Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

I’m in love with this wine line.

In the past, Columbia Crest Two Vines was my go-to wine (and I still like them), but every wine from the Leese-Fitch line has been amazing and they are now my new “go-to” everyday drinking wine.

Which brings me to today’s wine, the 2009 Leese-Fitch Zinfandel. (Really, it is a blend of 80% Zinfandel and 20% Petite Syrah.)

The grapes are harvested from some of my favorite places in California – Paso Robles (40%) and Lodi (60%).

The 2009 Leese-Fitch Zinfandel is a dark garnet colored wine with aromas of plum, raspberries, pepper, and spice. (Yummy, right?)

In the mouth, you will find tastes of blackberries, cedar, and black tea. And as weird as this sounds, the finish lingers with the taste of toasted marshmallow. In all, it exhibits all of the classic tastes of Paso Robles Zinfandel without being too jammy or over fruity. (Most likely where the Petite Syrah comes in to even it out a bit.)

While this wine would be just fine to drink alone, it would go splendid with a wood fired pizza or a chicken and red peppers pasta dish. But remember, it is high on the alcohol meter – 13.5% – so be sure to not drink on an empty stomach.

It isn’t the most complex wine available – but at under $10.00 – it will make several $30 Zinfandels jealous.

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

If you aren’t sure if you like red wine or if you pallet tends to like sweeter wines and you would like to branch out a bit – then it is time to try the 2008 Tamas Double Decker Red from the Central Coast.

The 2008 Tamas Double Decker Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Barbera.

On the nose, you will find hints of coffee, vanilla, and warm hay (no joke). And while those descriptions sounds like a “girlie” wine – make no mistake – this wine is robust. It leads into a smooth finish tastes of blackberry, black cherry, plum, and spice.

The alcohol content is high at 13.5%, so be sure to pair it with cheese, grilled meat, or a robust stew.

Even though it is on the sweeter side for red wine, it will still please the most experienced red wine drinkers because of the heavy blend of cabernet and petite sirah. In fact, I would wager it will be a crowd pleaser at your next gathering or dinner party.

So give it a shot, you may be surprised to find out you are a red wine drinker.

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

Spring is coming.

(Or maybe winter never arrived.)

Regardless, as the weather starts to become warmer it provides a good excuse to move from red wine to white wines.

And my new favorite “it’s almost Spring wine” is the 2010 Arca Nova Vinho Verde from Portugal.

(Portugal? They make wine?)

Why, yes. They do.

More trivia? Vihno Verde is a Portuguese classic (known as the early picked or green wine).

And really the green bottle is just a pre-cursor to this light, crisp and citrus-full wine. (Think Pinot Grigio – only more subtle.)

First, the cork is a little strange. It resembles a cork from sparkling wine and you will notice once you open the wine there is a bit of “fizz” about it. (Not crazy fizz like sparking wine, but slight fizz, like party in the bottle.)

The 2010 Arca Nova Vinho Verde is a light bodied and dry wine that exhibits hints of grapefruit and pear and finishes with tastes of  green apple and peach. Unlike several other wines I review, this wine is not meant to be stored for any length of time and is not a food wine.

However, since it has a low alcohol level (only 11%), it can be enjoyed without worry on a sunny day in the backyard, on the deck, or screened porch.

Is this the most complex wine you will drink? Nope.

However, every now and again it is nice to not have to “think” about a wine while drinking it and instead just enjoy the day around you.

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

Off to South America for this week’s wine pick….specifically Argentina.

Argentina is a HOT wine area right now.

And Malbec is their prize.

Malbec is one of the Bordeaux varietals and in the past had been used as a blending grape only. However, the Argentinians have retooled this blending grape into a stand-alone with surprising success, just like the 2010 Punto Final Malbec.

This 100% Malbec is a sturdy red wine – she shows deep ruby red color in the glass and notes of berries and cassis on the nose. Once on the palate, the wine exhibits a balanced  full-mouth feel with hints of fruit, vanilla, and pepper.

One interesting characteristic, the wine was aged in stainless steel vs oak (which is more typical for a red wine), so the attributes are more clean and bright than traditional red wines.

Some wines are meant to be drank with food and others aren’t – this one does well with a food pairing like steak, pasta, risotto or sharp cheese.

And because the chances of any of us getting to Argentina to go wine tasting are slim, I thought I would tempt you with a description of their facility.

The winery is a medieval tower built of rocks and is located at the foot of the Los Andes Mountains. Old and new worlds collide as the outside medieval tower built of rocks is filled with state of the art technical wine-making equipment….respecting history while embracing the future.

So, who wants to go to Argentina? 

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

I’m a secret Riesling fan.

Which might shock a few diligent readers of the “Thirsty Thursday” wine posts – since it seems I really only ever post about red wine.

