The WineMadeEasy Blog

Here is my final entry for the Halloween season.  I have picked an appropriate wine more for the occasion than the quality. This is not to say the wine is bad, but it is not something you might seek out during the rest of the year. The wine is Werewolf Pinot Noir and the sale price is $7.99. It tastes like a rustic, light to medium bodied wine with substantial tannins. There are notes of tart strawberries, raspberries and sour cherries.

Fermented in stainless steel, and aged in French oak, this is no wimpy Merlot.  Produced by Charles Smith who seems to make most things he touches interesting. The Velvet Devil Merlot is a Washington state wine that is truly Merlot with only a smidgen of Cabernet Sauvignon. Like its name, this Merlot is velvety with a mysterious, devilish blackberry jam color. On the nose there are ample dark fruits like boysenberry and blackberry along with sweet chocolate cherry with faint notes of cedar and tobacco.

Today I begin the 3 part series on Halloween treats to pour. Because of the craze for all things Apple this time of year, I thought it only appropriate to step outside the wine world and offer up a cider. There are several varieties and even flavors of alcohol based (hard) ciders that range from sweet to very dry and still to sparkling.

The lure of French value wines continues with a red Bordeaux because …well, how can it not?  How can a bargain hunting wine drinker turn down a Fall deal like this, especially a French wine with Vermont in the title?

Continuing my blog on French bargain wines leads us to La Forge Estate Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Languedoc region.  Both these wines are labeled by type of grape rather than region possibly to attract more import drinkers.

Starting on October 1^st we will be having our Fall Double Up for a Buck sale.  Several of your old favorites will be on the sale as well as some new comers, including some lovely wines from France.

Every day it is not unusual for customers to ask for California Cabernets and Chardonnays, often looking for Napa or Sonoma wines.  However, it is less likely they will inquire about Washington state wines. 

It’s after Labor Day but the heat is intense and grilling out is starting to lose its appeal. Many of us are missing our red wines.  Cheer up! Cooler weather is on the way (Not cold, but normal high 60’s –low 70’s) and football viewing is infiltrating many homes in our area.  With football viewing comes snacks and pizza, and with snacks and pizza comes (no not beer- remember where I work) red wine.

I have just tasted the Elvio Tintero Rosso, one of the fine offerings from star importer Kermit Lynch.  This bargain priced wine is from the Piedmont region in Italy and is an irresistible blend of 40% Nebbiolo, 40% Barbera, 10% Dolcetto and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Tintero sources his grapes from different parts of Piedmont and is currently not permitted to display a vintage on table wines of this type.  Not a problem. You won’t care – trust me. This wine is very well balanced, has complexity, fine tannins and subtle acidity

Summer maybe be waning but let us not forget that there is about a month or so left before the true chill of Fall will arrive. Therefore, we should all carry on with our crisp, white wines that refresh us so much when the temps are climbing above 75 degrees or so.

For those of you looking for a bigger, bolder, intense Italian white rather than Pinot Grigio, of which there is an over abundance of at nearly all wine shops and restaurants, perhaps you should try the Ressia 2014 Evien which is a Moscato d’Asti (WHAT?!!!).  No, really.  I am not only very pleased with this green tinted, golden hued surprise,I am humbled.  I have always believed that Moscatos are sugar delivery devices, you know, adult Kool-aid.  Then low and behold, along comes Fabrizio Ressia fom the Piedmont region of Italy with an excellent Moscato that made me weak in the knees.

So how did this happen?  Simple. He made it a dry wine.  What you have as a result is a full, rich, round, fresh white wine with the right amount of acidity. This wine is very aromatic with intense flavors of peach, apricot, orange blossom, lychee (somewhat reminiscent of a Vouvray) and a hint of anise in the finish.   A finish, by the way, that