Spring is here! Turn down the heat. Crank up the air conditioning! Open a bottle of light, fizzy wine! Or not? Is there still any reason for our wine tastes to change with the seasons? I’m going to say yes … and no.
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A whiff of fresh wild strawberries, typical of Gamay, comes up at first when Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Le Perré is poured, but with time in the glass it gives way to a more interesting mix of red and black fruit and a sudden jolt of anise. Beautifully balanced on the palate with 13% acidity, it offers bright and juicy berry fruit, bone-dry, tart, and free of oak, with stony minerality in the finish.
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Check prices and find vendors for Domaine de la Madone Beaujolais-Villages Le Perréon on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read about Beaujolais-Villages and find listings for dozens of other wines of the region at this Wine-Searcher link.
Learn more about Gamay at this Wine-Searcher link, with vendor and price information for dozens of Gamay wines. Read article.
A pretty light pink color, Calvet 2017 Crémant de Bourdeaux Brut Rosé pours up with a frothy mousse. Good raspberry scent adds a pleasant hint of cocoa suggesting Pinot Noir as the source of the wine’s rosy shade. Crisp, fresh, and acidic flavor with modest 12.5% alcohol, shifting to darker currant and cherry fruit in a foamy mouthfeel. Made in the traditional Champagne process.
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Check prices and find vendors for Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé on Wine-Searcher.com.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link for more information about Crémant de Bourdeaux and listings for many more wines in this style.
Interested in more wines from the French negoçiant Calvet? You’ll find info and listings at this Wine-Searcher link. Read article.
Have I ever told you how much I love Chianti? Yeah, I thought so. But please indulge me while I spend a few minutes talking about my affection for this old Italian standard … and tell you about another good one that cost me just over $10.
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Querceto Chianti shows a clear but dark garnet color in the glass, dark almost all the way to the clear garnet rim. Typical Chianti aromas of tart black cherries and dried cherries dominate the aroma, with hints of spice in the background. It’s firmly acidic on the palate, a character in Chianti that makes it a natural with food, but behind the tart entry you’ll find appetizing, juicy black-cherry fruit that lingers in a long finish. Its 12.5% alcohol hits the traditional standard without being strong enough to intrude.
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Check prices and find vendors for Querceto Chianti on Wine-Searcher.com.
Learn more about Castello di Querceto and browse listings for the producer’s other products at this Wine-Searcher link,
Read more about the wines of Chianti at this Wine-Searcher link, and page down to find listings for dozens of other Chianti wines. Read article.
You’re a carnivore. You like a good steak, bloody and rare. And you don’t see any need to shell out extra bucks for organic food. Is there any reason in the world why you would want to try a wine billed as “certified organic, biodynamic, and suitable for vegans”?
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This red wine from Blaye on Bordeaux’s Right Bank is declared biodynamic, certified organic, and using only indigenous yeasts with low sulfites, and, the label declares, “suitable for vegans.” It’s a blend typical of the region: Primarily Merlot (75%) with smaller portions of Cabernet Franc (15%) and Malbec (10%). Dark cherries, subtle mixed berries and a whiff of cherry liqueur elevate the aroma; tart red fruits fill the palate, framed by crisp acidity, soft but perceptibly astringent tannins. A hint of chalky minerality joins cherry-berry flavors in a long finish.
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Check prices and find vendors for Famille Hubert Château Pey-Bonhomme les-Tours Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read more about Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux at this Wine-Searcher link. Page down to find listings and vendors for dozens of wines of the region. Read article.
Why do food and wine taste so good together? To address this question that’s so fundamental to our love of wine, let’s go back to the basics. Consider, if you will, a piece of bread. Think of a flatbread, round and warm. It’s good, right?
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This fresh, young Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Nicolas Potel shows dark reddish-purple in the glass, shading to a clear garnet edge. Fresh, appetizing fruit aromas mix black plum and red berries with subtle smoky notes. Black and red fruit carry over as a dry flavor firmly framed with bright, palate-cleansing acidity. Soft tannins appear in mid-palate and carry into a long, clean finish.
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Check prices and find vendors for Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Pinot Noir on Wine-Searcher.com.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link to find Bourgogne Rouge listings across a broad price range on Wine-Searcher.com. Read article.
Blu Giovello, an Italian wine brand developed awhile back for the U. S. market, has recently been “re-styled.” Learning of this, Neil Duarte was able to snag some of the new bottles. Here’s his report on this friendly white libation. Read article.
