Posts belonging to Category Vinho Verde



Memorial Day Memories: Reds, Whites, the Blues, Paella!!

paella mandala

paella mandala

As summer’s unofficial coming out party, Memorial Day weekend has lots going for it: BBQs, wine dinners, paella spectaculars with pan fried sardines …and plenty of wine loving pals. A few pages ahead on the calendar is the Topanga Art Tour and the Playboy Jazz Fest. Officially, Memorial Day is all about the red white and blue and our fighting forces. For the tBoW tasting team it is mostly about reds and whites while listening to Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughn. With a salute to our veterans we report on the wines put forth by the brave tasters who fight for wines under $20 every day in the bargain bins and floor boxes of liquor and wine stores where the real gems can be found…on sale! As IGTY so aptly explains the struggle …

The IGTY Manifesto: I have to budget for 6 bottles of wine a week. At 4.3 weeks in a month that comes to ~25 bottles and at $20 per, that is a lot more than I am willing to pay. My monthly wine budget is $400 and that means hunting down wines that cost ~$16.

(more…)

Labor Day Stay-cation Fueled by Low Wine Prices

With our lives governed by precious petrol we had little choice but to turn to wine as an alternative fuel source over Labor Day. The Large provided the first tasting session on a perfectly sunny SoCal day. After checking out the SW swell at Salt Creek we retired for a serious and amusing tasting dubbed Le Ruse Rouge de Mooj. The crew assembled for the avalanche of U20 wines laced with commentary heavy in fake Frénch acceñts. Let’s get to it. Many of the wines are still available.

Chris primed the tasters with a nice selection of Rosés that showcased the range of varietals and regions making up this prototypical summer beverage. (more…)

4 Sins of Wine and the ‘Bu’s BEST Cab EVER

the man the legend

The season has turned. tBoW has suffered the first schnüpfen in his nélson. [ed. he caught a cold]. The A/C bill will drop only to be replaced by the heater bill. And we are loading up on, and pulling corks of, red wines once again. This is a good time to discuss something every “collector” must consider. (more…)

Summer’s BEST Unexpected Wine Guests

tile complexity

When does a casual guest list for a casual summer party turn into a night you can’t forget? When somebody shows up with a magnum of 1995 Bollinger RD. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Another Saturday is another chance to plow through more Spanish and Portuguese white and red wines. We could do this all summer long. And then Brother Ken shows up with “some champagne” and the conversation stops. The heads turn. The glasses get extended. Champagne RUSH!! (more…)

Burgundy, Barolo, Rioja: BEST Summertime Wine Stakes

A stellar lineup boasting the best wines from three European regions left the rail-birds speechless and begging for more. Even the “claimers” at the front of the card showed spunk and class. The great grapes Nebbiolo, Pinot Noir and Tempranillo – each from a star stable – were all represented on this evening card. (more…)