Category: Top wine deals

Biggest Wine Myths Found Online

MythBusters Takes on Web Wine Sellers

Rid yourself of these top 5 myths about wine and become a Savvy online wine shopper

1.A Gold (orwhatever) Medal Winning wine is Special 

Hard fact: It is not unusual for 75%-90% of wines entered into a competition to walk away with a medal. There are far too many wine competitions that are organized into for too many categories. Keep in mind that in general an Award Winning wine is most likely to be solid, of average quality. In other words, no big deal.

Barefoot wins tons of medals! Firstleaf.com relies heavily of medal winning promotions, but others are guilty.

2. Made by a “100 Point Winemaker”

Okay, at some point in his/her career, a wine made by the winemaker was rated 100 points, often referred to as “a perfect wine.”  The vineyard and the winery also deserve considerable credit, but rarely do. What’s misleading logic here is, for example, me saying I’m a perfect golfer because I onced scored a hole in one. Or you got 100% on your driving test, so you are a perfect driver ready for the Indy 500. www.vivino.com loves to undercover a wine made by a 100 point winemaker.

3. A Cult Wine, Cult Winery

Cult wine is now so overused that it basically indicates a high priced, often overpriced wine that some reviewers went ape over many years ago. If it also happens to be discounted heavily, it aint no cult. www.wineExpress.com overdoes this one.

4. From a Legendary Vintage, a Vintage of the Century

Now that some smart ass critics think rating vintages on a 100 point scale demonstrates their talent and superior knowledge, let’s take the wind out of this

quickly. In a given vintage, wines are made by humans, and some are better winemakers than others. Thus, quality varies from winery to winery in a given vintage. Also, the vintage usually stretches out over 8-10 weeks, so these overall ratings are unrelaible for all wines made in a given year.

Good wines have been made in poor vintages, and mediocre wines are made in vintages rated 95 to 100 points by some know-it-all. The vintage date has nothing to tell you about the quality of what’s inside the bottle. Used by too many sites to list the guilty.

5. Priced below retail, average retail, best web price or market price

This is tricky to explain. But as an example, nakedwines.com offers a Columbia Valley Cabernet for $12.99, well below the market price of $27.33. Such a deal, but the problem is this wine is an exclusive with this site, not sold anywhere else.

So the market price means little, being an estimate or a guess or a made up price. Discounts are unreliable when the wine is custom made, a special label, or an exclusive.

And this is true of so many wines offered by subscription box approaches.

 

 

 

Going Rogue on the Wine Tasting Trail

 

“Pinch me, pinch me! I must be dreaming.”

A reasonable estimate is that I’ve visited hundreds of wineries over my career. Often with an appointment; most often as a drop in.

I am also compelled to disclose that my favorite play is A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

You see I may have been under the influence of Puck during a recent visit to a wine country. So if you don’t believe any of what follows, maybe we need to get the Puck out of the conversation.

My first stop also had a good restaurant and superb valley views. Enjoying a small plate of delicious mushrooms, I sample 3 Pinot Noirs, all good with different personalities. Make that really good. Wandering inside the tasting room, I’m offered a bright, lovely Chardonnay, followed by a magnificent Pinot Noir from 7 clones, and then end with a stunning Cornas-tasting Syrah.

Turns out the well-informed tasting room guy was the owner. “Only in your dreams” you are probably saying.

Or, maybe you are curious about those mushrooms.

Next stop, a few miles away, A small winery focusing on Spanish varieties. Wait! Spanish. I definitely must be dreaming. We start with the 2017 Verdejo…bright and lively with crisp citrus flavors. Who in their right mind would make a Verdejo?

Well, it was followed by a Rose, mostly Tempranillo with Grenache and Graciano blended. In a word,”Lovely.” Next were two Tempranillos, the first with 19% Cabernet and the second, 100% Tempranillo. Well, both were excellent, beautifully made versions, one to drink now, the other to age.

After some polite chit-chat, we figure out the woman talking about the wines is the winemaker, the woman pouring, her sister. They are the owners. 

The tasting fee was waived.

Third winery was a distance away but on the other end of the pretty valley. A valley with vineyards on steep hillsides and a year-round river. Not knowing what to expect, my eyes immediately go to the manicured grounds and picnic area set up for concerts and /or weddings. We walked through the brilliant flower garden which is adjacent to the herb garden. Inside, the tasting room doubles as a restaurant. The outdoor tasting bar overlooks the picnic area and vistas. Families are picnicing; kids are playing.

