to be Californian since we live in California. So a typical wine selection for us in the early days were Cabernets, Merlots, Pinot noirs and Syrahs. Carmen began gaining a taste for sweet white wines, I'll touch on her favorites later. Most importantly even with our lifestyle change, we were doing our best to transition into our new lives and entertain, this time with wine.
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In case you missed it, Chateau Coucy

2011-07-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

The first wine that I wanted to highlight is either out of stock in your stores or soon will be. If you happen to have a store near you that has a large supply please let me know so I can visit it. I cleaned out Signal Hill, East Long Beach and Walnut already.

Chateau Coucy was a special purchase of French wine made by FnE and its parent company that came in about two months ago. It is a quality 2008 French Bordeaux with tasty berry aromas and flavors that was sadly the victim of the worldwide credit crunch. Apparently in France, letters of credit are not as easily accessible as they are in the US. French wineries maintain inventory as capital and if needed sell them off to raise funds. This little number and half a case of its friends ended up at my home. Originally priced at $20.00 it has now been reduced to $9.99 to clear space for the next batch of products.

If you see this bottle, buy it! You are getting a great tasting and smooth French Bordeaux which should closer to a $30-40 price point for $9.99. Better yet email me first and then only buy one bottle... I am getting a little low.

Wine 101 (Pre Kiddos) @ Copia of Napa

2011-07-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Back in June of 2007 Carmen had a conference up in Berkeley, CA and I was off from my Adjunct Professor job for the summer, so I went with her. After the last day of the conference we had time for a quick trip to Napa before our flight out the next afternoon but could only visit one winery. After some research we decided to visit the Copia in Napa Valley. It was a great concept a museum/winery dedicated to food and wine. It also had a wonderful restaurant attached to it called "Julia's Kitchen."

The food and presentation were top notch and Carmen was quite pleased with our lunch there.

Copia had tours, rotating exhibits and classes. Carmen and I only had till the afternoon before we flew home so we signed up for the first class available. Luckily for us we Wine Tasting 101 was available.

The instructor lets call her, "Jane" was a no nonsense young woman in her early twenties from a small Napa wine growing family who was working at Copia to increase her general wine knowledge and marketing savvy.

Carmen and I were ushered into a wonderfully appointed room, she had serious wines, a serious slide show, serious wine glasses divided into sections for different wines and only us as students for that class.

Unfortunately for Jane, my sense of humor just like my palate had not yet matured. Jane did her best to instruct Carmen and I on the basics of observing the appearance of the wine, smelling the aroma in glass, tasting and experiencing the sensations in mount and finally paying attention to appreciate the aftertaste (finish). In return Jane had to endure endless jokes about; "the wine looking like wine," "smelling like grapes," "tasting like grapes," and "still tasting like grapes..." Jane showed great patience that day.

All joking aside, (apologies to Jane) I learned a great deal about my wine preferences that morning. I prefer red wine over white. I prefer sweet over dry. I also typically prefer medium bodied to full bodied wines. Sadly I recently read that Copia had closed.

If I ever bump into Jane again or if you happen to remember Carmen or I and are reading this blog, we apologize and promise to be better next time... And can we start with a flight of red wine?