A New Bloggerpack: Summer Sippers From Wannabe Wino!

June 24th, 2008

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We mentioned this was coming a while back. Like, a really long time ago, it seems.

After a bit of a delay in sourcing the wines, we’re happy to have finally gotten things together for our fifth wine blogger sampler pack, this time from Megan (aka Sonadora aka Wannabe Wino - how many aliases can a girl have? Sheesh!). Our release of the pack coincides with Wannabe Wino’s change in address, from a Blogspot hosted site to its own spot at Wannabewino.com. Big congrats on that milestone, Megan!

Megan has chosen her wines very thoughtfully, having visited each of the included wineries, making this an ultra-personal selection of wines. Additionally, she has chosen wines that are perfect for the season, and given that temperatures have already spiked so early on, it seems like she’s onto something.

Go ahead and stock up your cellar with these summer sippers chosen by Wannabe Wino:

–2007 Rosé of Syrah from Breggo
–2007 Michel-Schlumberger Pinot Blanc
–2006 Mauritson Sauvignon Blanc

Notably, the Mauritson and the Michel-Schlumberger are both from Sonoma, and more specifically, from Dry Creek. James Laube dissed Dry Creek last week, but Dr. Debs posted a most compelling rebuttal (as did Mary of Dover Canyon). Having tasted Megan’s two white selections, we’d have to take a staunch position in the pro-Dry Creek camp. These are just two fantastic and pure wines. The Breggo Rosé is another crisp and refreshing quaffer, though from Anderson Valley. Megan suggests pairing it with her easy to make, non-slow-cooked barbecued ribs (recipe included with the three-pack of wines). We have a limited number of Wannabewino packs available, so get it while you can. Oh, and it will run you $55 plus shipping…

And while we have your attention, we wanted to take the time to thank all of the blogger partners who have participated in the bloggerpack program. We’re going to be sending a thanks that goes beyond just lip service, but to begin with…lip service will have to do.

This all started very much as an experiment, but has become an important part of who we are as a wine store. Now, we’re not making big bank on these packs, but that’s beside the point. The bloggerpack program really has helped us tremendously, as we’ve learned a huge amount from every participant.

For instance, we had no Portuguese wines in stock before Ryan and Gabriella came to our rescue; nor did we know much about Mulderbosch before Dr. Debs made us aware of the them; we hadn’t delved into the Louis/Dressner portfolio before Neil prodded us to; nor had we heard of Brooks before Jeff at Good Grape brought the winery to our attention. So from all of these bloggers, we’ve been introduced to something we might not otherwise have come across.

But, equally as important to us as our continued ability to learn from bloggers is the spirit they encompass, that continually reminds us why we became passionate about wine in the first place. All of these participants blog about wine not because they have to, but because they want to.

So to Ryan and Gabriella, to Dr. Debs, to Neil, to Jeff, and to Megan, we raise our glass. To Wine-Scamp, A Passionate Foodie, El Jefe, Catie, Lenn, and the other (too many to name) wine peeps we hope to do packs with in the future, we also raise our glass. We’re incredibly grateful.

Cue sappy music now…

One Response to “A New Bloggerpack: Summer Sippers From Wannabe Wino!”

  1. Gravatar Icon Dr. Debs

    A mouth-watering, thirst-quenching assortment! Good on you, Wannabe Wino, for picking the wines (and getting your own address!). And thanks as ever to Jill for supporting all of us blogging types (cue sappy music, #2).

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get your wine on

2007 Scholium Project Naucratis Verdelho

Abe Schoener strikes again, this time with a great Verdelho at a slightly lower price-point than the Gemella. This is 100% tank-fermented and a very dry, mineral-laden wine. This is one of the reasons why Schoener is earning status as a winemaker as a cult winemaker. It delivers. $28 for Scholium goodness.

2007 Skylark Cellars Alondra Chardonnay

I admit, I really don’t dig Chardonnay, so you don’t see many around these parts. I do, however, love this one. Not surpisingly, it’s unoaked. $18 of un-oaked, un-malo’ed goodness!

2007 La Fenetre “A Coté” Red Blend, Santa Barbara County from Timeless Palate Wines

This is astoundingly good for the money. It’s 60% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard, and 40% Merlot from the Bien Nacido Vineyard. The winemaker, Josh Klapper, is a mere 29 years old and one to watch. This is red, juicy and lush but not over the top. $18 and worth every penny.

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freshly pressed

Wine Store Design Continued: More Racks and Lights and Stuff:

Just a couple of images for the now…

Some of the single-depth racks, assembled (thanks again to Tim Krablin of Modern Cellar for the photo)…

And the interior of one of the lampshades, of which there will be 48, in three different shades of blue-ish purple. Keep in mind this is 36″ in diameter — as in three feet (the exterior is aluminum, non-powdercoated. I’ll let your imagination do the work).

Maybe one day I’ll post about the wines I’ve been tasting and stocking, and actually try to sell you something…which would possibly help me pay for all these neat things…ummmm, maybe next week…

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.


Frizzante


March 29th, 2008

Scorekage


March 23rd, 2008

Rioja


March 3rd, 2008

grapewise

logoI recently stopped by Venokado, a new-ish shop in LA. I bought a Lirac imported by Kermit Lynch, and it was yummers. Last night I had the pleasure of spending some time with one of its owners, Susan Brink.

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Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!

Read more…