We begin with a spicy, minerally Pinot Gris followed by a Viognier, ripe, rich, and powerful. Next up is a blend of 75% Viognier with 25% Chardonnay, which is more subtle, more complex, more complete. The wine is named “Amuse” and although when in a waking state I’m suspicious of wines with cutesy names, I’m in love. (Damn you, Puck!)

This dream was sure to end with a glass of 2014 Barbera plunked down before me. Nobody ever thinks of a sturdy, plummy, herbal, Barbera with definite acidity today. Unless it is complementing my last piece of pizza.

 Perfect match!

Better yet, a 2016 50-50 blend of Syrah and Cabernet was so appealing with a touch of leather with black cherry fruit and great structure, that I decided to buy a few bottles before I depart. 

That’s the big clue.

Now you too must suspect this has to be a dream because when would a wine writer ever buy a wine?

Or was it? 

The wine-cup is the little silver well,
Where truth, if truth there be, doth dwell.

 

Best June Cellar Clearance Sale

 

Here’s a cellar clearance sale that truly is a fantastic “blow-out sale.”

offered by  http://www.cawineclub.com

With $1 shipping and an extra 20% off clearance sale wines.

Why We Like this Sale:

  • Excellent discounts goes almost without saying
  • Wines are made by real, family-owned wineries, not brands or virtual con jobs
  • Wines are from exciting non-Napa regions, well-worth exploring
  • Several from up and coming star wineries such as
  • Jason-Stephens in Gilroy and Youngberg Hill in Oregon
  • Excellent shipping rates
  • And, the sale is from the California Wine Club, an established club with a proven track record

 

Start With These Three:

Chardonnay lovers will not be disappointed with the 2013 Jason-Stephens Winery from the Central Coast, $14.99 before other discounts. It is lively, delicious and a pefect summer sipper

A Fantastic Rhone blend is from Rabbit Ridge in Paso Robles. A great red for $14.99 before discounts. A classic mix of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre.

A perfect, precise Pinot Noir from Oregon comes from the Youngberg Hill Winery, overlooking the Willamette Valley at $38.00 before discount. Both the winery’s view and this Pinot impressed on my last visit.

This sale ends June 14th.

What are you waiting for?

Check out these and other deals

An Amazing Move

 

Today’s best sale, a moving sale, is almost too good to be true. As a lover of real Sauvignon Blanc, not the watery, sweet stuff, and a fan of genuine Dolcetto, I suggest we all move quickly and take advantage of the move.

Go to www.invino.com

Check out these two 10 buck specials:

2016 Beltane Ranch Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma Valley, $10

2016 Dolcetto d’Alba, La Collina, $10

Priced 60-67% below retail, they are perfect for picnic or BBQ fare….and whatever.

Great opportunity to see why Dolcetto is so popular in Piedmont.

The 2016 Montepulciano could also be a winner.

What are you waiting for?

 

First Great Memorial Weekend Wine Deal

 

The first of many we hope, is a super white wine and a total no-brainer:

2014 Acacia Winery Lake Chardonnay, Carneros  $9.96

Offered by www.garagistewine.com

Acacia’s Winery Lake Chardonnay has been a longtime favorite of those preferring real Chardonnay over the over-oak, manufactured style.  

The story here is that Treasury Wine Estates bought Acacia along with others in 2016. It sold the winery, and now operates Acacia as a brand.

I’m guessing the marketing guys assume this 2014 is getting old and they want to get rid of the inventory.

I’m also guessing they are totally wrong.

This Chardonnay was originally offered in the $30-$35 price range.

It is sad to see a once great name like Acacia heading off into the corporate world.

But, hey, why not take advantage of the corporate thinking and experience what made Acacia famous.

You cant beat the price.

Garagiste.com has been checked out and it is upfront and delivers. It was the first to offer Wind Gap wines at deep discounts.

Stunning Wine from An Unknown Region

 

Here’s one brilliant selection for the truly open-minded and adventurous wine lover, if there are any left.

Sommselect.com is offering a super red wine from one of the world’s most under-appreciated wine region, Roussillon in the south of France. The vineyard is close to the Spanish border in a sub-region known as the Côtes Catalanes.

If you are man enough to try something new, here it is:

2017 Domaine de l’Horizon, “L’ESPRIT DE L’HORIZON”

$39 a bottle, free shipping for 4 or more. Limit 12 bottles per order.

