Sale Wine is the Greatest Wine of All

If I were to list my favorite types of wine, I think my list would go something like this:

10. Moscato

9. Anything with Petit in the name

8. Syrah

7. Cheap Wine

6. Pinot Noirs

5. Cabarets

4. Expensive Wine

3. Zinfadels

2. Old Vine Zinfadels

1. WINE ON SALE

So, imagine my excitement when strolling through the aisles of Safeway a couple of weeks ago and found Firefly Ridge 2008 Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon on sale for $6.99 regularly $16.99. I consider anything that is more than half off a winner already. Plus I love the name Firefly - consider it a side effect of my obsession with all things Whedon. It already had two things going for it. It was wonderful $7 wine and I would totally stock up on it for that price. I doubt that I would pick it up full price, but that's the danger with sales right? Cause I'll be honest when shopping, I look for the little yellow tags telling me how much I'll save on it this week and I can't remember the last time I bought a full priced bottle. I may be a wine sale slut.

What's your thoughts on sale wine? Does it ever prevent you from buying at regular price? Or does it make it so full price bottles that much more special?

Overall rating: At $7 it is 4 stars meaning "pretty good I'd drink it again" and at $17 it is 3 stars meaning "eh".

time out for immune systems

All of us are recovering from head colds, stomach viruses, or something or other. Wine has been put on the shelf while recovering and drinking beer during football games. C did buy me a good Cab Sav to review while up in Chi town for the weekend. So new reviews to come soon. In the mean time enjoy a photo of some antique decanters. I love them, they are my mom's. I want to go antiquing just to look for some cool old decanters.

Blackstone Merlot

Merlots elude me, seems like every one I've tried is different. I don't remember any that have really stuck with me as I gotta have that again. A few months ago I ordered a glass of Merlot while out for dinner and really enjoyed it. I remember it being dry but with a wonderful plum flavor that really won me over. I really thought it was a Blackstone Merlot, so I picked up a bottle to see if I would like it at home.

I opened this bottle as a sipping wine which could be my first mistake. Some how I'm thinking merlots are more a wine you drink with dinner. I didn't taste any fruit the first day this was open. It was bitey and very dry. I slowly sipped a glass, poured the rest in the decanter. The next day I sipped another glass with dinner and it was better. I still didn't taste the plummy flavor from the restaurant so maybe it wasn't Blackstone that I had. I finished the bottle with C on the third night while cooking dinner. It was still ok. Not a fave. And I would rate it "eh."

What are some good Merlots I should try? Anyone have any faves?

OZV lodi zinfandel 2007

After a long day at work coming home to a baby who's starting to learn separation anxiety. We cooked up a supper that turned out so-so, but opened this bottle of wine. OZV, old zin vin, from the Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi California.

This wine was good right from uncorking. The first sip had sweet drips on the tip of the tongue in the beginning. And then the wine turned rich and jammy and smooth. Delicious. And got better as it breathed in our glasses. Both C and I polished the bottle off after baby went to bed.

The rating was unanimous between the two of us.... Lip Licking Good wine. It's a bottle we'd definitely buy again. I'm not sure how much it cost since it was a Christmas gift. But no matter the cost I'd get it again for both a gift and for us. I'd be curious if a second bottle is as enjoyable as this one. In fact after looking at the Oak Ridge winery website I'd look for and try any of the wines they make.

2011 winey goals

A New Year, a new look, and more wine. That's my plan for 2011. More specifically I'd like to explore some cheaper wines. I kinda already do this but I'd like to make it official. The whole you get what you pay for is definitely true when it comes to wine. But at some point I have to wonder really how wonderful is a $500 bottle vs say a $100 or a $50 bottle. I can't afford that experiment this year, but I know you can get some decent wines for under $20 bottle. So I'd like to explore price range and grape. Is there a major difference in a $20 bottle vs a $15 or under $10? Do certain grapes make better cheaper wines than others?

This will also contribute to my second winey goal for the year. Branch out of my normal wine buying habits and look for other varieties I may like. I tend to buy zinfandels, pinot noirs, pinot grigios, and an occasional petite syrah and riesling. Seems like a good selection but really there are tons of other types of wines out there. I tend to stay away from merlots and chardonnays. And they could be the two more popular wines made or sold in the US. My figuring is that there are too many bad ones to find the good. But I'm turning a new leaf. I'm out to find at least one under merlot and chardonnay that I like and would buy again.

Finally I've come up with a rating system to rate the wines I review.
It's a 1-5 system.
1=ugh it was vinegar
2=not my fave
3=eh
4=pretty good I'd drink it again
5=lip licking good wine