Mini Bottles Perfect for Picnics

Wine and picnics do go together.  But if you don’t want to carry heavy full bottles of wine but yet want that cache that comes with wine in a bottle, there are some small-size choices.  A 187 ml bottle will pour two small glasses.  Take two, and it’s your own private wine tasting experience.

Head to Reno for many choices in the 187 ml “mini” size bottles at Cost Plus World Market.  I bought three choices to try.   The Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 from Chile’s Central Valley is elegant and fruity.  It comes in a screw-capped mini at $2.99. The 120 name is a way of honoring 120 patriots who helped lead Chile to independence.  13.5 per cent alcohol.

The Cavit Collection 2010 Pinot Grigio comes from italy’s delle Venezie region.  It is a crisp refreshing white wine, with nice fruit, and a light taste that makes it very versatile.  It’s best served chilled. 12 per cent alcohol.   $2.99 for the 187 ml screw-capped bottle.

What festivity is complete without a bubbly?  I chose the Segura Viudas Brut Reserva,  an estate bottled sparkling wine from Spain.  This Cava is crisp, clean and delicate with interesting floral notes, and aroma of white fruits, citrus and tropical fruits.   Grapes blended for this Cava are 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada, and 15% Xarel-lo.  The 187 mini cost $3.99, and is 11.5 per cent alcohol. 

Closer to Lake Tahoe, Uncorked wine shop in Squaw Valley carries the Zonin Prosecco from Italy in the 187 ml size.  Zonin Prosecco is a varietal wine made from the Glera grape, which is native to the Veneto region.  It is a fresh, dry sparkling wine, with a fruity flavor profile that pairs well with almost everything. The classic almond note is typical of Prosecco.  $6.00 for the 187 ml.  11 per cent alcohol.

If you want to move up to the 375 ml bottle, often referred to as a “split”, there are many choices. Incline Spirits offers 4 red wines in this size, including the Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Private Selection 2007.  $7.99 the 375 ml size.    The Rombauer Carneros Chardonnay 2008 is $18.49 in the 375 ml size.

While you are at it, don’t forget the acrylic non-breakable wine glasses.  Cost Plus World markets has stemmed goblets at $2.69.  Uncorked Truckee has a two-pack of stemless 16 oz wine/cocktail tumblers, $7.00

Cost Plus World Market is at 4987 South Virginia Street, Reno, NV

Incline  Spirits is at 120 Country Club Drive, # 25, Incline Village, NV  89451

Uncorked - Squaw Valley is at 1750 Village East Road, Suite 62, Olympic Valley, CA

Uncorked- Truckee is at 10118 Donner Pass Road, Truckee CA

Glasses of Wine at Dockside 700

Dockside 700 is Tahoe City’s casual place for a glass of wine at approachable prices, served with delicious appetizers that won’t break your budget.  You’ll enjoy an unobstructed view of the Tahoe City marina and the lake, and a nice wine experience.   Sit at the elegant and friendly bar, or a table in the lounge area, or the screened-in porch.   All choices are good!

This summer’s wine by the glass menu offers something in every varietal category.  Here’s what I enjoyed.

The De Lyeth 2008 Merlot, Sonoma, is a lovely ruby color, and aromas of vanilla, orange spice and red licorice. The flavor is of plum, wild berry, currant and hints of mint and spices.  13.5 per cent alcohol.  $7 the glass, $20 the bottle.

I was delighted that the Diseno 2011 Torrontes, Salta region of Argentina, was served at a perfect temperature.  There is nothing like an overly-cold temperature to destroy the white-flower aromatics and taste of a good Torrontes.  This wine explodes with flavor of apricot, tropical fruits, jasmine, lily of the valley. 13.5 percent alcohol.     $5 the glass, $16 the bottle.

The Big Red choices include red blends from Livermore Valley and from Washington State, but I chose the Lange Twins 2010 Petite Syrah/Petite Verdot,  California.   It is Lodi-rules-certified sustainably produced wine.  Aroma and taste of blueberry and blackberry, juicy and flavorful!   14.2 percent alcohol.  $8 the glass, $26 the bottle.

Among the Chardonnays, the Wente Riva Ranche 2010 Chardonnay, Arroyo Seco, Monterey, is a medium-bodied wine with tropical fruit, honey, cinnamon and light floral notes. A classic California chardonnay with an oakey, big buttery taste.  13.5 percent alcohol.   $9 the glass, $29 the bottle.

Coming soon:   Ferreri-Carano 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley.   This is a lovely full bodied red wine.  No idea what Dockside 700’s pricing will be, but based on their list, it should be quite reasonable.  Almost all Dockside 700 wines by the glass range from $5 to $9, with just a few in the $10 and above price range.