A syrupy, sweet German Riesling was my first “adult” wine. In my mind, it still tasted like a wine cooler but looked more sophisticated.

But as I grew older and more discriminating (aka…a wine snob), I found I still loved the general qualities of a Riesling, I just didn’t like all of residual sugar. (High percentage of residual sugar = sweet wine.)

And to be honest, it was hard to find a dry Riesling.

Most Rieslings don’t indicate the residual sugar. So I was never sure if the wine would be a sugar bomb, a fruit bomb, or “tha” bomb.

Enter in Pacific Rim.

This company is really standing out when it comes to Rieslings. It’s their specialty. It’s what they do best. And they are striving to educate the average wine drinker (like me) about Rieslings by including residual sugars on the label, so you know what kind of Riesling you are going to get. (Yippee….I always hated surprises.)

The 2007 Pacific Rim Dry Riesling from Columbia Valley is a phenomenal riesling for the price.

The nose has floral aromas, with hints of pear and orange peel adding some complexity. There is a nice acidity to the wine (also referred to party in your mouth) followed by lots of citrus and mineral flavors and finishes with a sweet taste of pear.

It’s a dry, but not stripped, semi-sweet Riesling that is aged in stainless steel and uses no oak. (So it is crisp and clean.) This wine would pair well with Asian or seafood or with sharp cheddar cheeses.

If you are red wine drinker, it might be time to give the Rieslings a chance. You never know how your pallet will have matured since the last time you tried one. (Circa 1990.)

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

Maybe it is the warm fall/winter we are having.

Or maybe it is my desire to skip this season altogether and go straight to spring, but I’ve been on a hunt for a rose wine.

And not just any pink wine. Rose wines are different than white zinfandels. Even though they are both pink, Rose wines can be extremely fruity and extremely dry.

The last time I was in MDL Wine & Liquor, wine girl recommend this Rose from Chile. And she knows her stuff, because I could haven’t been more pleased with the pick.

The 2010 Vina Maquis Calcu Rose is from Colchagua Valley in Chile, South America.

It is a refreshing, dry rose composed of 50% Malbec, 40% Syrah and 10% Petit Verdot.

The nose has the aroma of citrus, mainly grapefruit and lime, with slight floral notes.

On the first drink, there is a bit of acidity (or what I like to call – party in your mouth) followed by tangy citrus flavors combined with hints of cherry, raspberry and strawberry.

This rose should be served cold – but not super cold. Take it out of the fridge for 15-20 minutes before serving.

And it will pair well with soft cheese, Asian dishes, or salads or can be drank all by itself. (Which is always a good thing in my book and when it is 48 degrees in January.)

So if you are yearning for a little bit of Spring, open this up, serve a salad and some fruit, and daydream about your flower beds.

(For those who want a bit of wine trivia, in the local Mapuche language, Calcu means “magician.” Cool, huh?)

Don’t forget to use the Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.

Thirsty Thursday is the quest to drink good, cheap wine that is $15.00 and under. Want some more recommendations? Check out the past cheap wine posts on Thirsty Thursday.

Buttered popcorn.

Yep, of all the smells one can get from a wine, I smelled buttered popcorn. But it was a good buttered popcorn.

Before you start thinking, “That must have been her fourth glass to smell buttered popcorn!”, hear me out.

The buttered popcorn wine is the 2009 Vina Robles Red 4 is from Paso Robles, California. (Yep, two weeks in a row I’ve done Paso Wine Reviews.)

This wine is a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) blend. GSMs are pretty common in California and especially in the Central Coast. Part of the reason is due to the area’s ability to grow great Syrah grapes and part of it is these three grapes go really well together to produce great red blend wines.

What makes this GSM a little different is the higher concentration of Petite Sirah (42%). It has a darker, more garnet ink color and flavor than traditional GSMs.

While this wine looks menacing in the glass, the aromas of dried berries, mocha, and buttered popcorn move to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full bodied wine that exhibits juicy ripe fruit, hints of oak and spice and finishes with earthy supple tannins.

Partially due to the overall flavors and partially due to the high alcohol content, which is 14.9%, this is a wine meant for food – like grilled steak. (Don’t drink this on an empty stomach or you may literally be under the table before food is served.)

I loved this wine. It was a bit of fluke that I picked it up – but the overall structure, flavors, and alcohol content made me yearn for another trip to Paso Robles soon. You could taste the hot afternoons, the dusty air, and the beauty of a vacation.

Hmm…may need to look at a Southwest Airline Flight soon.

Don’t forget to use the 2012 Thirsty Thursday Wine List when creating your wine shopping list.

Note: This wine should be available at most liquor outlets. Please be responsible when you drink wine – and never drive drunk…seriously, that is just stupid in this day in age.