I don’t think I could make a scientific case that certain wines are better served on Father’s Day. This post is less about father’s day-specific wine and more about a few bottles that I’ve enjoyed in these recent weeks leading up to Father’s Day. Whether you are a father, have a father or know a father, you might want to try these as well…

There’s been a lot of white wine in my glass recently. It’s warming up and I’ve been trying to eat nice, healthy salads and seafood; thus the color of my wine.

The first bottle was sent to us by our friends at Pasternak Imports, the 2008 Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre. Sancerre is an appellation in the eastern Part of France’s Loire Valley, and most of the wine produced there is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This was a nice, elegant wine with a light, floral nose and flavors of lemon, citrus and a vein of minerality. A crisp acidity with a decent finish, it was a nice pairing with my arugula & crab (and by crab I mean krab) salad and baked brie. It retails for $23.99.

Next up is the ‘08 Catena Chardonnay from Mendoza in Argentina, which was sent to us. We love Argentina in general for good wine values, and the Mendoza region is at the heart of the Argentinian wine industry, producing two thirds of the countries wines. This wine has a distinct tropical nose with notes of sweet spices. Those tropical flavors, along with pears, apples and a glimmer of minerals continue on the palate. It’s a nice, creamy mouthful of medium-bodied chardonnay with a nice crisp acidity. A good deal at under $20 and it scored a 91 from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate and a 90 from Stephen Tanzer.

Another value-wine-producing-country we love in the Southern Hemisphere is Chile. We were sent a bottle of white from Bodegas Renacer, the 2009 Punto Final Sauvignon Blanc. This one hails from the Casablanca Valley which is a hot spot for Sauv Blanc in Chile. While this one didn’t knock my socks off, it was an easy-drinking, refreshing burst of citrus. It had hints of herbs, with a zesty acidity- best served nice and cold. It retails for $11.99.

Meanwhile, back up here in the Northern Hemisphere, I was pleased to find a bottle of the pink stuff on my doorstep. Of course I’m talking about rosé, pink being the other color of wine that gets poured a lot when the temperature rises. This one was from the Russian River Valley area up in Sonoma- the 2009 Foppiano Vineyards Estate Rosé. One of Foppiano’s specialties is Petite Sirah, and this rosé is a blend of 55% Petite Sirah and 45% Pinot Noir. It’s not a grape that’s often seen in a rosé, and the result is crisp, fun and complex (much like myself). The nose is sweet strawberries, and the palate is strawberries, cherries and a dash of spice. It has a nice, creamy body and a bright acidity. A great summertime wine for about fifteen bucks.

By the way, if you want to get your dad a father’s day gift he’ll never forget, the lovely wine bottle tie pictured above is available at www.vinodeco.com. Happy Father’s Day!

You heard me right, I said Washington. It’s a region we haven’t spoken about enough here at WineExpedition. The state up in the Northwestern corner of the country that’s known for its apples and evergreens has been making some noteworthy wine for years. Cabernet and Syrah is what you’ll hear about most, but today I’m gonna tell you about a glass of white wine that recently got my attention. Read on….

With summer right around the corner, it’s time to stock up on good barbecue wines. Sauvignon Blanc instantly comes to my mind – a refreshing, zingy white wine – perfect for a lazy, Sunday afternoon.

But the bottle that came across my desk this week from L’Ecole Nº 41 in Walla Walla Valley isn’t a mere Sauvignon Blanc. As a matter of fact, the ‘08 L’Ecole Nº 41 Luminesce blend is only 30% Sauv Blanc, with the other 70% being Sémillon. Yup; somehow this Bordeaux grape has found its way into the Walla Walla valley, and L’Ecole winemaker/co-owner Martin Clubb is making it his own.

I was curious about this one, which the good folks at L’Ecole Nº 41 sent us a few months ago, but I was saving it for warmer weather (January in Los Angeles can get pretty chilly, and I don’t like drinking white wine whilst bundled up in a hoodie.) So, this weekend I decided to pop the cork and enjoy it as a Sunday afternoon aperitif wine.

The wine has a nice pale yellow hue in the glass, with aromas of sweet pineapples that hit me as I lifted the glass to my nose. On the palate, tropical flavors are everywhere: along with a dash of melon and a layer of creamy peach. The creaminess is a nice surprise, provided no doubt by the Sémillon. Don’t get me wrong, it still has that crisp Sauv Blanc finish that we all know and love, but the heart of the palate is rich and creamy, with hints of honey, mint and spices hanging out on the back of my tongue. If you want to try a white wine with an unexpected twist, the L’Ecole Luminesce is a good call, especially at only $19.

By the way, it’s not just me- Wine Enthusiast scored ths one a 91.

Until next time…

Last week, we participated in the latest online blogger tasting from our friends at Wines of Chile. As always, it was a blast: good wine, good information via webchat with the eight winemakers and great comments and feedback from our fellow wine bloggers. A good time was had by all (and I’m still recovering). Read on for the lowdown…

I had received my tasting kit several weeks ago, and all eight bottles were chilled and ready to go. While I had hoped to have some of the suggested food prepared (ceviche and the like), my mid-week work schedule proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to the preparation or acquisition of said grub, so I settled for some nuts and crackers. I laid out the glasses and bottles, got out the corkscrew and logged on. The tasting, moderated by wine educator and Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer, had begun.

Here, in order, are the eight wines we tasted and our thoughts…

You’ve probably noticed that things have been a little quiet here as of late. I’d like to think of it as the calm before the storm. Yes, change is a-coming at WineExpedition.com… and it’s a good change!

That’s right, get ready for ‘WineExpedition 2.0′- more great wine tasting and travel videos, more exciting wine discoveries and recommendations and lots of informative and educational content geared towards people that want to learn about and enjoy wine. We’ve poured over emails and viewer feedback (we’ve poured a glass or two of wine in the process), and we’re excited about the improvements to come, so stay tuned!