For food pairings, the appetizer menu is extensive.  Chef Joseph Stecker prepared a tower of shrimp with avocado, cilantro and a touch of horseradish that was simply delicious with all the whites I tasted.  The classic baked-brie en croute was a good choice for the red wines. 

Dockside 700 is located at 700 North Lake Blvd,  lakefront at the Tahoe City Marina.  Tel 530-581 0303.  Open daily from 11a.m.-9 p.m. A wine club, and wine events, are planned too.  Menus (but not wine list) are at www.dockside700.com

Tastes from the 2012 Barbera Festival

The 2012 Barbera Festival, held in early June at  Cooper Ranch in the Shenandoah Valley near Plymouth, CA, brought 1,700 wine aficionados together to taste Barbera from more than 80 wineries from Camarillo north to Kelseyville, with the majority of participants coming from the Sierra Foothills and Lodi.  This second annual Festival was sold out three months early!

Barbera is a lesser-known, and often overlooked, varietal of wine grape. The Barbera grape was first imported into California in 1884, and was used by the Italian Swiss Colony winery in its table wines. The first Barbera varietal (a wine with the name of the dominant grape on the label) was brought to market in 1954 by Louis Martini. Today in California, some 7,000 acres are planted in Barbera, and nearly 200 wineries make at least one style of the varietal.

Barbera originated in the Piemonte region of northern Italy. On the nose, Barbera is typically lush and juicy, with aromas of black fruits. Depending on the terroir and the winemaker, Barbera vintages can convey bright flavors of raspberry, spice, and tart cherry, or more supple notes of black cherry, blueberry, and vanilla.

Urban Legend "trio"

Marilee Shaffer, co-owner of Oakland’s Urban Legend Cellars noted that Barbera is a “Cinderella” of a grape that has been in large part relegated to use as a blending grape.  But when treated property, she said, “Barbera can really become the Belle of the Ball.” Urban Legend presented a trio of Barbera, including a refreshing 2010 Rosatto and 2009 red from Holland Landing vineyard, and a 2009 Amador Barbera.  The 2009 Amador Barbera is bright cherry and cassis on the nose, dark cherry and cola on the palate. 15.2 percent alcohol. $26. www.ulcellars.com

The 2010 Boa Vista Reserve Barbera, from Oakstone Winery in Fair Play delivered a surprisingly Zinfandel-like punch of black pepper, following plum and blackberry aromas. 14.7 percent alcohol. $28. www.oakstone-winery.com

Sherri Compton pours
Easton Wines.  Plymouth
(Amador County)

Plymouth-based Easton Wines plured a 2005-2007 vertical from the same four rows of Cooper Ranch fruit. The older vintage tasted plump and jammy, while the younger two were bright and full of spice. The Easton 2007 Shenandoah Valley Barbera is rich, balanced and juicy, with a pleasing spiciness. 14.5 percent alcohol. $24. www.eastonwines.com

The 2009 and 2009 Barbera from  Lodi’s D’art winery is made from grapes grown by Leland Noma .  Both vintages exhibit related-but-not-identical flavor characteristics. The D’art 2010 Lodi Barbera has bright cherry, earth and berry-like flavors, with a long finish. 15.4 percent alcohol. $24. www.dartwines.com

Other photos from the event:


Crystal Basin Winery, Placerville
(El Dorado County)- Jack Wohler pours

Margie Runquist of Jeff Runquist Winery,
Plymouth (Amador County)

Michael Havill of Bella Grace,
Plymouth (Amador County)



Tom & Thomas Dillian,
Dillian Wines (Amador County)














Peter Nowack

Barbara’s fellow blogger, Peter Nowack, is today’s guest columnist.  He is the wine lover behind the BungRCooper.com wine blog, and is founding partner of northern-California based WEmarketwine.

Lava Cap Pairs Wines and Events at Placerville Winery

All in a day’s trip from Lake Tahoe, Placerville’s Lava Cap Winery offers the chance to taste incredible wines and participate in events like white water rafting, painting and sipping in the vineyard, sunset concerts, cooking classes, Wine 101 seminars, Harvest 101 seminars, and more.


Aimee Rebmann guides us

Barbara "paints"

I enjoyed the Lava Cap "Sip Wine & Paint"  Event a few weeks ago. I was guided through painting a vineyard scene by Aimee Rebmann.  “No experience needed to create an amazing painting--all while you sip your favorite Lava Cap wines!”  The event lived up to the promise. The next event is August 25.

