Wine Blogging Wednesday #46: white Rhone varieties hosted by Good Wine Under $20
Good Wine Under $20, Grenache Blanc, GWU20, Marsanne, Picpoul, Qupé, Roussanne, Tablas Creek
We’re a day late for Wine Blogging Wednesday, but hopefully you’ll forgive us since the subject is something dear to our hearts: white Rhone grape varieties. Seems we’ve been on a white Rhone kick of late, having hosted the Tablas Creek dinner last week (thanks Jason, it really was an amazing night), and having brought in close to two fistfuls of SKUs into our store that fit this subject. Okay, so ten wines is nothing for retail giants, but considering how small we are, ten is not insignificant!
Wines we’ve brought in include the most recent vintage of the Curran Grenache Blanc, and the Ferraton Cotes du Rhone white that Dr. Debs, herself, reviewed for the occasion. We just got the Qupé Marsanne, which will certainly make both Cousin Roussanne from Tablas Creek (not even entered into inventory yet) and sister Roussanne from Qupé very happy. We’ve narrowed down our Picpoul choices to one imported by Peter Weygandt, or possibly the new vintage from Chateau de Pinet/Arnaud Gaujal. We’ll get back to you when we’ve made our decision. Maybe we’ll bring in both!
More important than our inventory activities, though, is the sensation these wines give us. There’s just something that feels seasonally appropriate about these grape varieties and these wines, and the balance of crispness and viscosity, the refreshing stone fruits and, in some cases, tropical fruits, tempers unseasonably hot weather, or brings warmth to us on the odd chilly spring L.A. day. And maybe that’s why we’ve said yes to so many of these wines and see them taking up a greater percentage of our limited shelf space these days.
Thanks to Dr. Debs for hosting, and for having the premonition that June should be white Rhone month. Thanks to Lenn for inventing WBW. And thanks to all of you for reading…
5 Responses to “Wine Blogging Wednesday #46: white Rhone varieties hosted by Good Wine Under $20”
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15:
Just a quick note to let you know that a week from today, on Monday, March 8th, 2010, I’ll be hosting the first domaineLA wine tasting event at Susan Feniger’s Street, with the Manincor winery of Italy. The importer and winemaker will both be present to chat about the five wines being poured (including an unusual and delicious dry moscato), and the wines will be paired with light bites.
The best news is that the event will cost just $15 a person…a bargain! Swing by between 6PM and 8PM — I hope to see lots of you there!
Susan Feniger’s Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Oh, and you can buy tickets in advance, online by clicking here:
3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15
Wine Retail and Social Media: Yeah, I Should Be Blogging…
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wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
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June 12th, 2008 at 8:32 am
Wow these all sound like great finds!
June 12th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Glad to see that our Rhone white hunger can be fed! The Qupe Roussanne looks especially intriguing. Thanks as ever for participating!
June 12th, 2008 at 11:04 am
You’ve discussed some interesting varietals. I knew nothing about white Rhones (have enjoyed my share of reds) before this WBW. I’m keen to try more.
June 14th, 2008 at 10:33 am
I intended to participate in the WBW this month but I lost track of time and missed the deadline. I’ll have to try some of your suggestions! I agree with Dr. Debs – the Qupe Roussanne sounds intriguing.
June 15th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Sounds like you had as much fun with your Rhone-style white as I did on this Wine Blogging Wednesday!