A new fave, and it's "Hot to Trot"!

No horsing around: 14 Hands "Hot to Trot" blend is a winner! I picked some up at Sam's Club last week and found it to be a yummy, fruit-forward blend. What a great deal I thought for just over $10!


THEN I saw an old flyer from Bullock's and it's only $8.97 per bottle! Time to stock up a bit! Click HERE for a data sheet from the vineyard and click HERE to find Bullock's (Sandy Plains in East Cobb and off Barrett Parkway, east of I-75. This is a perfect BBQ wine (yes, I actually recommended something OTHER than a ZIN!) and will be great for your Summer parties. ENJOY!

What I'm having for New Year's Eve...

Tonight's menu? "Surf and Turf" with king crab legs (RIP Captain Phil!) and steak; on the wine front, I picked up a lovely Blanc de Noirs from Gruet yesterday at Total Wine & More. All Pinot Noir, so it may have a bit of a blush color, but will be a nice 'middle of the road' option for both items. (In all reality, I'll probably end up popping a nice aged bottle of 'something red' as well). Regardless, God Bless you and have a great evening--best wishes for 2011!

(Gruet is a great label from New Mexico, click here for more info. Cheers!)

Oh goodie! Another good find at Sam's

It should be NO surprise to learn that I am a zinfandel lover. For those of you who are new to wine, I am not talking about pink zinfandel, but the beautiful rich red zinfandel, friend to spicy foods and bbq alike! I had to run to Sam's Club to pick up some items and saw that they have an old friend for sale at a fair price of $7.98--Rosenblum Vintner's Cuvee. Similar concept as Ravenswood's Vintner's Zin, but less production. If YOU are a zin lover you will already know that I just mentioned 2 of the 3 R's--the most famous zin producers are Ravenswood, Rosenblum and Ridge. All three make other wines, but their single-vineyard products are incredible! Sure, I'd love a Biale "Black Chicken" or a Neyer's zin, but a) they are hard to find and b) pretty pricey but then again most of the single vineyard products from the 3 R's are up there as well. How about agreeing that all are great but the 3 R's are pretty much bulletproof? For $8, I am looking forward to seeing how good this 'lot' of Vintner's Cuvee is! See you again soon, Bo

Thanksgiving Wine!

Let's talk turkey! It's time to plan NOW for your Thanksgiving wine and food fest. I know that having a group over to your home can be overwhelming enough but trying to choose a 'one-size fits all' wine for dinner is pretty much impossible! Earthy flavors like turkey and dressing plus sweet flavors like sweet potato casserole (I'm getting hungry) and top that off with slightly bitter cranberry relish and you've got a taste 'mash-up' that can truly confound you! What's the solution? Have several wines! One wine (one that I don't normally 'push') that holds up well to so many flavors is Chardonnay-go for a Carneros (Napa) or Russian River (Sonoma) from California, and try to avoid super 'oaked' wines. One splurge is Au Bon Climat, which is more of a central coast choice but worth it. Another white that will pair well with such varied flavors is a dry Riesling (a phenomenal choice is Chateau Ste. Michelle's "Eroica", around $20 but yummy). As for reds, my old friend Zinfandel (I stole a quote I read-try the "3 R's": Ravenswood, Ridge or Rosenblum) is a great catch-all but you may want to choose something lighter like a Pinot Noir (From CA, look for Acacia, Chalone, Schuug or go for Oregon, Foris, Witness Tree or Erath) . A fun choice is always Beaujolais Nouveau, which is always released on the 3rd Thursday of November (a/k/a TODAY). Always light and fruity it can be a fun addition to your celebration. Finally, an option that is always appropriate is Champagne. From a Spanish Cava (usu. around $10) to a sparkling wine from the USA (Gruet from New Mexico is awesome, around $14, Chandon from Napa (also $14) or Ch. Ste. Michelle from Washington) to a "fully French" selection (Moet White Star-$35, Veuve Clicquot-$40)--you can't go wrong with bubbly. The final thing to note-get to your local wine shop early as they won't have time to help you find hidden gems as they will be SLAMMED like Hartsfield airport as we get closer to Thanksgiving. Sure, they can point you in a general direction but for more 'hands on' help you need to get there sooner rather than later.