Lava Cap is one of my favorite Sierra Foothill wineries.  Their Barbera is one of my few “! AHA !” wines.  It is typical of the varietal but oh so good.  At  $25 a bottle (less for wine club members), it’s a spectacular find.   But beyond the good wine, Lava Cap has made a point of helping wine lovers enjoy a tasting experience.  Get on their newsletter list!  Upcoming events include:

 Wine & Sunsets.  Every Saturday, August 18 through September 29, 2012, 4-7pm .  Sip Lava Cap wine, watch the beautiful sunset views from their deck and garden area, and enjoy live music until dusk.

Red Wine, Whitewater Adventures    This is a two-day red wine and white water adventure. Rafting the South Fork of the American River and visiting Lava Cap for wine tastings.  Now finished for 2012, but sure to resume in 2013!

Lava Cap Winery began in 1981. The Jones family purchased an old 64-acre pear farm after a year-long state-wide search for premium vineyard land. David Jones, a professional geologist at USGS and later UC Berkeley, knew the critical role that soil plays with premium wines. This land has volcanic soil of modest depth, gentle sloping terrain with numerous microclimates, a high elevation providing moderate temperatures for even ripening, and an abundance of pure mountain water. The residual “lava cap” topography eroded from the volcanic activity in the Sierra Nevada millions of years ago.

Tom Jones, winemaker

Lava Cap Winery has always been a family affair, and sons Tom and Charlie and their wives and now children are all involved.  The first varietals planted were Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, then Charlie assumed the role of vineyard manager and added Petite Sirah, Barbera, Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Tom got his MA in Enology & Viticulture at UC Davis, and is a talented winemakers.

The Lava Cap style is one of elegant, textured-driven wines. The wines continue to win awards, including recent accolades for the Syrah 2009,  Barbera 2009, and Cabernet Sauvignon 2009.

Visit Lava Cap Winery at 2221 Fruitridge Rd, Placerville.  The tasting room is open 11 to 5 daily.  For maps, directions and to register for events or buy wines online, go to www.lavacap.com

Learn to Wine Taste with Jelly Bellys

How do you learn to discern flavors and aroma in wine?  For those who want to increase their ability to identify a wine when they put it under their nose or take that first taste, this can be an issue.  Not all of us have the time to take professional wine tasting classes.  It will shock the pros out there when I make the following statement:  there are some short cuts.  Consider the Jelly Belly approach, for example.

The first time I heard about the use of Jelly Bellies to educate wine lovers was during a discussion with Kristi Snyder, one of my favorite and very talented sommeliers, who happens to work at Lone Eagle Grille, Hyatt Regency, Incline Village.  Kristi works with groups of executives and others who are at convocations at the Hyatt to provide some relief in the heavy-duty education process.  Her wine tasting classes make liberal use of Jelly Bellies!

The basics of a Jelly Belly wine exercise is that you taste the individual Jelly Belly beans first, in order to understand the different flavors associated with certain wine varietals.  Then, if you put all of the Jelly Belly flavors in your mouth at the same time, and chew them together, you can come close to the taste experience of the wine varietal itself.

Here are some classic combinations of Jelly Belly beans that emulate the basics of certain wine varietals. Go to a store that has a good range of Jelly Belly beans, and put the “glass of wine” together yourself.   Or drive to the factory in Fairfield for a fun family day.  Kids can go on the tour, you can hand-pick the beans!

 Pinot Grigio:  Lemon Lime, Lemon Drop, Pink Grapefruit, Tangerine, Peach, Juicy Pear

Riesling:  Peach, Juicy Pear, Green Apple, Cantaloupe, Pink Grapefruit, Tangerine

Cabernet Sauvignon:   Blackberry (2), Very Cherry, Raspberry, Plum, Dr. Pepper

Malbec:  Blueberry, Plum, Raspberry (2), Very Cherry, French Vanilla

Chardonnay:  Pineapple, Mango, Juicy Pear, Pink Grapefruit, Peach, French Vanilla, Chocolate

Merlot:  French Vanilla, Toasted Marshmallow, Chocolate, Very Cherry, Plum, Raspberry, Strawberry, Dr. Pepper

Sauvignon Blanc:  Lemon Lime, Pink Grapefruit, Tangerine, Mango, Peach, Juicy Pear

Pinot Noir:  Very Cherry (2), Raspberry, Strawberry, Plum, Pink Grapefruit, Cappuccino

Zinfandel (red):  French Vanilla, Chocolate, Very Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Dr. Pepper, Blackberry, Plum

Don’t want to hand pick the Jelly Belly beans, but thinking of doing a Jelly Belly wine tasting at home with friends?  Check out  http://www.jellybeanwinebar.com .  There are more than 40 varietal kits offered there!   

Malbecs of Argentina -Top Picks for Barbeques

Looking for a steak-friendly wine for barbeques?  Look no further than the section in the wine store labeled “Argentina”, and then look for Malbec. 

