Budget Vino

A surprising wine find in a small UK town- Deakin Estate 2004 Shiraz

If you've read my previous post, you know that right now I am working away on a consulting project in Wootton Bassett, UK.  After work each evening, I return to my hotel, and am pretty much forced into solitary confinement until a co-worker picks me up for work the next morning. Why am I in solitary? Well, there is literally nothing to do in Wootton Bassett, or in the nearest town of Swindon. My only nighttime option is to check email and have a couple drinks.

(I've pasted in a map showing the location of Wootton Bassett and Swindon, as I doubt that any of you have heard of either town.)

View Larger Map

View Larger Map

This brings me to the great surprise of this trip....

The hotel I am staying at (The DeVere Hotel Shaw Ridge) is pretty darn nice- especially given its location. As part of the hotel's customer service program, each day, housekeeping places a complimentary small bottle of red wine on my hotel room desk (unheard of in the US). There the bottle sits all day, waiting for me to return to my room, graciously offering to help numb my boredom.

The complimentary wine is a Deakin Estate 2004 Shiraz from Australia. Now I'm not sure if it's the environment playing tricks on my taste buds, or the fact that it's provided at no cost, but this wine is actually really good. The Deakin is dark and rich. It's fruity, but without offense. Overall, it's a tasty wine that is most certainly comparable to so many other "definite buy" wines I've reviewed in the past.

I did a little research, and it looks like this wine can be purchased for about $5 a bottle in the US. For that price, I'll definitely be seeking it out when I return home. The company just released their Shiraz 2005 vintage. I'm curious how it compares to the 2004. Maybe I'll sneak a bottle home so I can compare...

If you're searching for a wine that pairs well with a bad day or a bad English meal (of which I've had too many to count), this may just be the one you've been looking for.

Recommendation: Definite buy (pending confirmation once out of tiny UK town)

I apologize for the hiatus...

It's been a couple weeks since I've written a Budget Vino posting, and for this I apologize. You see, I am currently on a job assignment in the UK. What was supposed to be a 2 week work jaunt has been extended, and at this point I have no idea when I will see America again.

I'm stationed in a town called Wootton Bassett. To imagine Wootton Bassett, picture a suburb of a suburb of a small city (maybe 150,000 people). It truly is that small! As you can imagine, the wine options in such a place are very limited.

This weekend, I am off to a town called Bath. About 30 minutes from Wootton Bassett, and about 1.5 to 2 hours from London, the town is a global heritage site. With such a classification, surely there will be some decent wine to review. Stay tuned to see if this hypothesis turns out to be correct!

1 Barbeque + 1 Excellent budget Pinot Noir = Awesome Saturday!

This past Saturday, I met up with my good friend Brett for a couple beers at a local San Francisco bar called Zeitgeist. On a sunny day, this bar is one of my favorites. It has a huge patio, a very alternative crowd, and some killer beers on tap. After 1 hour and a pitcher later, Brett and I picked up with wife and baby, and headed to our friend David's bbq fiesta.

As we walked, Brett and I contemplated what type of alcohol we should bring with us to the party. Having had our fill of beer, we decided that nothing would work better than a couple bottles of budget wine. Given it was hot out, we had to be careful about the varietal we chose. Choose something too heavy (like a merlot) and risk being perpetually thirsty. Pick something too light, and never be satisfied. In the end, we decided the best wine for this awesome Saturday was a Pinot Noir. 

The only liquor store in the vicinity was this mildly disgusting shop a few blocks away from Brett's house. At first I thought we'd never locate anything of quality, but then Brett found a wine that he swore was a budget top choice.

The wine was a Mont Pellier Pinot Noir. It retailed at this liquor store for $9.99, but Brett informed me that he had paid as little as $7 for the same bottle.

We arrived at the BBQ and before we could even say hello to the host, we had cracked open our first bottle of Mont Pellier. I gave it about 3 seconds to breath before I took my first sip. Verdict? Awesome! This Pinot was smooth, oddly refreshing, and had a very slight aftertaste. It went well with every tidbit of food that I was able to get my hands on- twice baked potatoes, artichoke dip, salt and pepper chips, chicken apple sausage, and a few others I can't seem to recollect.

This wine was so good that I can foresee this Pinot becoming a staple in my budget wine collection. And you never know, maybe the disgusting liquor store will become my new hang out!

Recommendation: Definitely Buy It

Update: Passionate and loyal reader Gunnar Ostergren found me a picture of the Mont Pellier. Thanks man!!

The BevMo 5 cent sale is back

Ah, my favorite event is back, and my wallet is burning. BevMo (Beverages & More) is holding their semi-annual (?) 5 cent sale. To see a list of the wines that are included, click here.

If you've never had the joy of participating in this incredible event, here's how it works- you buy a bottle of wine at the regular price, and the second one is only 5 cents. Unbelievable, I know!!

A number of the wines I've previously reviewed are included in the sale. Take a look at the Budget Vino summary spreadsheet to see which ones I've tried.

If you have a BevMo nearby, or if you're in a place where they'll deliver, I seriously encourage you to get online and go shopping...

Don't know much about Chianti? All the information you'll ever need!

My fascination with Chianti was recently piqued when I went to a local Italian restaurant for dinner. My friends and I ordered some, and it came to the table in a bottle laden with straw braiding. I was curious about the straw, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I know nothing about this wine.