By the way… in spite of the less frequent posting, we’ve still managed to open up a few bottles of wine… So, ‘what have we been drinking lately’ you ask?

A few weeks back, my buddy Fernando stopped by the house, and wouldn’t you know, we opened up a couple of Central California wines that I was pleasantly surprised to have found at my local Pavillions supermarket. They’ve always had a decent wine aisle, but as of late some really interesting bottles have been popping up.

The first bottle was the 2007 Qupe ‘Central Coast’ Syrah. Qupe’s owner/winemaker Bob Lindquist always shows up with good grape juice, and this bottle was no exception. Mostly Syrah with a dash of Grenache (2%), the grapes for this wine are sourced from both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County. To quote the winery: “…The wine is essentially a blend of cool-climate Santa Barbara grapes and warm-climate Paso Robles grapes. The cool-climate fruit gives spice, acidity and balanced alcohol while the warm-climate fruit give softness, roundness, ripeness and more up-front fruit flavors and aromas.” I have to say that I definitely got the softness… several Syrahs I’ve had of late have been big and bold, and this one was much more elegant and graceful. Lots of red berry and cherry aromas and flavors, with a hint of pepper buried in there somewhere and oh-so-smooth tannins.

The second bottle that was cracked that night was from the same part of California: the 2008 Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir. Au Bon Climat is located on the renowned Bien Nacido Vineyard, and owner/winemaker Jim Clendenen is a contemporary of the aforementioned Mr. Lindquist (they share a wine-making facility). This Pinot is simple and tasty- strawberries and plums with a dash of spice; balanced and refreshing. Wine & Spirits gave it a 92.

Speaking of Pinot, just last week I was at my friend Doug’s house, and he popped the cork on this tasty bottle from the Anderson Valley.

The 2007 Drew “Fog Eater” Pinot Noir This little number was NO JOKE. Anderson Valley is the hot spot for Pinot these days, and Jason Drew set up his boutique winery smack dab in the middle of it. The grapes in this one are grown about 6 miles from the ocean, and the coastal qualities shine through. A floral nose of cherries and herbs is followed by layers of flavors: juicy red berries, cherry cola, and exotic spices. The mouth-feel is sublime; silky yet crisp, nice round tannins and a lingering finish. It got a 95 from Wine Enthusiast and 93 points from Wine & Spirits Magazine. We drank every drop.

That’s all for now… Cheers!

As DEVO once said: “…freedom of choice: it’s what we got. Freedom from choice: it’s what we want…” Let’s face it; there are A LOT of wines to choose from out there. A lot of grape varietals, a lot of regions, a lot of vintages, a lot of wineries and producers, A LOT OF BOTTLES OF WINE. To quote a buddy of mine who recently asked my advice: “…frankly, it’s a bit overwhelming.”Yes it is, yes it can be, but no it doesn’t need to be. We’ll talk about this more in the near future… We’re preparing some guides… some recommendations… a road map if you will. But until then…

In the absence of a road map, what do you do? And don’t say “just figure it out.” I’ve been there before; I was the guy who refused to stop at the gas station and ask for directions. I learned the hard way. Don’t make that mistake. Don’t be that guy.

JUST ASK!!! The great thing about buying wine in 2010 is that there also A LOT of wine retailers & professionals whose job it is to answer questions and sell wine. Any decent wine store in your city will should have a friendly and knowledgeable staff that can answer any questions you have about wine.

“Which wine can I pair with my mother’s chicken stew?” “Can I drink a red wine with a fish dinner?” “I only have ten bucks… what wine should I buy?” All valid questions and all can be answered by the clerk at your local wine store.

Now if your town doesn’t have a good wine shop, I understand your hesitation to heed this advice. The ‘wine personel’ at the supermarket are usually the same people that stock the battery racks and greeting cards and while Costco has a pretty good wine selection, nobody there knows the answer to a wine question (they probably can’t answer your Hi Def TV ‘LCD versus plasma’ question either.)

But don’t fret; we live in the information age… the very same internet on which you have the ability to view this blog, you can also reach out and ask all the burning wine questions you have… Any of the major online wine retailers like K&L Wine Merchants, Wine.com and Bevmo have ‘help’ email and phone numbers to use in order to ‘get more info’. K&L even has a ‘personal sommelier service‘ that you set up, and your favorite K&L staff member will hand-select wines that match your preferences. YOU pick the countries, regions, grape varieties, price range and how many bottles you want. It’s a great service, delivered to your door (asuming you live in a state that allows wine shipments). It’s all too easy.

Heck; you can always reach out to us: contact@wineexpedition.com – we’ll be happy to answer your questions. We LOVE talking about wine!

I recently took my own advice: I had a question and I ASKED!!

After all of the Easter ham talk last week, I decided to make Chateaubriand for Easter. My go-to wine when eating a nice piece of beef has always been California Cabernet; but I felt like mixing it up this time. I toyed with the idea of a nice bottle from Bordeaux, but decided I’d ask someone at my favorite wine store for a fresh suggestion. As it happens, the guy I bumped into was the Italian wine buyer, and after explaining in detail my planned menu, he suggested the Super-Tuscan pictured below – the 2004 Aglieta “Pomo” Toscano Rosso.

Left to my own devices, I would not have stumbled upon this bottle myself. But I ASKED… I WAS REWARDED. What a wine! It was a big, strong Italian red (and it needed to be with that insane piece of beef that came out of the oven. A stoic nose of spicy red fruit was followed by sweet, dark red fruit with a voluptuous mouth-feel, silky tannins and finish o’ plenty. What a treat and what a pairing.

IT PAYS TO ASK.