By no coincidence, this wine is from Calce, a high elevation special mountainside vineyard area that neighbors the lone superstar, Domaine Gauby.

I visited Gauby several years ago and came away convinced the $100 bottles of wine were actually a deal. And I’m frugal!

And, for those of you who never thought much of the Carignan grape, you will be, as I was, astonished by the depth and complexity of wines made from old Carignan vines grown in this tiny region.

It is 60% Carignan and 40% Syrah which adds flesh and spice to this exciting 2017 red.

This is definitely NOT one of those over-ripe, fruit bombs that are all jam and usually given inflated 90+ scores by bogus Somms.

Best of all, this is a wine of place, one that demonstrates that terroir is a real concept.

And that is what wine is, or should be, all about.

Check it out at http://www.sommselect.com

Unbeatable Springtime Wine Deals

Direct from the winery: Navarro Vineyards

take advantage of three wines perfect for casual sipping this Spring:

2017 Chardonnay, Mendocino, $18 $216 case)

2017 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley $18 ($216 case)

2018 Pinot Blanc, Mendocino $13.75 ($165 case)

Now the details:

Bottle Prices are for one case, 25% off regular bottle price

Shipping is one cent, yes, only one penny per case!

Why We Like This Deal:

  • Real wines from a real family winery
  • Great shipping price
  • Better than standard discounts
  • Experienced in packaging and shipping wines direct
  • Wines are not available in shops or supermarkets
  • Hard to find this quality of Pinot and Chardonnay for under $20
  • The Pinot Blanc at this price will make you forget about all watery-thin or over-priced Pinot Grigios and mass produced Chardonnays

Check these and other Spring deals at www. NavarroWine.com

Online Wine Shops: The Final Four

Final Four NCAA basketball, Spring Break, and Baseball is Back.

Add Easter weekend, Passover, and we have all kinds of reasons for special sales offers and deals.

We began the season by following 36 candidates, each claiming to have the best deals for members, exclusive offerings of super-duper values, rare wines and great vintages and, of course, the next cult wine.

But we are now down to the 4 teams that have been working the hardest to offer exceptional wines and/or exceptional deals.

www.invino.com

has played extremely well over the last two weeks.

It continues to find new ways to score, locating unusual wines such as the

Vaughn Duffy Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc.

Current exciting offers:

2013 d’Arenberg d’Arry’s Original

Grenache, Shiraz | Australia, $14.99

2017 Sancerre, Laporte, $27.00\

www.sommselect.com

Showing great depth with recent selections of a Hermitage, a Tollot-Beaut Savigny, and a Ribeiro Blanco from Galicia, a ballsy play. Also outstanding  Gigondas but the Bouzy Rouge was odd. Here are examples of an unusual find and a rare culty wine:

2017 Ribeiro Blanco, Galicia $22.00

2016 Coche-Dury’s Meursault “Les Chevalières, $75.00

www.napacabs.com

These folks have truly upped their game recently. A longshot a few months ago, this week it turned heads with several exciting wines. I liked the way it balanced big names and excellent discounts:

2015 Beaulieu Vineyard Private Reserve Cabernet, Napa Valley for $89.99 (regularly $149)

2010 La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino, $29.97

2013 Geyser Peak, Alexander Valley Reserve, $19.97 (60% off)

www.gargistewine.com

Made it into the final four for being so unpredictable but always managing to come up with a surprise play. An excellent Muscadet for under $10 or the 2016 Cos d’Estournel for under $200 may seem unlikely, but this site has them both. I am wildly impressed by the depth of the offerings from the Loire Valley.

Two versatile players:

2018 Bourgueil, Domaine Cotellergie, $16.76

2016 Scott Paul Pinot Noir, Chehelam Mts, $19.71

What about the pre-season favorites and especially www.vivino.com with its 35 millions fans?

That’s a story for another time. 

The Best Online Wine Shop?

So, I have to confess my picks for the Sweet 16 college teams did not fare well. Each one has, alas, gone home.

My game is online wine shopping, and here is my choice for one of the Final Four

http://www.garagistewine.com

garagistewine.com is the most peculiar online retailer I follow. One reason is that its founder Jon Rimmerman who has been offering wines for over 20 years often presents his daily offers late at night.  He is based in Washington State which may explain some things.

He sometimes seems a bit chatty and becomes so excited and enthusiastic that he might belabor a point about a particular wine or region.