I did the old Google search, and found an essay at Pantagruel.com. I've picked out the quick facts for your convenience, but I encourage you to read the whole essay. It's worth the time, and it might just leave you with a new found fascination with Chianti! (especially when you find out that these days, straw braiding is only popular outside of Italy, and it's considered a trick to bait tourists and "victims of stereotypes.")

Here are the Chianti quick facts....

Tuscan dry red wine of high quality – DOCG (Denominzione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) The most popular Italian wine outside Italy. Father of the first blend of Chianti – Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the middle of the 19th century. 7 production areas: Classico, Rufina, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Senezi, Colli Pisane, Colli Montalbano. Up to 10 of grapes could be used in Chianti. Red autochthonous grapes: Sangiovese (min 75%), Canaiolo, Colorino, Mammolo, Malvasia Nera. Other red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah. White local wines: Trebbiano, Malvasia Bianca. Over 1000 producers. The most successful years (over the last 20 years): 1985, 1988, 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999. Has inherent aroma (wild cherry, wild berries, violets) and taste (ripe berries with refreshing acidity taste and well structured tannins). Chianti Classico and Chianti Ruffino are produced in accordance with stricter standards and typically appraised more than the others. There are two major categories of Chianti (independent of production area): Normale. Unofficial category; as a rule this wine is not made for long storing and is drunken within 2 years after release. Riserva. It is produced only in the best years from the best vineyards. The wine is to be aged in barrels and bottles (at least 2 years for Chianti Classico) and has a higher content of alcohol (min 12,5 for Chianti Classico).

Cork vs. Screw top- What's better for the environment?

I was just perusing Yahoo!'s site, and found this interesting article- "Cork debate pits wine vs. environment."

It seems the debate over what is better- cork or screw top, has expanded to examine the impact of each on the environment. Give the article a look if you have a moment. It's pretty interesting, and a fast read.

The world's most expensive wines- just for fun...

As a reader, you know that Budget Vino focuses exclusively on wines costing $10 or less. Over the past year, I've found some awesome wines, and have had some great recommendations from readers.

Just for fun, I thought this week's posting should focus on how absurd wine prices can get. I scoured the web, and found this article in Forbes magazine that discusses the worlds most expensive bottles of vino. It is absolutely ridiculous. Here are some highlights..

• "Chateau Lafite 1787 sold at Christie's London in 1985 for $160,000. "
  
• "The world's most expensive bottle of wine that could actually be drunk today is also the most expensive wine ever sold in America, a Montrachet 1978 from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti that was hammered down at Sotheby's in New York in 2001. The lot of seven bottles fetched $167,500, or $23,929 per bottle."
• "The most expensive bottle of wine never sold. In 1989 William Sokolin, a New York wine merchant, had a bottle of Chateau Margaux 1787, also with Jefferson's initials, on consignment from its English owner. He was asking $500,000 for it."

The rest of the article is worth a read, but if you want to have some fun, make sure to check out the slide show.

Enjoy the absurdity!!

A tale of 2 Sebeka's, part 2- Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage from South Africa

After a well needed break, I got back into work mode this past Monday. I must admit that my vacation made me a little soft (and a little heavier), and a full day's work was hard to get through. By 5pm I was definitely in the mood for a nice glass of wine. Luckily, before I left for my trip I picked up a bottle of Sebeka's Cabernet Pinotage (click here for review of their Shiraz). When I got home, it was on my counter, calling out to me...

I opened the bottle faster than a 5-year old opens a Christmas present. I poured myself a nice big glass, swirled it around, and took a big sip. This wine was fantastic! To my surprise, it was even better than the Sebeka Shiraz that I enjoyed so much a couple weeks earlier. It was thick and tasty. It had an awesome aftertaste and was totally smooth.

Like this wines Shiraz cousin, I bought this bottle for $5.99. So, if you find yourself with $6 laying around, and you're questioning what to do with it, I think I've got an answer for you- Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage!

Recommendation: Definitely buy it.

A tale of 2 Sebeka's, part 1- Sebeka Shiraz from South Africa

Not even a week ago, I was introduced to a wine that was so good, I'm contemplating adding it to my list of "Top Choices." The wine was a tasty Shiraz from South Africa, brought to us by the people at Sebeka winery.

This wine was smooth and seemed to get better with every sip. I enjoyed it on its own, and also with some awesome homemade Teriyaki chicken wings (happy to share the recipe). I've tried a lot of mediocre wines lately, and it was great to finally find a new budget bottle that tasted great.

Fellow wine bloggers at Box Wines liked this wine, but not as much me it seems. Read their review here.

When at the store the other day, I picked up a bottle of Sebeka's other offering- a Cabernet Pinotage. I am definitely curious whether it will live up to the quality of the Shiraz...Review of this wine to follow...Keep posted.

Recommendation: Definitely buy it.

Move over cheese, wine has a new best friend...Chocolate!

A couple days ago (after a fine Thai food meal), I stumbled upon arguably one of my greatest finds yet in San Francisco- The San Francisco Chocolate Factory.

Why was this such a great find? Well, aside from the obvious, the SF Chocolate Factory has a product line called "Wine Lovers Chocolate." Based on the % of cocoa, each wine varietal is matched with a different type of chocolate. Take a look at the pairings they recommend.

Wine Type            % Cocoa
Zinfandel                72%
Syrah                      61%
Merlot                    58%       
Pinot Noir               56%
Cabernet                55%
Port                       54%   

If you want to learn more, click on the image below, or go to their website. I tested out their Zinfandel recommendation the other day, and it was spot on.

Let me know what you think.