Today’s Wine Review

In two weeks it will be Thanksgiving and the official kick off of the holiday season. I know that the stores have been running ads and specials since before Halloween, but to me Thanksgiving is the starting point. Running around in search of the perfect gift for family, friends and co-workers, promises to be a constant source of anxiety and stress. I don’t know about you, but I agonize over the perfect gift for each one of my family members and close friends. Mitch hates going shopping with me because he knows that I’m going to drag him all over the countryside looking for that perfect gift, I’ll even go to multiple stores looking and looking, then head back to the first or second store and buy the item I had first seen. Silly huh? Well this year I would like to say I have a plan and not go through the same shopping excursions as in the past, but I know that nothing will change, I will go through the same agonizing search. The difference this year will be that I plan on drinking more wine which will ease my anxiety some.

I’ve been working on my list of wines that will get me through the holidays and some may end up as Christmas presents, hostess gifts and just because I wanted to gifts. The list is a mixture of red and white wines all under $25 a bottle and some are under $10 a bottle so as not to break the bank and still have very tasty drinkable wines.

For the white wine drinker I have a few choices that I always buy just to have around.

Ironstone Vineyards – Symphony – CA Wine – White blend – Fresh and bright, light and clean, a little sweet fruit forward wine that is very drinkable and goes well with spicy foods or just sitting on the deck enjoying a couple of glasses

Apothic Wines – CA Wine – White blend – Fuller body, a bit sweet and fruity taste that goes well with spicy Mexican food

Ruffino – Lumina – Italian Wine – Pinot Grigio – Light and crisp – tastes like pears – almost clear in the glass – goes well chicken and salads

Joel Gott – CA Wine – Sauvignon Blanc – Dry with a mineral taste, light and clean – very nice with pork chops

Clos du Bois – CA Wine – Sauvignon Blanc – Dry clean and crisp, with a citrusy taste, great chilled in the summer

For the red wine drinker these are some of the wines that I keep on hand to go with whatever I decide to fix for dinner.

Silver Palm Wines – CA Wine – Cabernet Sauvignon – Very smooth, tastes of cherries and dark fruit, soft and not at all harsh, goes great with steaks on the grill

Joel Gott – CA Wine – Zinfandel – Very smooth and jammie tasting, full bodied, goes well with grilled red meats

Belle Glos Wines – Meiomi – CA Wines – Pinot Noir – Soft and smooth, with a spicy bite, dark fruit taste and dry, nice finish goes well with red meat or turkey

Joel Gott – CA Wines – Cabernet Sauvignon – Lush and smooth, dry full bodied with berry notes, another wine that goes well with grilled meats or pasta

Tormaresca Puglia – Neprica – Italian Wine – Red blend – Full bodied and dry, nice bite with dark berry fruit taste, it has a nice balance, goes well with steak

This list is just a start, a teaser so to speak. I’ll make another list as it closer to Thanksgiving, this one with some of my favorite sparkling and dessert wines.