He is also insistent about when he will ship your wines and specifies the required temperature and humidity for proper shipping.

But these minor quirks are greatly offset by the pluses.

  • He seeks out wines that are organic, biodynamic and farmed sustainably  
  • He favors small artisan producers and family owned wineries
  • He obtains many wines direct so truly cuts out the middleman
  • He doesn’t use inflated scores from Somms
  • His wines are attractively priced
  • And he is unpredictable, sometimes offering olive oil, nutella, or food items. All high quality.

I enjoy reading his detailed notes because he truly knows his stuff. His background insights about vintages and regions are extremely useful. He is particularly on top of the vintage variations in France’s Burgundy and the Rhone.

He provided a detailed report on 2016 and 2017 based on travels and tastings throughout France and it is spot on. His remarks about 2015 and 2016 Bordeaux are the most reliable in the wine trade.

His analysis of 2016 in Burgundy and of the 2017 Northern Rhone are some of the best I’ve read.

And to this fellow Loire Valley lover, he has the inside track on Loire Valley wines:

“2018 is one of those “pinch me, this can’t possibly be true?” red wine vintages in the Loire. I can’t really compare it to anything else – it has the ripeness of a vintage like 1989 but the freshness of 1996 (another classic year.”

He also looks closely for super wines from Washington, of course but also Oregon. A recent Washington Tempranillo was remarkable.

He often locates super wines under $15 a bottle.

Here are examples of recent offerings:

  • 2018 Bourgueil, Domaine Cotellergie, $16.76
  • 2016 Scott Paul Pinot Noir, Chehelam Mts, $19.71
  • 2014 Rioja Riserva, Burgo Viejo, $13.98
  • 2017 Sancerre, Dezat $19.99
  • 2016 Renvoise “Jasmieres,” dry Loire Valley Chenin Blanc $16.70
  • 2015 Domaine de Cambes, Bordeaux $33.71
  • 2016 Ribbonwood Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough $7.99

He recently offered a lovely Provence Rose for sale at $9.99.

He found “the best Bordeaux you’ve never heard of” from 2011.

He comes across as frank, as in these recent notes:

“This is fastidiously produced Chardonnay without a smidge of pretense but the stuffing and expression to, well, pummel just about any other example from outside the Burgundian reach under $30. In addition, the impact is from fruit, stone and clarity, not from alcohol, wood or from winemaker strategic manipulation/enhancement.”

Or

“If you think “bargain” wine is devoid of potential pleasure or cannot be in the league of top-drawer entrants, guess again. This wine can easily compete with Sauvignon Blanc at 2-3 times the $ and many of its competitors are not as delicious to drink.”

Sometimes to keep prices low, he suggests buying 6 or 12 bottles or more which may seem like hype and hustle, but I think he is sincere and honest in his emphasis on offering value.

A maximum number of bottles a person may purchase is always listed, ranging from 6 to 60.

Pros:

Wildly eclectic selection not found elsewhere.

Excellent prices

Seeks out biodynamic and other green products.

Cons:

Complicated shipping procedures and delivery dates but only to assure wines arrive in fine condition.

Alerting all Pinot Noir Fans: A Truly Great Discovery


Now offered by a website that usually over-hypes, and over rates every wine. But it got this one right!

2017 Eden Rift Pinot Noir, Valiant is on sale for $22.99

The revamped Eden Rift winery is the old Pietra Santa Winery in the Gavilan Range of San Benito County. That’s not too far from Calera.

I credit SF Gate’s Esther Mobley for discovering this winery and writing about the new developments in San Benito several months ago. She is a brilliant wine writer worth following.

The website offering this wine is http://www.vivino.com which typically mentions Robert Parker and then describes the wine in stange language such as: “A World Premiere — Profound Wild Berries and Violets! Legitimately Spectacular!”

And adds, “This Pinot Noir will put you back in your seat. The tension and vibrance is memorable…”

Impressed by the “profound wild berries,” its sommelier on duty rates it 98 points. Lucky guy, he apparently never tastes a wine rated below 95 points.

My Rating: 94 points

My bad: As much as I enjoy berries, can’t remember any as profound.

Sensible facts:

The winery is owned by Christian Pillsbury.

Cory Walker is the winemaker who was assistant winemaker at Calera.

The Eden Rift name draws from Steinbeck’s East of Eden and the fact that the area sits on the San Andreas Fault.

$22.99 is an excellent price, 40% below retail.

See www.vivino.com