Sa-Ra-Da wine review

Let's take a trip south east Spain to check out the Sa-Ra-Da...Here's our Decant review and tasting notes.

*What is it? ~ “Forehead”
Winery: AGRICOLA AGUAZA
Vintage: 2008
Label: Sa-Ra-Da
Varietal: 60% Garnacha Tintorera, 30% Monstrell, 10% Petit Verdot
Country: Spain
Region: D.O. Almansa (South East Spain)

*Sight or Appearance ~ “Eyes”
Brightness: Bright,
Intensity: Med Plus
Color: Ruby with shades of Purple (Caused by the Petit Verdot)
Rim Variation: White Rim, with a Purple Haze leading to a dark middle
Viscosity: Medium

The perfect holiday wine???

As Christmas Day approaches and you prepare for your dinner or party, you might be asked to bring the wine…and you might wonder…what should I bring? You stumble through the aisles searching for that perfect bottle. To add to your dilemma, there might be ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry, stuffing, green beans, salad, rolls, macaroni and cheese, desserts, etc. etc, etc right? At most holiday gatherings, there is a plethora of food. A spread as wide as the eye can see so not only do you have to find a good wine; you have to find something that pairs nicely with most things.

Great gifts for your vino lover

We googled, you tubed, binged and yahoo’d to search for the best, unique and practical gift ideas for the wine lover in your life. Many of these items we use in our business or at home. The bottom line is, there are lots of great gifts out there for wine lovers…we just focused on ten. Happy wine shopping.

Wine Review: Monte Valonga 2008 Tempranillo

Based on my "Think while you drink" tasting class, let's review a Monte Valonga 2008 Tempranillo...

*What is it? ~ “Forehead”

Winery: Monte Valonga
Vintage: 2008
Varietal: Tempranillo
Country: Spain
Region: Valle del Cinca

*Sight or Appearance ~ “Eyes”
Brightness: Bright
Intensity: Medium
Color: Ruby
Rim Variation: Yes
Viscosity: Medium

Candy and wine and everything’s fine

Does wine go with candy….yes it does. In my mind, anything goes with wine. The key is finding the right wine or wines to pair with “anything”. As you prepare for Halloween this year, whether it’s a party or just dishing out the candy at home, have some wine. There are a few general rules when pairing wine with food and candy can easily fall into these rules.

For the most part, lighter food pair well with lighter wines and richer foods pairs well with bigger, bolder, richer wines. When it comes to candy, which is obviously sweet, I would pair with a sweet or dessert wine.

For candies like Skittles, Candy Corn or Starbursts try Canadian Ice Wine or Late Harvest Riesling. As we said, richer foods pair well with bigger, bolder, richer wines so for candies that contain chocolate like candy bars, M&M’s and Kit Kats, I would pair a Tawny Port or even a rich Napa Cabernet.

So for fright night this year, sit back and enjoy your candy and wine and don’t worry about the calories…it’s a holiday.

Wine and cat pee: a great pairing?

I know what you’re thinking. How could we even talk about wine and cat pee in the same sentence, in the same paragraph? How could these two things be apart of the same story? Surprisingly, cat pee and wine, can be a good thing. Well not actual cat pee (whew right?) just it’s aroma. I know most of us can’t stand the smell of cat pee anywhere let alone in wine, which is why I found this so fascinating. I had to investigate this crazy pairing.


First of all how does this work? Let’s start at the beginning: wine aromas. How are aromas created? The chemical compounds in the grape and the terrior (the land) react to create an aroma. These aromas vary based on a number of factors such as, the grape, the region, the climate, the wine maker’s technique, etc... And different combinations of these factors result in the distinct taste of wine. So how do we get to cat pee? Well, it’s only found in one varietal and only in a few regions. More importantly, what’s the chance you’ll encounter this elusive cat pee essence? Well if you are drinking a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or France…there is a very good chance.

The cat pee characteristic is usually developed in young, less ripe grapes in cooler climates and in mineral driven soils such as limestone and sandstone that are found in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and the Lorie valley in France. Some other unpleasant yet descriptive words for this same aroma are armpit sweat, musty, canned asparagus, snow peas and green beans.

I know this still sounds crazy but not only is this characteristic unique it’s also very popular. It is the core aroma of New Zealand’s world-leading sauvignon blanc according to a six-year study by a team of lucky wine scientists. The scientific team spent more then $12 million dollars defining the flavors of the country’s most popular grape varietal. They concluded that cat pee, sweaty passion fruit and asparagus created the winning combination.

I’m pretty sure that most of us think this is crazy but apparently the Kiwi’s love it and according to some experts, the phenomenon is catching on. Who knows, soon enough you might be drinking and enjoying cat pee.



by Jennifer Guran
contributors: Wes Kollar & Elyse Guran

Meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family

If you haven't yet, its time to meet Ryan Hill from Hill Family Estate Winery as we prepare for our upcoming wine dinner at Wildfish with Ryan and the Hill Family wines.  So instead of hearing it from us, we thought we'd sit down with Ryan (interview style) so you can get to know Ryan and his families wine.

DW: Hi Ryan, how are you?
RH: I'm great. And you?

DW: Good. Ryan, tell us about the Hill Family and their wines.
RH: Hill Family Estate was formed in 2001 by Doug (my Dad), Darci, Ryan and Carly Hill. The patriarch, Doug Hill, started growing grapes in Napa during the early 80's. Over the last 33 years, Doug has managed over 1,000 acres of vineyards and grown grapes for 50 different winemakers. Today, the Hill's craft 10 different wines that range from $22-$150 per bottle.

DW: What makes the Hill Family different from others?
RH: We are 100% family owned and operated! Our wines are crafted in an elegant style (we have a female winemaker) and she expresses the terroir from each vineyard site that is farmed by Doug Hill.