Malbec  sales in the USA are up from 200,000 cases in 2002 to more than 4 million cases in 2010.  This is largely due to importers like WineBow, who often sponsors groups of writers-chefs-photographers to taste the wines on site.  I went in March and that’s the origin of the delicious choices I am recommending to you below.

 Malbec is not a new grape to the Americas.  When Spanish conquistadors invaded Argentina in 1561, they planted European vines around Mendoza.  There are many factors that assisted Malbec in its ascendancy as a grape there, including the fact that the Huarpe Indians used Incan technology to build canals which channeled melting snow from the Andes Mountains to the sunny desert-like terrain of Mendoza.  That irrigation practice is still in place today. 



Nicolas and Laura Catena

Perhaps no one has shaped the destiny of this grape as much as Nicolas Catena.  He and his daughter Laura have built an incredible wine estate, Bodega Catena Zapata, not far from Mendoza.   Son Ernesto Catena has his own winery, Alma Negra.

I’ve found various Catena Malbecs in local stores for less than $20 a bottle.   Delicious.  Even more delicious are the Malbecs noted here:

Catena Alta Malbec 2008. MY TOP PICK. This is 100% Malbec, sourced from several of their vineyards. It’s a dark violet color. Aroma of ripe berries, wild flowers, mocha and tobacco. Taste is soft and silky, with cassis and black currant, and hints of chocolate, vanilla and black pepper. A wonderful minerality on the finish! 14 per cent alcohol, $55.

Catena Zapata Malbec Nicasia 2008. When the money tree falls on me, this will be my house wine! Grapes for this very special wine are selected from clusters plant-by-plant, and the grapes are manually de-stemmed. That begins to give you an idea of how special this wine is. Aroma of ripe black fruits, sweet spices and thyme.  A very complex and expressive wine on the palate, with flavors of dark berries, licorice, bitter chocolate and spicecake.” 14 per cent alcohol. $135 suggested retail price.

A recommendation as a light summer wine is Alma Negra Malbec Rose 2011.  It is refreshing and citrusy wine. The composition is 85% Malbec and 15% Pinot Noir, with all grapes coming from the Mendoza appellation. 12.7 per cent alcohol. $24

Over the next few months, I’ll write also about such varietals as Carmenere, Bonarda,  as well as the wines of Chile. Can’t wait?  See the Chile-Argentina section of winebiznews.blogspot

Uncorked Tahoe City Wine Bar - Ladies Welcome and Gents Too

Girl’s Night Out – Guys Welcome!  That should be the sign on the chalkboard in the welcoming and intimate wine bar in Tahoe City, Uncorked.  Actually it says “Ladies Night ~ Wednesdays 4 to 8,  $4 per glass” but  the night I dropped in there were a fair number of fellows too. 

The wine-by the glass list at Uncorked is very good and reasonably priced.  The Ladies Night wines offered come from their normal list.  Uncorked does change the wine-by-the-glass list frequently, but many of the tastes below will be available most of the summer.

“When a customer comes in, I like to ask them what they like,”  noted Juda Wilson, who is frequently the hostess.  “I’ll suggest something that I know will appeal to the palate they already have, but there are some great wines here to help expand your wine knowledge.”

Juda started us off with one of Uncorked’s absolute best sellers:  the Aria Brut Cava Pinot Noir from Spain.  It is a bit more dry than other cavas, and this particular bubbly features intense raspberry and strawberry aromas with a hint of cherry and caramel.  $6 the glass, $16 the bottle.  12.5 percent alcohol.

In the white list, the Maldonado Chardonnay 2009, Sonoma Coast, California is an oaky buttery typical California chardonnay.  It has flavors of rich fig, citrus and spice, and also flavor and aroma of kiwi, peach, apricot and cream.   Grapes are sourced from the Parr Vineyard.  $13 the glass.  14.3 percent alcohol.

I selected two reds, both of them from some of my favorite winemakers.  The Talbott Logan Pinot Noir 2009, from Talbott’s Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in Santa Lucia, Central Coast of California, is an estate wine with a smoky aroma and great smooth and delicate mouthfeel.  It has lots of bright fruit taste, and flavor and aroma of black cherry and fresh blueberry.   $10 the glass.  14.2 per cent alcohol.

The Mauritson Cabernet Sauvignon 08, Sonoma Valley has a full mouthfeel and a fair amount of tannin.  On the front palate, this deep red wine tastes of tobacco, sweet oak and dark fruit.  The aroma features cassis, vanilla and a smokiness as well.  $10 the glass.  14.5 percent alcohol.

Uncorked Tahoe City is located in the Cobblestone Mall at 475 North Lake Blvd., Suite 151, Tahoe City, CA.  Open Sunday through Thursday from noon to 9, and Friday and Saturday noon to 10.  Telephone 530.581.1106